25 August 2020 – The pandemic struck the world at a time when global democracy is in peril. In the MBC-KAS webinar “The State of Global Democracy”, best-selling author and leading scholar Larry Diamond gives an overview of the “democratic recession”.

Freedom House reports that democracy has been in a worldwide decline since 2006. Diamond says the pandemic has reinforced this fact as illiberal governments use the health crisis as an excuse and incentive to implement oppressive tactics – such as heightened news censorship, invasive digital surveillance, and suspended elections to name a few.

While it is a challenge to reverse the democratic recession, Diamond advises that this can be done through mobilizing civil societies and identifying reforms that uphold the rights and freedoms of the public. “Democracy and personal freedoms are an integral part of what makes a nation great,” says Diamond.

Catch Larry Diamond’s presentation here: