As the world population increases (the global population passed the 7 billion mark in 2011[1]), the percentage of people who live under a democratic regime decreases. It is estimated that if things continue as they are now, in the years’ time, those who live under democratic principles and the rule of law, will comprise merely 26% of the global population, as for now India remains democratic. A report from freedomhouse.org[2] tells us that 2021 is the 15th year in a row that global freedom deteriorated and that authoritarian regimes, like the Chinese Communist Party, are rising. In the same report, it is mentioned that 75% of the global population lives in a country where democratic principles are deteriorating.
These significant numbers are very much a result of major countries that have abandoned democracy openly like China[3], or secretly like Turkey[4], or that are thinking about it, like India[5] and Brazil[6], who's next move is anticipated. However, authoritarianism has seeped into Europe as well with countries such as Belarus[7] and Hungary[8].
But what is democracy? Well, the simple definition is that democracy is the rule of the people. The word comes from Ancient Greek and it is a derivative of two words: demos, meaning the populace, the common people, and Kratos, which means power, or strength. In ancient Greece, on the hill of Pnyx in Athens, Athenians would gather to discuss the issues of the city, which was a revolutionary approach back then. There, on that hill, anyone of those thousands could take the stand and share their opinion on the current issues. Decisions were made based on the merit of each option, not merely the social
