In the 1992 book The End of History and the Last Man, philosopher Francis Fukuyama posited that “liberal democracy” would become the world’s unassailable, default norm. Since then, many would argue, we’ve gotten much liberalism and the appearance of democracy, but the substance doesn’t match the style. And a recent study of liberty in the world vindicates that claim.
In fact, finds the Cato Institute’s latest edition of the Human Freedom Index, after reaching a high point in 2007 (just before the Obama years, do note), worldwide freedom had been in steady decline. But that has changed:
It entered steep decline with the Covid-19 situation in 2020.