Srinagar, Sept. 13 -- For decades, democracy was presented almost as the inevitable destination of human political evolution. Dictatorships would fall, people would vote, institutions would strengthen, and freedom would expand. The collapse of communism seemed to confirm the triumph of the democratic idea.

But today, that certainty looks increasingly naive.

Freedom House says global freedom declined for the 20th consecutive year in 2025. V-Dem's 2026 assessment estimates that nearly three-quarters of the world's population now lives under autocratic rule. Democracy is retreating in parts of the world, institutions are being weakened, political polarisation is deepening, and citizens are becoming increasingly distrustful of the very syst...