Current location:travel >>
Democracy declines for 20th consecutive year, advocacy group says
travel84People have gathered around
IntroductionDemocratic governance declined for the 20th year in a row last year in a region stretching from Cent ...
Democratic governance declined for the 20th year in a row last year in a region stretching from Central Europe to Central Asia, according to Freedom House's annual Nations in Transitreport, released Thursday.
The report from the Washington advocacy group, which covers democratic trends, describes a shift toward authoritarian rule and a "geopolitical reordering" of the region. That reordering is splitting the region into a transatlantic pro-democracy bloc and an autocratic, anti-democracy bloc, it says.
Democratic principles suffered setbacks in 10 of the 29 countries in the region, the report says. It identifies deepening authoritarian rule, expanding authoritarian aggression and a strong need for global democratic leadership to stem these threats.
Despite the trend, the report found that most democracies maintained democratic standards at home.
It noted that Poland, although facing democratic backsliding, was able to change course during a high-turnout election last October, and that its ability to recover will be "crucial for the future of the wider region."
Another finding is that hybrid regimes, which are known for containing both democratic and autocratic traits, are at a crossroads.
As countries in the region are moving into distinctly autocratic or democratic blocs, countries with hybrid regimes could go either way and 2024 could be a consequential year, the report says. This will be the biggest election year in recorded history, with about half the world's population in more than 50 countries heading to the polls.
Mike Smeltzer, the senior research analyst for the Nations in Transitreport and one of the two co-authors, described the crossroads during a webinar Thursday. He described three camps: democratizing hybrids, autocratizing hybrids and cyclical hybrids.
Autocratizing hybrids include countries such as Serbia and Georgia and are marked by governing institutions that are "increasingly captured by ruling parties and abused for partisan or personal gain," said Smeltzer.
Commitment to reform
Democratizing hybrids, which include Ukraine and Kosovo, have "more genuine political pluralism and … [have] shown a real commitment to the reform and strengthening of democratic institutions."
Smeltzer said shifts to democratizing hybrids are often "the result of an external catalyzing event like aggression from an authoritarian power.”
“Nowhere is this truer than in Ukraine," he continued, noting steps it took last year to improve the effectiveness of its courts and anti-corruption bodies.
The report found that Ukraine is the only country out of the 11 hybrid regimes in the region that improved its democracy.
The final group is cyclical hybrids, in which regimes "may ricochet between democratic and autocratic breakthroughs without ever seeming to achieve a full consolidation in either direction," Smeltzer said. This includes countries such as Albania and Armenia.
Outside these groups are consolidated authoritarian regimes such as Russia and Azerbaijan, which Smeltzer said not only resisted movement toward democracy after the Cold War but have also "intensified the repression and worked to thwart democratization efforts elsewhere."
The report outlined multiple recommendations to reverse the trend of declining democracy in the region. These recommendations include making rule of law a strategic priority, helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia, holding autocrats accountable, supporting voter education on obstacles to reform, and supporting human rights defenders while in exile and in their home countries.
Panelist David Kramer, former president of Freedom House and current executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, highlighted support for Ukraine as the most important policy recommendation for protecting global democracy and reversing trends seen over the past two decades.
"If we don't help Ukraine win, those other recommendations won't amount to too much," Kramer said. "We will see the Russian threat roll on throughout the region, and we will see other authoritarian regimes feel emboldened as a result of the West's abandonment of Ukraine."
The report also highlighted increased cooperation among autocracies. It said that consolidated authoritarian regimes "have actively supported one another in evading sanctions, crushing domestic opposition, and blunting any accountability for military aggression and other violations of international law."
Nevertheless, the panelists were not despondent. They said Ukraine's resilience, the large turnout at Poland's recent election, and the overall failure of authoritarian governments to deliver on their promises to citizens are reasons to be hopeful for the future of democracy.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Earth Enigma news portal”。http://bosniaandherzegovina.spaceforanything.com/news-41e599957.html
Related articles
Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
travelA long-planned series of Catholic pilgrimages has begun across the United States this weekend, with ...
【travel】
Read moreNikola Jokic's brother appears to PUNCH a fan in the face after Nuggets' comeback win over Lakers
travelPolice have appealed for people to come forward after video emerged that appears to show one of the ...
【travel】
Read moreAdrienne Bailon says she spent 'easily over a $1M' to have her son
travelAdrienne Bailon has been open about the high emotional price she paid on her way to motherhood, and ...
【travel】
Read more
Popular articles
- Burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police from the top of 60ft high roof during nine
- Taylor Swift fans use clues to work out the exact dates she recorded songs on record
- Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi is 'tickled pink' to inspire a Barbie doll
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to inaugurate Sri Lankan hydropower and irrigation project
- Nuggets blow 20
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to inaugurate Sri Lankan hydropower and irrigation project
Latest articles
Ricky Stenhouse punching Kyle Busch could lead to suspension
Kim Kardashian shares selfie with Taylor Swift's ex
Tucker Carlson says there is 'no evidence' for Darwin's theory of evolution
Vietnam should ask Cambodia to delay canal project: experts — Radio Free Asia
Shohei Ohtani's first walk
Young Laotians held at Myanmar casino fearful of fighting nearby — Radio Free Asia
LINKS
- Thought 'off
- North Carolina sports wagers well over $1 billion in first months under new law, report says
- Canadian police link 4 women killed in the 1970s to dead American serial sex offender
- Plane passenger reignites etiquette debate after revealing VERY controversial seat swap trick
- Chrissy Teigen puts on a VERY leggy display in a rhinestone
- Shohei Ohtani Day to be annual event in Los Angeles for duration of his Dodgers career
- Peng Liyuan visits Buda Castle, has tea with Hungarian first lady
- Xi, Putin jointly meet press
- What to expect in Georgia's state primaries
- Floods death toll in Kenya rises to 238 as heavy rains continue