The main threat to liberal democracy comes from within, not from authoritarians

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

At the end of the 20th century, the collapse of communism led to celebrations of the triumph of liberal democracy.

Today, those celebrations are gone, replaced by fears - as Dr Robert Kagan recently argued in The Washington Post - that strongmen are striking back. But just as the earlier optimism masked important underlying realities, so, too, does today's pessimism warp the understanding of what is going on.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 30, 2019, with the headline The main threat to liberal democracy comes from within, not from authoritarians. Subscribe