Interestingly, the democratic socie

Interestingly, the democratic societies of today feel democratic “retreatism” and the absence of a policy vector much more acutely than they did from the 1960s through the early 1970s, the last period of democratic stagnation and crisis. True, at that time, Western civilization could not afford a prolonged spell of depression and pessimism; the existence of the Soviet Union and the world Communist system forced the West to focus intently on the struggle for the preeminence of its principles. The West constantly needed to flex its muscles and look for ways to reassert itself.

Today the decline of democracy seems more palpable. At the very least, democracy seems to have lost its energy, or has allowed that energy to flow into populist channels. The excitement following the Arab Awakening in 2011 has been replaced by concern that Islamist movements have hijacked whatever democratic prospects existed in those countries. This is especially true of Egypt, and in Syria, the tragedy unfolding on a daily basis and the impact of that tragedy on Syria’s neighbors have also dampened democratic hopes in the region. With only a few exceptions (Georgia, Moldova, and Kyrgyzstan), Eurasia has become a region known for its rising anti-democratic behavior and policies; Russia has experienced the worst deterioration in human rights since the collapse of the USSR. Repression in China has actually increased in recent years—and China presents its own model as an alternative to Western democracy.