Democracies under threat around the globe
Democracies under threat around the globe
With 63 democracies now outnumbered by 74 autocracies, a new Bertelsmann Foundation report highlights a global shift away from democratic governance, exacerbated by recent geopolitical events and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hard facts are sobering: According to a new study, the quality of democracy has deteriorated over the past 20 years in 137 countries that are considered developing or emerging economies. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation's "Transformation Index," there are now 63 democracies compared to 74 autocracies. In other words, states that tend not to have free elections or a functioning constitutional state.
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why is democracy being seen as an end and not a means? isn't the goal supposed to be to raise the standard of living of people in developing or emerging economies, to reduce income inequality, to combat climate change, and/or to improve support and infrastructure for disadvantaged people and their communities?
in a state with limited political goodwill, why isn't more effort spent on actually benefiting the people instead of maintaining institutions that evidently degrade the minute attention shifts away from them?
Some countries do not have a culture of democracy. It is partly because of legacy of colonialism destroying the social cohesion of many pre-colonial societies. Some former colonial countries that managed to become democratic and prosperous have strong cohesion from the grassroots. So they are able hold each other accountable. Meanwhile, countries that are less democratic have been more accustomed to top-down rule.
why is democracy the goal? democratic nations have pretty much universally profited from the plunder and destruction of poor nations.
the british empire, the french empire, the german empire, the american empire. democracy is a tool of imperialism and colonialism. when those avenues for extracting wealth fail, what's left? increasing concentration of power and wealth to the rich, privatization of public goods, right-wing extremism, and societal stagnation through a return to conservative values.
More dynamism, people could give better ideas and less corruption than in more authoritarian countries. In authoritarian countries, everyone is relying on one person. What if that person is incompetent or dies?
I just want to point out that imperialism is not exclusive to democracy. There are absolute monarchies and dictatorships that are imperialistic. Maybe your criticism of democracy as being imperialistic is more about capitalism and drive for exploitation and profit, not at democracy?
So communist democracy is the solution?
Well, if the communists have ever been democratic. The only communist group that is democratic is the Japanese Communist Party. They get respectable 1 million votes in parliamentary elections and denounce violenc and human rights violations of other communist groups.