The Threats to Democracies Around the World

January 6th, 2021 saw a mob of former president Donald Trump’s supporters raid the United States Capitol Building seeking to halt a joint session in which the US Congress would formalise Joe Biden’s victory over Trump. In the 36 hours of chaos that ensued, 1 person was shot dead by the Capitol Police, 1 died of a drug overdose, and 3 more died to natural causes; hundreds more were injured, including 174 police officers. 4 responding police officers committed suicide in the months that followed, and damages caused by the attackers exceeded US$3 million. The attack marked the most public attack on the United States’ democracy, as Trump encouraged the attempt at a chaotic seizing of the building in a bid to remain POTUS.

Russia has always, very clearly, been far from a democratic nation. Putin’s chokehold on the Russian people has been more than well documented, and his control of Russia’s most integral parts of society - Oligarchs, Elections, State Media, and the Law - all done using corruption and bribery, has long been a crucial talking point with regards to its false appearances as a democratic nation. Aleksei Navalny, however, was the first true challenge Putin’s authoritarian regime faced - a young lawyer with remarkable oratorial skills and a thirst for justice who single-handedly tore down the walls that hid Putin’s empire and exposed them to the Russian public, and gained a following so impressive that Russia’s FSB attempted to assassinate him twice, failing both times. Unsurprisingly, Navalny was soon imprisoned on trumped-up charges like all of Putin’s other enemies, but unlike them, Navalny maintained a firm attitude against Putin’s regime and continued to rally crowds in an effort to create the country’s first true democratic regime, but his efforts were in vain. On the 16th of February, 2024, the world witnessed Navalny be declared dead in one of Russia’s harshest Arctic prisons under mysterious circumstances and without any warning, and the Russian people watched as their first hopes for a true democracy dropped dead with him.

Meanwhile, countries like the ROC (Taiwan) have democracies that seem to thrive more than ever, as its people witnessed almost an equal, three-way general election this year. However, their very democratic nature puts their country’s independence in everlasting peril, as China continues to swear to invade and take over Taiwan should it ever claim sovereignty.

2024 has seen numerous countries’ democracies face what seems like an impending doom. The US continues to run only a two-party general election which will see the same two candidates face each other again, while the world’s biggest democracy, India, sees its government face accusations of altering votes to achieve re-elections. Haiti’s government faces a potential revolution led by gangs and criminals, Myanmar continues to live a life under military rule, a terrorist organisation leads Afghanistan, numerous African countries face the threats of civil war looming over them while numerous others suffer the civil wars others are petrified of. In an age where progressivism trumps all else - what is going wrong with democracy?

By: Rian Devaiah