The Atlantic
A new report reveals that democratic governments are in retreat around the globe.
March 3, 2021
Adam Maida / Getty / The Atlantic
After November 3, I allowed myself to dream that the battered troops of democracy would regain their courage and go on the offensive.
For a decade or more, authoritarian populists around the globe had won one upset victory after another. They rose to power in India and Brazil, in the Philippines and the United States. And though Jair Bolsonaro and Rodrigo Duterte were at first mocked as incompetent leaders who would soon lose power, they have proved surprisingly shrewd at maintaining their popularity or concentrating power in their own hands. Over the past 10 years, examples of populist politicians being thrown out of office in free and fair elections have been few and far between.