1. Objective Level
The session discusses authoritarianism and populism as threats to democracy in the world not just in the developing nations but also the developed nations with examples from the United States through the election of Donald Trump as the President. The world is witnessing an authoritarian turn because of democratic stagnation in Africa where states are either not free or partly free (Bilodeau, 2012). Today, the US is considered a flawed democracy as opposed to its earlier status as a full democracy. Authoritarianism is demonstrated through the ambiguous Arab Spring that failed to achieve far-reaching democratic outcomes and lead to regime change in the respective countries. Contemporary authoritarianism is evident through the rule by the big man, manipulation of elections, interference of the constitution, unequal application of the rule of law and inconsistent violence against opposition and oppression of free media, and other rights (Fraser, 2017). Autocratic regimes survive using different strategies like patronage or repression and can also combine patrimonial authority with traditional or any form that suits their rule. The rising wave of populism is also a threat to democracy since the majority become cynical of opposition parties and critical of constitutional structures like parliament, big corporations and seeks ways to reduce or curtail their power and influence. Populism is not confined to the global south alone but recent events in the UK like Brexit and election of Trump in the US demonstrate that even the North is no exception (Week 5). I feel that authoritarianism and populism have rolled back the democratic gains that the world had witnessed in the later part of the 20 th century and early 2000s.
2. Interpretive Level
The session is relevant to my existing knowledge since it demonstrates that contemporary authoritarianism is not a problem of just the developing nations but also the developed ones as well. The session illustrates that democratic ideas and practices have stagnated while regimes continue to survive because of religious and traditional perspectives concerning their legitimacy (Yom & Gause III, 2012). As such, these states and their leaders will continue to roll back democratic gains and perpetuate authoritarianism and populism. I can apply what I have learned from the session by encouraging leaders to uphold democracy and allow people to question their authority. I would continue to agitate for entrenchment of democracy in all states of the world.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Bilodeau, A. (2012) Is democracy the only game in town? Tension between immigrants’
democratic desires and authoritarian imprints, Democratization , 2:2, pp.359-381. DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2012.712515
Fraser, A. (2017) Post-Populism in Zambia: Michael Sata’s rise, demise and legacy,
International Political Science Review , Vol.38, No.4, 456-472.
Week 5: Authoritarianism and Populism, pdf
Yom, S.L & Gause III, G. (2012) Resilient Royals: how Arab Monarchies Hang On, Journal of
Democracy , vol.23, No.4, pp.74-88.
