When Power Threatens Liberty: On Rising Autocracy in Democratic Disguise

In the theater of politics, the rules have long been simple: defeat the opponent, discredit his vision, and champion your own ideology. Nobody denies that politics is often a zero-sum game—one in which success frequently depends on the failure of the other. But even zero-sum games have rules. The boundaries, the framework, the fair play—these are the pillars that sustain the credibility of any competition, including politics. When these rules are trampled upon in pursuit of expediency, convenience, or raw power, the political game ceases to be democratic and begins to resemble despotism.

The adage “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” has never been more relevant than it is today. In an age when the democratic experiment is nearly a century old in many parts of the world, we find ourselves paradoxically fighting for the very soul of democracy. Across the globe, from mature democracies like the United States and India to fledgling republics in Africa and Eastern Europe, the rise of authoritarianism under a democratic garb is unmistakable. A power-drunk politician, once elevated by the people’s mandate, quickly transforms into a custodian of tyranny, eroding the very rights he was elected to protect.

The Autocratic Drift in Democracies

The disturbing trend is that this transformation often happens not by coup or violent revolution, but within the legal framework of democracies. Leaders are increasingly using legislation, state institutions, media control, and even the courts to suppress dissent and consolidate authority. The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán calls this model “illiberal democracy.” In practice, it means elections are held, but freedom of the press is stifled, judiciary is weakened, opposition is intimidated, and civil liberties are curtailed—all under a veil of constitutional legality.

In India, the world’s largest democracy, there are concerns over growing intolerance of dissent, misuse of investigative agencies against political opponents, internet blackouts, and a shrinking space for civil society. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, regardless of one’s political leanings, are seen by many as examples of sweeping changes enforced without meaningful debate or consensus.

In the United States, the storming of Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, showcased what can happen when political demagoguery goes unchecked. A former President refusing to accept election results, falsely crying foul, and inciting supporters to violence was not just an American crisis—it was a global warning sign. If such disregard for democratic norms can happen in the most powerful democracy in the world, it can happen anywhere.

Democracy Under Siege: By the Numbers

A 2023 report by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute noted that 72% of the world’s population now lives in autocracies—up from 46% a decade earlier. In fact, the number of electoral autocracies—regimes that hold elections but fail to meet minimum standards of democracy—has surpassed the number of liberal democracies globally.

Freedom House’s 2024 report marked the 18th consecutive year of democratic decline worldwide. Of the 195 countries assessed, 84 (43%) were rated “Not Free.” Only 20% of the global population lives in “Free” countries. Democracies are not just failing to expand; they are shrinking in size, scope, and spirit.

Even in countries where the facade of democracy remains, surveillance technologies, media capture, and state-sponsored propaganda are becoming tools to control the narrative and suppress opposition. The digital realm, once a space of empowerment, is increasingly weaponized by governments to monitor citizens, manipulate elections, and spread disinformation.

Robbers in the Name of Democracy

Democracy’s greatest irony is that the very systems built to protect liberty can be manipulated to destroy it. Elections, parliaments, courts, and constitutions—each of these can be undermined from within. Adolf Hitler, after all, was elected Chancellor of Germany through democratic means before becoming the architect of history’s most notorious dictatorship.

Today’s autocrats don’t wear jackboots; they wear suits. They don’t silence dissent with guns; they use sedition laws, tax raids, and defamation lawsuits. They don’t ban newspapers; they buy them. They don’t cancel elections; they manipulate voters through hate speech, fake news, and polarization.

The modern-day threat is not an external invasion but the internal corrosion of democratic values. Robbers of liberty now sit in legislatures, not jungles. The war on democracy is fought not with bullets but with bills and ballots.

Eternal Vigilance: The Need of the Hour

The phrase “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” is more than a warning; it is a moral imperative. Citizens cannot outsource their responsibility to guard democracy to politicians or institutions. They must stay informed, ask questions, and resist authoritarian temptations.

But vigilance alone is not enough. Civic education needs a renaissance. In many parts of the world, including India and the U.S., political literacy is shockingly low. Voters must be equipped with the tools to distinguish propaganda from fact, debate from hate, and authority from authoritarianism.

Moreover, institutions—courts, media, election commissions—must be fiercely independent and ethically uncompromised. Civil society organizations need to be strengthened, not stifled. Whistleblowers must be protected, not prosecuted.

The Global Democratic Compact

There is an urgent need for democratic nations to collaborate—not just for economic and military alliances, but for the preservation of democratic norms. Just as there is NATO for collective defense, there should be a global democratic compact that watches over the conduct of its members, much like a peer-review mechanism.

Countries that trample on press freedom, imprison opposition leaders, or interfere in judicial appointments should face consequences—not just rhetorical condemnation but diplomatic, economic, and legal pressure.

The United Nations and international human rights bodies must evolve from being mere report card issuers to active defenders of democratic rights.

The Inescapable Conflict: Power vs Liberty

Ultimately, we stand at the edge of a defining conflict: Will the powerful relinquish their grip, or will the people surrender their freedoms? This is not merely a political debate; it is a civilizational question.

History teaches us that tyrants don’t stop until they are stopped. The march toward authoritarianism never pauses of its own accord; it is halted by protest, by vote, by law, and by courage. The people’s silence is the tyrant’s strength. The people’s resistance is democracy’s hope.

We are reminded of the French philosopher Montesquieu’s belief: “The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.” That apathy, that fatigue, that normalization of authoritarianism must end now.

The battle lines are clear. On one side stand the power-hungry who manipulate democracy to monopolize authority. On the other side stand ordinary citizens, fighting to retain their dignity, rights, and freedom.

Who wins this battle will determine the future not just of individual nations, but of humanity itself. For when liberty is lost in one corner of the world, it threatens to vanish everywhere. Democracy is not self-sustaining; it needs nourishment, defense, and above all, a citizenry that refuses to bow.

Because in the final analysis, it is not the strength of dictators but the weakness of the people’s resistance that brings democracy to its knees. Let us not kneel. Let us stand. Let us fight—for the right to be free.