Reimagining democracy in contemporary global politics

As Freedom House’s latest Freedom in the World report highlights, we are in the 19th consecutive year of global democratic decline, with backsliding taking hold even in long-standing democracies.

Amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, this is a turning point for the entire democracy support field: for the institutions, funders, and governments that have long sought to advance democratic governance globally. These shifts expose a larger truth: Western-led democracy promotion efforts have failed to stem the global authoritarian tide. In this moment of crisis lies an opportunity, and perhaps an obligation, to rethink the model. It’s time to shift power and resources to Global Majority-led and bottom-up pro-democracy efforts. Despite decades of investments, the traditional democracy promotion model – driven largely by institutions and experts from the Global North – has fallen short of its promises.