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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
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Siva Vaidhyanathan

With the 21st century a quarter complete, illiberal democracy is the new global norm

Democracy Donald Trump Narendra Modi Prabowo Subianto
A composite portrait of Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Benjamin Netanyahu, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Rodrigo Duterte, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán.
‘We are used to hearing stirring defenses of “democracy” from those who oppose corrupt or authoritarian forces.’ Composite: EPA, Getty, Reuters, AP

The three largest democracies in the history of the world will soon be ruled by intolerant authoritarians who leveraged celebrity and social media dynamics to achieve power.

In 2024, India re-elected Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi as prime minister for the third time. The United States has elected Donald Trump as president for the second, non-consecutive time. And in October, Indonesia elected as president the millionaire Prabowo Subianto, a former special-forces commander who was once married to a daughter of late dictator Suharto.

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