Since the 1980s, political democracy has expanded exponentially around the globe. The transitions from authoritarianism in various countries in Southern Europe, Latin America, Asia and finally Eastern Europe were mostly successfully completed with the establishment of democratic political regimes. The unfolding of this democratic wave reached its peak during the first decade of the 21st century.
In spite of this great achievement, nowadays diagnoses about democracy being in crisis in the world are plenty. Important violations of fundamental freedoms have been affecting not only new democracies, but also more established ones. A new wave of autocratic rule threatens the democratic rights gained by citizens after long and painful struggles.
This panel will address this issue by looking into the domains of democratic reversal and resilience amidst increasing polarization. The main goal of the panel is to provide comparative insights from Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America for a global agenda on strengthening democratic rule.
Keywords Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, autocratization, democratic resilience.