Democracy across the Western world appears to be facing widespread challenges.
Growing skepticism about democracy’s ability to effectively address the everyday needs of its citizens has fueled a surge in popularity for authoritarian policies and far-right political figures. In an era of deep division, democratic processes often appear sluggish and ineffective. These new leaders, frequently disregarding established norms and even legal boundaries, are perceived by their supporters as taking decisive action, often earning praise regardless of the actual outcomes.
Currently, and for the first time in recent memory, populist and far-right parties are topping opinion polls in countries like France, Britain, and even Germany. They also hold significant power, either independently or within coalition governments, in Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and arguably, the United States.
Ivan Krastev, a prominent political scientist from Bulgaria, views the current threats to liberal democracy as characteristic of a revolutionary era. He argues that while liberalism historically prepares the ground for reform by upholding the rule of law and individual rights, and helps societies recover from revolutionary turmoil, it often becomes passive and less influential during periods of dramatic upheaval.
When citizens feel insecure, dissatisfied, and perceive that “things aren’t functioning correctly,” Krastev observes that they tend to embrace forceful politicians. These leaders gain approval by demonstrating that governments can achieve what was previously thought impossible, even if their methods or results are questionable.
Krastev is slated to be a featured speaker at this year’s Athens Democracy Forum, an event organized in collaboration with The New York Times.
The forum, running until Friday, will host a variety of experts, discussions, and educational sessions. Topics will include a deep dive into the challenges confronting democracy, such as the impact of artificial intelligence, political manipulation, public apathy, and widening societal inequality.
While the current trajectory is concerning, Ivan Vejvoda, a Serbian political scientist and global fellow at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation (dedicated to democratic advancement), believes the situation is not without hope.
“There is no single, easy fix for illiberalism and extremism,” stated Vejvoda. He will moderate a panel of young Kettering fellows discussing strategies to resist authoritarian tendencies.
“Combating these trends demands bravery, resolve, and persistence, rooted in a clear understanding of the threats to fundamental freedoms like assembly and free speech,” Vejvoda emphasized. “Mobilizing against illiberal forces necessitates effort and engagement from all segments of society.”
According to Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel-winning economist and Columbia University professor, a significant factor behind the decline in trust in Western democracies is the perception that these systems have failed to deliver tangible benefits. “For many beyond academic and media circles,” he noted, “the pressing question is: ‘What has democracy actually achieved for us, our children, and our nation?’ Many people experience difficult lives and are left wondering why this is the case.”
The Challenge of ‘Horizontal Inequities’
Stiglitz highlighted the pervasive impact of inequality during an interview at Italy’s Ambrosetti Forum, an economic conference. He suggested that for Americans, the problem isn’t primarily a class struggle between the wealthy and everyone else, given a societal admiration for the rich. Instead, the central issue lies in “horizontal inequities” – situations where ordinary citizens observe their peers thriving due to structural advantages, leaving them feeling left behind.
“When individuals perceive their quality of life declining, they feel that democracy has failed to serve their interests.”
Rachel Rizzo, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a D.C.-based research organization, pointed out that the massive growth in capital and resources over the past three decades has sharply amplified the divide between those with access to financial tools—such as loans, mortgages, investments, and property—and those without.
Compounding these disparities are factors like migration, identity politics, the decline of manufacturing, and increasing social polarization. As Rizzo explained, “people feel that government institutions are no longer serving their needs.” The advent of new technologies, including artificial intelligence and social media, makes these inequalities painfully visible. “They are constantly confronted with these differences,” she added.
This complex mix fosters widespread anger, disillusionment, and anti-immigrant sentiment. Extreme political parties exploit these emotions, asserting that “the government prioritizes strangers over its own citizens,” according to Rizzo.
Is a ‘Common Conversation’ Still Possible?
Julien Vaulpré, head of French political consulting firm Taddeo, noted that democracy traditionally thrives on balancing diverse societal interests through checks, balances, and open political debate. However, he lamented that political parties are fractured and voters are increasingly isolated. “Social media creates an individual vote within a bubble,” Vaulpré stated, “but it has simultaneously dismantled the space for shared public discourse.”
This deep polarization, where opposing sides struggle to acknowledge good intentions in each other’s perspectives, was starkly illustrated in America following the tragic killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus.
Economic Stagnation and the Shadow of War
Economic anxieties within the European Union are intensified by ongoing conflict on its own continent. Europe’s economic growth continues to significantly trail that of the United States, further complicated by potential increased tariffs from President Trump, a weakening Chinese economy, a more assertive Russia, and the protracted Ukraine war with no clear end in sight.
With former President Trump urging them to shoulder more responsibility for Ukraine’s security and their own defense, European nations face the imperative of increasing military spending. This comes at a challenging time, marked by sluggish economic growth and already burdened national budgets.
