Democracy and freedom wither around the globe. They are under assault (here). Look at the global political landscape for Democracy in 2019--the last full year for which the Freedom House NGO (Non-Government Organization) completed its latest Annual Report on World Freedom (ibid). 2019 was not a good year for Democracy. It was the 14th consecutive year in which freedoms around the world declined (ibid).
In 2005, of 192 countries followed, only 46% were judged to be Free (here, page 16). By the end of 2019, only 42% were judged "Free" (here, page 17).
Remember, these numbers do not reflect the worsening reality in many of the world's countries already judged to be "Not Free". Many of the freedoms still available in these countries have decreased, too.
The bottom line here is that, as time goes by, the world does not gain more freedom. As time passes, the world loses freedom--slowly but inexorably. As dictators increase pressure on their own peoples, and as Democracies wither, each country that becomes less free translates into millions of people suffering.
This is not what Freedom is supposed to do--decrease. Its dream is to spread, not to retreat.
Worse for Democracy's health, in the last 14 years, more than half of the world's established democracies have seen their democracies deteriorate (here, page 10). The responsibility for this deterioration appears to lie with (1) how elected officials govern; (2) faltering safeguards against corruption; and (3) decreases in government transparency (ibid). In the US, some would add election integrity to this list as one other contributing factor to America's diminishing Democracy. Others disagree.
Will election integrity become the issue in America that poisons America's commitment to Democracy? It's possible. But there are other risks that threaten America's Democracy. These include, but are not limited to, challenges for America's Freedom of Speech; gun control issues; and how DHS (Department of Homeland Security) defines and then handles the issue of "Domestic Terrorism". Any one of these challenges could become the catalyst that brings to America its greatest tests for Democracy.
Apparently, in America, my birth country, a growing number of Americans appear to believe that Democracy may not continue. They believe the opposite: US Democracy is, they say, in danger (here).
Most writers on this subject (the death of America's democracy) point to Trump's Presidency as the cause of this danger. They blame Trump for the loss of Democracy. Indeed, even the most recent Freedom House Report essay on the US (dated 2020) appears to suggest this.
But Trump is no longer in office. The US now has a new President. Does this mean there's a new day in America?
That is, does President Biden bring hope for strengthening Democracy in America? According to a CBSnews poll taken one week before Biden's inauguration, the answer may be, no--Biden's arrival at the White House won't change anything; even with the prospect of a new President, 71% of poll respondents still viewed America's Democracy as "threatened" (here).
It's no different in Israel, my new home country. Here, too, Democracy is at risk (here). Most who feel this way in Israel blame this increased risk on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom many see as corrupt--and a danger to Israel's Democracy.
But the feeling that freedom is at risk in Israel goes beyond Benjamin Netanyahu (who, by the way, still gets the most 'votes' for Prime Minister in current pre-election polls [please note: Israel's next election is March 23, 2021]. Netanyahu may be regularly demonized as a corrupt criminal, but voters still view him as Israel's best prospect for Prime Minister in the next election.
Nevertheless, according to a recent (January, 2021) poll, 57% Israeli respondents to a poll agree that Israel's democracy is not just "in danger". It's "in grave danger" (here). Israel, it seems, is no different than other Western Democracies. Its freedoms are at risk.
For Israel, the greatest risk to Democracy may not be election integrity. In Israel's an election's integrity seems sound.
Instead, the greatest risk to Israel's Democracy appears to be how Israel's Supreme Court and its police behave. Public trust in both have plummeted to dangerous lows--42% for the Supreme Court and 41% for police (here). Such a low level of trust could endanger our Jewish State. With little-to-no-faith in the police or the Supreme Court, will people start taking the law into their own hands? Perhaps this is why Democracy in Israel is considered to be "in danger" (ibid).
America and Israel are not alone. Across the globe, democracies become destabilized. Destabilization threatens the US and Israel. But it also threatens much of Europe, where covid-19, Brexit, migration as well a host of economic and currency issues seem to tear at the survivability of the entire Union concept (here).
In Eastern and Central Europe, Democracy is said to be "at risk" (here). In Western Europe, 13 countries echo that sentiment. They speak of being "concerned" about Democracy (here).
Western Man believes in Democracy. But Western Man now worries. Is Democracy at risk of failing? Has it run its course? Can Western Man keep his Democracy alive?
If you pay attention to the daily news reports you see, you might see what lies ahead for you. You may be able to answer the question--does Democracy begin to die?
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