Global Freedom Decline: A Threat to Democracy

2. Freedom in the World: Ongoing Decline 2013 marked the eight consecutive year in which global freedom declined. The longest consecutive period of setbacks for freedom in the more than 40-year history of the report.

3. Freedom in the World 2013 • “The decline is global, affects countries with military and economic power, affects countries that had previously shown signs of reform potential, and is accompanied by enhanced persecution of political dissidents and independent journalists. • To make matters worse, the most powerful authoritarian regimes have become more repressive, more influential in the international arena, and more uncompromising.” • “The increasing truculence of the world’s most powerful authoritarian regimes has coincided with a growing inability or unwillingness on the part of the world’s democracies to meet the authoritarian challenge, with dire consequences for the state of global freedom`` • Growing sophistication of modern authoritarians. They are flexible; they distort and abuse the legal framework; they are adept at the techniques of modern propaganda

4. The EIU assesses the “texture of democracy,” relying on 60 indicators of a country’s electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, government functioning, political participation, and political culture. • A countries is rated as a full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime, or authoritarian regime. • Assessing 167 countries, the EIU found that many of the world’s democracies are “democracies” in name only; • 26 are “full democracies,” • 53 are “flawed democracies.” • 33 are classified as “hybrid regimes” (those countries that mix democratic and totalitarian practices), • 55 are outright authoritarian regimes. • Demography (2011) • 11.3 % of the world's population live in full democracies • 37.1 % in flawed democracies • 14 %in hybrid regimes • 37.6 % authoritarian regimes