The Western world is still reeling from the 2005 economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, both of which severely eroded public trust in democratic governance. During the pandemic, governments implemented emergency decrees and curbed essential freedoms – including movement, assembly, and expression – often sidestepping conventional legislative and judicial scrutiny, and maintaining these restrictions beyond the crisis’s peak.
The pandemic deepened political divides, sparking intense debates over mandates such as masks, curfews, and lockdowns. The massive government spending required to manage the shutdown also resulted in a dramatic increase in national debt, subsequently contributing to elevated inflation and fiscal disputes.
Escalating Polarization and Democratic Decline
Joseph Lemoine and his team at the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center reported that global political freedom, already on a downward trend, plunged to a 25-year low after the pandemic.
Their research indicates that since 2019, the global pace of democratic regression has quadrupled, with the Covid-19 crisis acting as a significant accelerant.
A staggering 112 nations have experienced a reduction in political freedom, with over a third of these showing no such decline prior to the pandemic. This concerning group includes the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and twenty of the twenty-seven European Union member states.
These alarming conclusions are corroborated by the annual report on the state of global democracy from International IDEA, an intergovernmental body dedicated to bolstering democratic systems worldwide.
France serves as a potent and sobering case study of these growing pressures. Already fragmented by strong far-left and far-right political parties, successive governments have collapsed, unable to secure the necessary political and public consensus to tackle the nation’s immense debt. With President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity at a low, Marine Le Pen’s far-right party appears increasingly likely to capture the powerful presidency within the next 18 months. Similarly, in America, profound political polarization manifests not only in cultural clashes over issues like free speech and gender identity but also in starkly divergent approaches to managing the escalating federal debt.
The Rise of Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories
Brando Benifei, a 39-year-old Italian Member of the European Parliament and chairman of the delegation for relations with the United States, observed that the initial panic surrounding Covid-19 and the diverse governmental responses created fertile ground for the proliferation of disinformation and conspiracy theories.
Benifei further noted the growing capacity of artificial intelligence to generate fabricated realities and highly effective propaganda. He is currently collaborating with the European Parliament on legislation aimed at regulating both AI and social media platforms.
“We are striving to uphold a fundamental principle: that AI-generated content must be clearly identifiable,” he stated, acknowledging that “this task is challenging and, by itself, insufficient.” Benifei is also scheduled to speak at the Athens Democracy Forum.
The conflict in Ukraine, he argued, “reinforces a sense that the established world order is collapsing and unstable, contributing to a pervasive fear of the future among people.” He concluded that “this confluence of factors is dismantling the authority of existing institutions across both Europe and America.”
In this period of widespread anxiety and uncertainty, Krastev suggested that once-sacred social values in democratic nations, such as national identity, family, and the intergenerational compact, are beginning to fray. Moreover, he highlighted that AI itself “forces us to re-evaluate what it fundamentally means to be human.”
The Pervasiveness of Nationalism
Mario Monti, a former Italian prime minister and economist, authored “Demagonia,” a book exploring the struggles of democracy and the detrimental impact of “the politics of illusion” on its credibility. During an interview at Ambrosetti, Monti discussed the tension between the Western world’s complex issues, which demand sustained, international collaboration, and the mounting pressure on politicians in the social media era to deliver instant solutions.
“The actual conduct of politicians often hinders the search for collaborative solutions,” Monti observed. “Their decisions are increasingly short-sighted and nationalist.” He warned that in their pursuit of immediate action, politicians, much like in the United States, risk dismantling crucial institutions—such as independent central banks and competition regulators—that serve as vital checks on executive and corporate authority.
Danilo Türk, former President of Slovenia and current president of the Club de Madrid (a nonpartisan global organization promoting democracy), highlighted inherent differences between Europe and the United States.
Türk pointed out that in the United States, “special interests wield a disproportionately strong influence,” which has increasingly shaped politics over the past two decades. In contrast, he noted that such interests in Europe are less prevalent and subject to stricter regulations.
Nevertheless, Europe faces its own grave challenges, including “endemic nationalism that can turn pathological.” This sentiment, he explained, can be easily ignited by pressing concerns such as migration and economic stagnation.
Türk, also slated to speak in Athens, remarked that “Europe appears aged,” with its welfare state model unsustainable without unpopular reforms. This situation, he suggested, “provides fertile ground for nationalism to flourish.”
He described the European Union as excessively bureaucratic, plagued by internal disagreements, and prone to superficial solutions, lacking effective strategies for critical issues like Palestine, Ukraine, or the broader decline of democracy.
“The outcome is stagnation,” Türk asserted, “and this is a particularly unfortunate time for such a state.”
Vejvoda suggested that education offers a crucial path to counteract anti-democratic tendencies.
He emphasized that engaging directly with citizens, explaining complex issues, dispelling oversimplified narratives, offering alternative policies, and openly addressing future challenges are all vital steps “to resist efforts aimed at restricting pluralism, undermining the rule of law, and shrinking free public discourse.”