Source: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Democratic Deterioration Increases Risk of Violent Conflict
BRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM – Global deterioration in the Rule of Law and record declines in the United States are worsening prospects for democracy around the world, according to a report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
Major indicators of US democracy from press freedom to judicial independence hit their lowest levels in 50 years, and this is reverberating worldwide. Washington's retreat from the rules-based international order has weakened confidence in multilateralism and emboldened authoritarian leaders and populists.
The report, “The Global State of Democracy 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict,” warns that democratic regression is expanding the conditions for domestic and international conflict. Politically fragile countries that face further declines are especially vulnerable to this risk.
“For decades, the rule of law both domestically and in the international order has underpinned the resilience of democracies,” International IDEA's Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora said. “Now, the rapid decline of democracy in the USA is weakening judicial independence and fragmenting the international system