There are now more democracies and governments in the world than at any point in history. Brief Overview: Democracy is a system of government in which the citizens of a state or nation have powers to govern themselves, either directly or through freely elected representatives. It guarantees individual liberties and encourages open dialogue with supporters and critics from civil society.
Nonetheless, democracy is currently under attack from within around the world. Today, about a third of the world’s population is ruled by elected authoritarian populist leaders whose policies are at odds with how democracy works.
Authoritarian governments ensure that their citizens lack certain civil liberties to control them. They also don’t encourage or accept criticism of any kind, which is not very democratic. Populist governments, on the other hand, encourage factional struggles within the populace, often dividing them into ordinary people and members of the economic, social, and political elite, who are often seen as enemies. Populism is closely related to authoritarianism because it represents a way of subjugating and distracting populace through class, religious, or racial warfare.
Today’s authoritarian populist governments all seem to be playing the same playbook. At first glance, these regimes appear to be legitimate democracies with legally elected leaders and people enjoying civil liberties.
However, the tide is slowly turning as civil society organizations such as NGOs and other watchdog groups have begun to criticize the government. Unable to attack or purge these groups for fear of international repercussions, they would criminalize NGOs and even freeze their assets and other funds. In this way, social grievances will not surface.
In India, for example, the government blames the NGO Greenpeace for stunting economic growth. They are constantly smeared by the government, so it is illegal to accept any funding. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has also turned a blind eye to the looming environmental disaster caused by sand mining.
In Poland, the far-right, ultra-conservative ruling party has allied itself with the Catholic Church to advance their shared agenda of preserving “traditional family values”. Today, abortion is illegal in Poland, women’s rights continue to be eroded, and NGOs focused on women’s issues continue to lose funding.
After all, the Russian government is happy to go after any NGO it deems to be a spy or an intruder. They also go after journalists if they criticize any aspect of the government.
A true democracy means that people can speak up and share their observations to find common solutions. As long as civil society remains brave and vigilant, these authoritarian governments will not silence them.
Directed by: Sebastian Weis
