Democracy, as a method of governance, worldwide is increasingly precarious.  According to the V-Dem Institute’s 2025 report, for the first time in decades, autocracies outnumber democracies, by 91 countries to 88. 

72% of the global population now lives under autocratic regimes, the highest share since the late 1970’s.  The average global democracy level has regressed to 1985 levels.

Freedom of expression and electoral integrity have eroded significantly.  Declines in expressive freedoms in 2024 occurred in 44 countries (up from 35 in 2023), while fair elections deteriorated in dozens of nations. 

In the United States, democracy is experiencing significant erosion.  President Donald Trump's governance has been characterised by what critics call “rule by shakedown”, where he leverages economic sanctions, withdrawal of federal funding, and aggressive legal actions to coerce compliance from universities, law firms, government aid agencies and foreign governments.

This pattern of behaviour extends to the judicial system, where the Department of Justice (DoJ), under Trump's influence, has aggressively pursued investigations against political adversaries.  Notably, the FBI conducted an early morning raid on former National Security Adviser John Bolton's residence, signalling a shift for the DoJ towards politically motivated actions.  This week, the Pentagon fired the Defense Intelligence Agency Chief, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, weeks after the agency drafted a preliminary report contradicting President Trump’s contention that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” nuclear sites in Iran.

The erosion of democratic norms and institutions, coupled with the concentration of power, under Trump's administrations, follows what critics call “the autocratic handbook”.   

What is Democracy?

Democracy provides for the ‘separation of powers’, an idea developed by Montesquieu in the 18th century, that divides the responsibilities of government into distinct branches to prevent any one group or individual from gaining too much power.  These provide for checks and balances, whereby each branch can limit the powers of the others, ensuring accountability.  It helps to prevent tyranny and protect liberty by spreading power to safeguard citizens’ rights.

Democracies tend to be founded upon, what are known as the four estates of governance.  These are the Executive (government), the Legislature (parliament), the Judiciary (legal system) and the Press.  A free press is considered essential for a democracy as it holds the other branches to account by informing the public, exposing corruption, and enabling free debate. 

Why Does Democracy Matter?

Democracy plays a role in sustaining political legitimacy and safeguarding human dignity.  By institutionalising mechanisms such as electoral accountability, an independent judiciary and a free press, democracy diffuses power and constrains authoritarian tendencies.  While no democratic system is without flaws, its capacity to reconcile pluralism, protect minority rights, and adapt to social change renders it a vital framework for both political stability and equitable development.

Democracy also acts as an effective system for economic growth.  Empirical research by Acemoglu and Robinson shows that countries transitioning to democratic systems experience an estimated 20 percent higher GDP per capita within 25 years, compared to authoritarian regimes.

Backslide to Oligarchy

In contrast to a democracy, an oligarchy has power concentrated in the hands of a small group, whether defined by wealth, family ties, military control or political elites.  Political theorist, Aristotle, defined democracy as “rule by the many in the interest of the common good,” and oligarchy as “rule by the few in their own interest.”  Oligarchies tend to preserve an outward appearance of elections or representative institutions, but in practice, these are often manipulated so that real decision-making remains restricted to the few, prioritising the preservation of privilege and economic dominance.

The shift from democracy to oligarchy, as with the United States currently, tends to happen when those with enormous wealth or connections are unchecked in their use their privilege to gain political power.  Curiously, though, the rise and decline in democracy, globally, is not an anomaly; it’s a cyclical thing.  And this cyclical nature of oligarchy and inequality underscores the fragility of democratic systems in the face of concentrated power.

Cycles from/to Progressive and Regressive Forms of Government

Historian Walter Scheidel, in his book, ‘The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century’, discusses the phenomenon of how the systems that run the world tend to enable a cyclical roll back into oligarchy time and again.  Moderate progressive movements toward equality occur, but if left unchecked, those with wealth tend to take political power to preserve their wealth, upending the equality gained.

Historically, Scheidel says, returns to relative equality have only ever happened after one of four catastrophic events; revolution, war, state collapse, or plague.  Scheidel suggests that these four such events disrupt entrenched oligarchies, leading to periods of relative equality.  He cites the examples of the French Revolution, the First and Second World Wars and the Black Death plague of the 14th century, that temporarily disrupted entrenched oligarchies and reduced inequality, but that over time, elites found ways to reassert control and inequality returned. 

The main reason that ongoing systemic equality has been so elusive is that those with power stretch across a spectrum of evolution.  Those who are under-evolved tend to be more self-oriented.  Those who are more evolved are more collectively-oriented.  (‘Me’ vs ‘We’.)

Because not all of the individuals within the systems are sufficiently evolved, they cannot be relied upon to deliver a community-oriented system.  And because of this, the systems are rigged.

The Systems are Rigged

It was James Madison, often considered the United States’ “Father of the Constitution”, who in Federalist No. 51 (1788), wrote: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.  In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

He is saying two things here, one of which is true, one of which is misleading.  He is saying that if humans were evolved enough (to be angels), there would be no need for rules and constriction, to ensure the betterment of all.  This is true.  However, then he says that “in the next place oblige (the government) to control itself”, implying that obligation alone is enough to hold government to account.  This is misleading because obligation is not enough to hold under-evolved humans to this high standard.

While it is the corrupt people within the systems that corrupt the system for the rest of us, it is actually the systems themselves that are rigged against ordinary people.  In short, this is because the systems (hierarchies) were designed that way by the powerful, so that the powerful might retain their control.  And so, it is to the systems themselves that we must look, to correct the dehumanisation of ‘other’, that “entitles” those who oppress to do harm without empathy (narcissism).  

