The Forum: Global Challenges to Democracy? Perspectives on Democratic Backsliding.

This article forum addresses the global challenges to democracy, focusing on the phenomenon of democratic backsliding—manifested through election manipulation, repression of minorities and opponents, and executive aggrandizement—and debates its nature, severity, and drivers. Drawing on empirical data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project and other sources, contributors highlight a third wave of autocratization affecting established and emerging democracies worldwide, driven notably by political polarization and misinformation. The decline in international support for democracy promotion, especially for citizen-led pro-democracy movements, is identified as exacerbating these trends, though some scholars question the long-term efficacy of such promotion efforts, particularly when overly focused on elections in post-conflict contexts. The role of political elites, rather than citizens, is emphasized as central to democratic erosion, with implications for how democracy is studied and protected. The forum concludes that democratic decline poses significant risks for global peace, development, and governance, underscoring the need for renewed international and domestic strategies to uphold democratic norms.