Democracy in crisis
With global freedom declining, many democracies are facing a profound challenge. The erosion of formal constitutions, a decline in independent media and a rise of “fake news” are poisoning the well of objective information that enables voters to make quality choices. Informal codes of behavior that are essential to democracy—such as treating political opponents like legitimate adversaries and not illegitimate enemies—are also being erased. When these informal norms are replaced by authoritarian practices, democracy can quickly turn into illiberal democracy, indistinguishable from authoritarianism.
In some countries, the deterioration of democratic freedom has been severe, but in others it has been more modest. In either case, democracy seems to be aging and facing an inconvenient decline. It’s vital to understand why this is the case and what we can do about it.
What’s happening in the world today makes this moment one of the most important in modern democracy’s history. The global community must take steps to revitalize the principles of democracy, reframe the debate on its future and work with young people to reawaken a sense of civic responsibility and participation that has been lost in recent years.
Jon Gregory is Vice President at Yorktown Solutions, a foreign affairs advocacy and political risk advisory firm in Washington, DC. He previously worked in government, public affairs and non-profit roles advancing policy initiatives to address emerging domestic and global challenges.