The World Wants Equality

Equality is a form of justice, and without it, there is injustice.  Without justice, there is no peace.  So, for peace to be possible in a variety of contexts, equality is necessary.  And yet, despite the inequality in the world, the majority of its population wants equality and fairness across a majority of issues. 

For example, 94% across 34 countries believe women should have the same rights as men.  68% of adults say racial or ethnic discrimination is a big problem where they live, and 52% across 34 countries believe homosexuality should be accepted by society.  (Support for same-sex marriage ranges from 92% in Sweden to 2% in Nigeria.)  And 84% of respondents across 36 nations view economic inequality as a major challenge, with 86% saying that the intersection of wealth and politics is a primary driver of inequality (Pew Research Center, 2025).

Achieving this desire for fairness requires structural reform, but the uber-wealthy and powerful have proven themselves unable to bring it about.  So, we need to do that ourselves.  How?  A new approach to the systems themselves is needed. 

Solidarity in Ally-Ship

While various grassroots groups have achieved some change in their particular areas of concern, these groups need to recognise the power that their solidarity with one another commands when calling for systemic change.

I understand that it takes enormous (voluntary) support to make a movement happen, and to effect change.  But if these groups came together under an umbrella of equality, fighting for the rights of all citizens, the sheer force of numbers alone becomes a movement in itself.

It was the myth of the last epoch that we are separate from one another, pigeonholed units in our isolated worlds.  But we are, in fact, an ecosystem.  We belong with each other and to this planet and equality is the most effective way for us to live in a cohesive, sustainable system that supports us (and the planet) in an inclusive way.  

Our job at this time is to own our power to effect change by following the signposts for equality in whichever grassroots issue those signposts occur.  Our ‘Mission Statement’ is to seek inclusivity and fairness in our systems of governance, by recognising ‘other’ as equal as any of us.  And that includes the planet.

The planet itself should have a legal identity that is defensible in a court of law, so that companies cannot commit ecoterrorism with impunity.  

How to Fix the Systems

We cannot claim that we have equality, if that equality is in name only, or in legislation prohibiting discrimination for only some sections of society.  If we have laws providing for equal access to marriage for same sex couples, but we have a class inequality that dispossess and discriminates because of the location of that person’s birthplace, then our equality is hollow.  The application of equality provisions needs to be across the board.  

Hierarchical displacement of those considered ‘less than’ because of their class, race, gender, orientation, etc., is an under-evolved treatment of ‘other’.  There will always be under-evolved people in the world; we are a smorgasbord mix of the full spectrum of evolution.  Therefore, if we want an equal world, we will need to call for it, just as we have called for change in every one of the issues for which the grassroots movements have fought.

The mechanics of that equality, as I’ve discussed elsewhere in these blogs, is to adopt the ‘risk management proofing’ model that business uses to protect against risk, but to apply it as ‘equality proofing’ instead.  Each policy, piece of legislation, action, needs to be ‘proofed’ for its equality status.  It is not enough to ask if a man subjectively thought that an interaction with a woman was consensual; if the woman claims it was not, it is better to ask the man to objectively prove consent was present.  The same is true for indigenous peoples seeking to protect their lands.  It is not enough for a non-indigenous government official to decide where the line of equality and justice lies, because that is a subjective assessment.  It is better to ask the people where their line of equality and justice lies and to navigate accordingly.

The same is true for police brutality against people of colour.  It is not enough to ask the police officer if he believed his actions were equitable and fair.  It is necessary to ask the injured party that same question and to navigate accordingly.  As with gender equality.  It is not enough for a heteronormative legislature to decide upon the rules affecting the lives of people who cannot be on the birth certificate of their child; we must ask those who are directly impacted by that legislation if they feel treated as an equal citizen.

Equally, it is not enough to say that the ‘American Way’ means that all are equal and your success depends upon your hard work, when those living below the poverty line are working three jobs to pay rent because there is a housing crisis.  And the housing crisis is because of poor governance at the executive level of government, but there is little incentive for those people to fix the system because the majority of them also happen to be landlords. 

For equality to be a reality, there need to be equal rights, but also equal access to resources and a feedback loop where governance must take into account the lived experience of those that it governs.  For equality to be a reality, the highest positions of governance need to be largely administrative roles, with policy driven by the people on a regular basis by way of easily accessible technology.  And for equality to be a reality, the people need to have a veto that will stop government when it acts in its own interests and not those of the people.

To Be Seen

Inequality thrives in darkness.  For equality to be a reality, the injustices that inequality brings need to be seen.  That is why a fair and free press is needed.  That is why Israel needs to allow international journalists into Gaza to report on what is going on, instead of killing them.  A report from the Watson Institute’s Costs of War project, as cited by Al Jazeera, states that 232 journalists have been killed in Gaza in this round of the conflict, averaging 13 per month, making it the deadliest conflict ever for media workers.

Abuses of power thrive in darkness, which is why oligarchs give the pretence of fair elections, allowing hidden bias and discrimination to go unchecked.

Equality requires transparency.  When injustice thrives, members of the community who are subjugated need to be seen and their stories heard.  Injustices need to be seen for what they are; blatant racism, sectarianism, victims of narcissistic entitlement, colonialism, etc.  Because when injustice is seen by people with empathy, it becomes voter agitation and that becomes a powerful motivation for change.