Despite these advances, many Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are struggling to overcome a new generation of challenges to democracy. Public support for democracy, especially for core institutions like parties and legislatures, has stagnated or fallen as citizens clamor for an end to poverty, inequality, and violence. Corruption and impunity from the law have left weak democracies in the region vulnerable to destabilization by criminal gangs and drug traffickers and a hollowing out from within by populists undercutting fundamental democratic checks and balances.
The Eurasia region faces many challenges in overcoming a legacy shaped by nearly 70 years of authoritarian Soviet rule and, in Turkey, periods of political instability and a number of military coups d’etats in recent decades. These challenges include balancing integration into the global economy and international institutions while meeting the demands and needs of citizens at home for representative, transparent and accountable systems and structures of governance.
Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe is at a crossroads, as citizens across the region protest autocratic over-reach in elections, the judiciary, and media, signaling widespread disaffection with political institutions. External threats to democratic development – disinformation principal among them –exacerbates this challenge.
The Asia-Pacific’s democracy landscape is diverse and dynamic. Political transitions and economic shifts are testing the resilience of the region’s more established democracies and pushing more fragile republics towards regression. Democratic political institutions are finding it more challenging to address rapid social change and corresponding citizen needs, counter polarization, and manage political conflict. New technologies and social media are enabling inclusive participation and greater transparency as well as empowering disinformation.
