Time for global democracy promotion to be ramped up
Al Jazeera
As democracy is in decline across the world, we need a new club of democracies to reverse this trend.
Democracy is under pressure across the world. According to the latest annual report by Freedom House, a United States-based non-partisan think-tank, the balance is shifting further “in favour of tyranny”. In the report’s assessment, 2020 was the 15th consecutive year of declining global freedom. This dire picture is confirmed by other studies. In the 2020 edition of its Democracy Index, The Economist Intelligence Unit recorded the worst state of global democracy since the index was first published in 2006. V-Dem, another leading research project, reported today that in 2020, autocratisation accelerated and “turned viral” across the world. V-Dem’s study points out that “the level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen” is down “to the levels around 1990”. Last year, its researchers concluded that for the first time since 2001, a majority of states are no longer under democratic rule.
The French president, whose term ends in a year, described his plans for expansion as forward deterrence. What’s behind his move?
The conflict has mutated into a zero-sum collision of competing messianic frameworks.
Afghan officials say a suspected Pakistani air strike hit a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing hundreds.
Iran says at least 56 of its heritage sites damaged or destroyed in war.
Iran’s Araghchi calls for global condemnation of US-Israel ‘military aggression’ that disrupted transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Sam Kerr nets the opener as Australia beat China 2-1 to reach the final of the 2026 Women’s AFC Asian Cup.
From energy exports to tourism, the economies of Gulf nations are at risk from a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
Afghan authorities say a Pakistani attack has killed hundreds of civilians; Islamabad rejects the claim as ‘false’.
As British pomp and pageantry await the Nigerian leader, analysts expect the visit will focus on the economy. But some in the diaspora are sceptical.
Lebanon’s Palestinian refugees suffer amid war, facing insecurity and trauma, in camps under attack.
The US-Israeli attacks target Iranian cities as the conflict spreads to the region and causes a global energy crisis.
