Secretary-General Kofi Annan has noted that “the spread of democracy around the world has been one of the signal transformations of our times.” Democracy is a relationship between responsible citizens and a responsive government that encourages participation in the political process and guarantees basic rights. According to Freedom House, political rights and civil liberties continue to grow worldwide. Indeed, in 2005, 122 of the world’s 192 governments were at least electoral democracies. Freedom grew in 27 countries but declined in 10. About 3 billion people (46% of the world) now live in the 89 free countries and 18% live in partly free nations, while 2.33 billion (36%) live in the 45 countries rated “not free.”

Since democracies tend not to go to war with each other and since humanitarian crises are far more likely under authoritarian regimes than democratic ones, the trend toward democracy should lead to a more peaceful future. However, the World Bank has found that the overall quality of governance in the world has remained stagnant between 1996 and 2004. Moreover, Freedom House has found diminishing freedom of the press over the past several years; today only 17% of the world’s population has access to free media.

New democracies find it difficult to address previous abuses of power—and thus to earn citizen loyalty and to promote justice—without letting the pursuit of that justice increase social discord and slow the process of reconciliation and democratization. To continue the evolution of freedom, these nascent democracies must foster the growth of civil society and pro-democratic actors, long-term economic stability, a strong judicial system, and tolerance of political opposition. However, dramatic changes such as multiparty elections, free press, legal reforms, and an independent judiciary do not automatically create a culture of democracy. Democracies also need to develop social “safety nets” and effective means to counter corruption. Over $1 trillion was paid in bribes last year, according to a World Bank estimate.

Increasing sophistication of and interaction among information technology, marketing, competitive intelligence, organized crime, compromised election results, and the potential for information warfare create a general distrust of information among the public. Freedom of choice, which is inherent to democracy, implies the right of citizens to make judgments based on reliable information. Hence the development of methods to counter information manipulation, as well as increased freedom of information transmission, will be important for continued democratic consolidation. The new UN Convention Against Corruption is a good step in this direction, as are the many ways the Internet is increasing the opportunity for citizen feedback on public issues. As a result, governments are expected to become more accountable, transparent, and responsive to their citizens. However, democratic e-government also requires e-access, which today is unavailable to 84% of the world’s population.

Challenge 4 will be met when the percentage of the world’s population living in nondemocratic countries diminishes to less than 10%, the number of armed conflicts (those with 1,000 or more deaths per year) diminishes by half, and voter participation in most democracies exceeds 60% in most elections. Different areas may require different political systems at different times. However, all will be improved by initiatives that focus on citizen participation rather than elite dominance. Although making development assistance dependent on good governance has helped in some countries, genuine democracy will be achieved when the people—not external actors—demand government accountability. International protocols are needed to assist failed states or regions within states, and intervention procedures are needed when a state constitutes a significant threat to the rights of its citizens or to the global population.

Politicians focus more on raising money than on the quality of political discourse. Powerful lobbies, increasing corruption, centralization of media, and the Patriot Act raise concerns about the future health of democracy in the United States, while Canada is still lacking democratic reforms, especially with an unelected senate. Democratic societies must remember that democracy can be lost.

Graph: Global Trends in Freedom

Source: Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2006

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