A world in Chaos & Threats to Democracy

INTERNATIONAL/ SECURITY/ DEMOCRACY

Topic: General Studies 2,3:

• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.
• Internal Security

A world in Chaos & Threats to Democracy

Context: The extent to which Mr. Trump has been willing to go in his attempt to negate the election (in which he lost), and the fact that a very sizeable segment of the U.S. population seems to be backing him reflects the threat to Democracy.

Threats to Democracy

• Rise of Identity Politics: Issues of identity, or threats to identity, are becoming an important issue in elections across democracies.
• Misuse of Technology: Manipulation of grievances by using psychometric techniques (a la Cambridge Analytica), and the use of ‘deep fakes’ made possible through Artificial Intelligence, further enhances the threat to current notions of democracy.
• Social Unrest: Protests in Thailand, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan
• Threats to Secularism in Europe: The recent wave of terrorist attacks, beginning with the beheading of a Paris schoolteacher by an Islamic State (IS) supporter, followed by IS violence in Nice, have been a major trigger, raising questions about long-held secular beliefs.
• Terrorism is resurfacing, and with renewed vigour. The al-Qaeda is again becoming prominent. The IS has returned with attacks in France — Paris and Nice — and in Austria (Vienna)
• Informational autocracy: Manipulation of information — and also events — to achieve certain desired ends, is becoming a norm in many democratic regimes. Many democratic nations today resort to manipulating data to support or prop up the government’s version of events. 

Challenges to Democracy in India

• High Polarization
• Rising terrorism threats in J&K aided by Pakistan which pushes for authoritarian tendencies.
• Borders issues with both China and Pakistan
• Protests against CAA and NRC
• Holding of Assembly elections in Gilgit-Baltistan by Pakistan
• India is being steadily marginalised in Afghanistan, where the control of the Taliban is increasing.

Connecting the dots:

• India’s UN Journey