The whole world is turning back.
Democracy under pressure, autocracy on the rise
O P I N I O N
Anton JieSamFoek
In the 1990s it still seemed self-evident: democracy would triumph. The Cold War was over, dictatorships fell like dominoes, and elections became the new normal worldwide. But that hope is outdated today. According to research institutions like the V-Dem Institute and Freedom House, we now live in a world where more countries are governed autocratically than democratically. And nearly half of the world’s population lives in a state that is sliding toward autocracy.
India, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran, Hungary, Nicaragua and Venezuela: they are no longer exceptions, but signs of a broader trend. Autocracies are modernizing, organizing sham elections, manipulating people and controlling social media while simultaneously presenting themselves as efficient alternatives to what they see as “weakened, decadent” democratic societies.
It’s not only the usual suspects that cause concern. Even within formal democracies we see creeping decay. In the United States, the system was under unprecedented pressure during Donald Trump’s presidency. In Brazil, former president Bolsonaro’s rhetoric led to social polarization and attacks on the judiciary. Even in the European Union, countries like Hungary and Poland actively undermine the independence of media and judicial power.
Once democracies no longer deliver – no security, no economic growth, no social security – space emerges for strong leaders with simple messages. Autocratic rulers promise stability, identity and restoration of national pride. These are promises that, despite their price, sound attractive in times of uncertainty. There might well be such a thing as digital dictatorship.
The digital revolution once seemed an ally of freedom. But authoritarian regimes now make clever use of it. In China, the social credit system makes it possible to closely monitor and punish citizens’ behavior. In Russia and Iran, internet and social media are deployed to suppress opposition and spread fake news. What began as a network of free information has in many countries degenerated into a control instrument of unprecedented precision.
What about Suriname?
Suriname is also no outsider in this global shift. The country has experienced periods of hopeful democratic development in recent decades, but also of serious institutional decline. Under Mr. Desi B.’s rule, the rule of law was undermined, media threatened and political opponents liquidated and intimidated – despite elections and a parliamentary system. The election of President Chan Santokhi in 2020 brought some breathing room, but structural weaknesses – corruption, economic instability, clientelism – keep democracy fragile.
The rise of autocracies affects everyone. It not only limits political freedom, but often also women’s rights, press freedom, religious expression and minority rights. Moreover, it complicates global cooperation on cross-border problems like climate change, pandemics or refugee flows. Where autocracies grow, trust disappears – between states, in institutions and among citizens.
Yet there is also resistance. Young people in Iran, demonstrators in Hong Kong, journalists in Russia and activists in Belarus show another face of this time: a deep-rooted hunger for justice and self-determination. Even within Europe, countries like Finland, Estonia and Taiwan – with innovative, transparent democratic models – are examples of how it can be different: efficient and free.
The most important lesson? Democracy is not self-evident. It is not something you wait for in a lazy chair until it comes to your future. Nor is it an endpoint. It is a process – vulnerable, laborious, but of invaluable worth. Freedom requires vigilance, debate, education and social engagement. Those who think democracy is irreversible are not looking carefully at today’s world.
As Václav Havel once aptly put it: “Democracy is not merely a state, it is an attitude.”
And we must continue to practice that attitude, again and again, in words and in deeds.
