Democracy is in crisis—and not just in one country, but across the entire Western world. At the 2025 Athens Democracy Forum, leading global thinkers issued a stark warning: liberal democracy is unraveling under the combined pressures of inequality, artificial intelligence, political polarization, and rising far-right populism.
Why Democracy Is Failing the People
Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz put it bluntly: “For most people outside academia and the media, the question is, ‘What has democracy delivered for us, my children and my country?’” The lived reality for many is economic stagnation, systemic inequity, and a sense that institutions no longer serve them.
Key Threats Identified at the Forum
- Artificial Intelligence: AI-generated disinformation erodes truth and trust in public discourse.
- Horizontal Inequities: Not just rich vs. poor—but peers advancing due to systemic advantages, breeding resentment.
- Political Polarization: Social media silos destroy the “common conversation” essential to democracy.
- Populist Nationalism: Short-term, nationalist policies replace long-term international cooperation.
Global Democratic Backsliding: By the Numbers
According to the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center, democratic decline has accelerated dramatically since 2019:
| Metric | Pre-2019 | Post-2019 (Accelerated by Pandemic) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Rate of Democratic Backsliding | Baseline | Quadrupled |
| Countries Losing Political Freedom | Not specified | 112 nations, including U.S., Canada, Japan, and 20 EU members |
| Political Freedom Level | Stable | 25-year low |
Voices from the Forum
“Liberalism is quiescent, almost irrelevant in moments of revolutionary change.” — Ivan Krastev, Bulgarian political scientist
“Organizing resistance to illiberal tendencies requires work and mobilization at all levels.” — Ivan Vejvoda, Kettering Foundation
Regional Hotspots of Democratic Erosion
- United States: Disproportionate influence of special interests; deep cultural and fiscal polarization.
- France: Far-right poised to win presidency amid government instability and debt crises.
- EU: Bureaucratic stagnation, war fatigue, and “endemic nationalism” undermining unity.
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