At the end of 2021, more than 80 countries experienced hardships that eroded the state of their democracy.
The Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance assessed the democratic governments of 173 countries. Their annual report on the worldwide state of democracy was released Wednesday.
Known as a social contract, democracy is currently under strain from authoritarian forces as they flex against a people’s right to self-determination.
International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to advance and expand democracy worldwide. Their mission is to enable more sustainable development and safeguard democracy.
As authoritarianism continues to grow, regimes such as Afghanistan, Belarus and Cambodia have shown that authoritarian regimes do not have the interests of their citizens in mind.
Where is democracy most at risk? How shaky is it in America? Which country has seen the greatest deterioration in its democratic government? In what ways does a decline in democratically led governments affect America? What changes must be made to strengthen democracy around the world?
How can other countries avoid a deepened state of authoritarianism? What were the key points found in International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy report?
Guests: Seema Shah, Ph.D., head of the Democracy Assessment Unit at the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
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*This interview was recorded on Thursday, December 1.