or those of us who follow world news, there’s one alarming theme that is especially prevalent today. Most of us are avid consumers of world news. Whether it be Chinese espionage on U.S. industries and implementing disinformation on our political campaigns, Venezuela’s domestic political corruption, or Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine, all involve democracies under attack. However, there is an essential differentiating factor, discussed at Diplomatic Courier’s recent Future of Democracy Forum (FOD), that often goes unrecognized when identifying international threats. That is, democracies vary in resiliency in ways that correlate with where they fall on the spectrum of mature or nascent development of democratic institutions. As a result of these differentials, nations become more or less susceptible to attack and require varying types of support to bolster democratic resilience.
Notwithstanding periods of domestic instability and international conflict, the U.S. remains a mature democracy, and its institutions remain reassuringly resilient to threats to democracy, both internal and external. Yet resilience isn’t immunity—as former Deputy National Cyber Director for Technology & Ecosystem Security Camille Stewart Gloster warned—technology that was intended to help society has been weaponized by bad or selfish actors in ways that challenges even mature democracies.
How do we protect our democratic institutions against today’s threats? AllSides CEO John Gable expressed the need to promote civilian education that supports critical thinking skills and mandates digital literacy instruction. In encouraging our democratic values and escaping the political bubble that allows for disinformation and conflict to flourish, mature democracies can cope with the realities of differing opinions and have empathetic collaboration with those around us, countering the agenda of the aggressors who aim to weaken democracy.
Nascent democracies face even more daunting challenges. This is in part because, when confronted with economic challenges and emerging human rights issues, leaders are often incentivized to engage in corrupt authoritarian political behaviors such as unfair elections to protect their power status and avoid political failure. Without the entrenched institutions of mature democracies, there is little to constrain these leaders.
In the face of both sorts of threat, international cooperation can be a saving force.
Multilateral organizations such as NATO have a major role to play in helping build resilience in our democratic institutions. However, these institutions can only meet their potential if they can encourage frank, inclusive dialogue. For instance, young people should be engaged in a meaningful way to ensure solutions proposed today are in step with the values of tomorrow’s leaders.
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Bolstering resilience in diverse democratic frameworks
2024 NATO Summit in Washington. Photo courtesy of NATO.
August 8, 2024
With the majority of the world being avid consumers of the news, one crucial theme has emerged: Democracies are under attack. However, democracies vary in resiliency based on where they fall on the spectrum of mature or nascent development of democratic institutions, writes Eileen Ackley.
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or those of us who follow world news, there’s one alarming theme that is especially prevalent today. Most of us are avid consumers of world news. Whether it be Chinese espionage on U.S. industries and implementing disinformation on our political campaigns, Venezuela’s domestic political corruption, or Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine, all involve democracies under attack. However, there is an essential differentiating factor, discussed at Diplomatic Courier’s recent Future of Democracy Forum (FOD), that often goes unrecognized when identifying international threats. That is, democracies vary in resiliency in ways that correlate with where they fall on the spectrum of mature or nascent development of democratic institutions. As a result of these differentials, nations become more or less susceptible to attack and require varying types of support to bolster democratic resilience.
Notwithstanding periods of domestic instability and international conflict, the U.S. remains a mature democracy, and its institutions remain reassuringly resilient to threats to democracy, both internal and external. Yet resilience isn’t immunity—as former Deputy National Cyber Director for Technology & Ecosystem Security Camille Stewart Gloster warned—technology that was intended to help society has been weaponized by bad or selfish actors in ways that challenges even mature democracies.
How do we protect our democratic institutions against today’s threats? AllSides CEO John Gable expressed the need to promote civilian education that supports critical thinking skills and mandates digital literacy instruction. In encouraging our democratic values and escaping the political bubble that allows for disinformation and conflict to flourish, mature democracies can cope with the realities of differing opinions and have empathetic collaboration with those around us, countering the agenda of the aggressors who aim to weaken democracy.
Nascent democracies face even more daunting challenges. This is in part because, when confronted with economic challenges and emerging human rights issues, leaders are often incentivized to engage in corrupt authoritarian political behaviors such as unfair elections to protect their power status and avoid political failure. Without the entrenched institutions of mature democracies, there is little to constrain these leaders.
In the face of both sorts of threat, international cooperation can be a saving force.
Multilateral organizations such as NATO have a major role to play in helping build resilience in our democratic institutions. However, these institutions can only meet their potential if they can encourage frank, inclusive dialogue. For instance, young people should be engaged in a meaningful way to ensure solutions proposed today are in step with the values of tomorrow’s leaders.
