A black year for democracy – and 2022 could be even worse

The year began with scenes we did not think we could see: a US president urging his supporters to march on the Capitol, which was a vicious attempt to reverse a formal election result. Now 2021 ends with the disturbing news of two other major powers: China and Russia.

When it comes to democracy, the United States is light years ahead of its major power rivals, China and Russia. China has only 9 points per 100 points Independent housing code Last year, and Russia 20, compared to the US 83.

But the fact that America is retreating and not a bright example of a democratic world is a problem for more people than Americans. It is very difficult for Western countries to focus on human rights violations and democratic shortcomings abroad, you have not always lived up to what you were taught.

Globally, after 15 years of democratic decline, 2021 does not seem to have changed course, but rather accelerated the return of dictatorial leaders. When China celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party that year, it was about a man: Xi Jinping. The absence of any Chinese leader in Mao did not so clearly link the grip on both the party and the state apparatus. The space for dissent has shrunk to nothing, people are being educated to identify with each other, minorities are being oppressed, forcibly sterilized and brainwashed.

There is only one fact and one place for history: the party.

The people of Hong Kong have realized this. Under the agreement with Great Britain, Enclave will be allowed to maintain its own democratic constitution until 2047. But after the new security law came into force, opposition figures were imprisoned or deported. On Wednesday, 200 police conducted a search Stand News, And six others were arrested. The online newspaper then announced that it was closing its operations. So in Hong Kong, at last, a voice criticizing the regime was silenced.

One night late last week The guards were evacuated On the campus of the University of Hong Kong, behind the yellow screens, metal trees were heard screaming. Monument to the massacre in Tiananmen Square was removed. Beijing wants to forget the murdered democratic activists.

The same pattern – that inflates nationalist sentiments by shaping history, and represses journalists and activists who seek to pierce false propaganda – is also found in Russia.

That is the Supreme Court of Russia on Wednesday Prohibited The Memorial, the country’s oldest human rights organization, is a recent, worrying sign. Historians reminiscent of Stalinist terrorism are destroying the glorious picture of Soviet history drawn by the Putin regime.

The retreat of the major powers China and Russia from the already low level would have serious consequences for global independence. Authoritarian leaders form alliances with each other. Therefore, the Western world must show its unwavering support for the courageous democrats and journalists who challenge power.