Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Friday, August 21, 2026
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom
MARK ALEXANDER: Until 9/11, the western world was largely ignorant of the religion of Islam, of its goals, of its aspirations. Indeed, even since 9/11, most people, and that includes our politicians, would not score very highly in a test of their knowledge on the subject. It should be obvious to all thinking people that our politicians are actually unaware, dare I say blind, to the dangers that Islam will increasingly cause us. It is truly a case of the blind leading the blind! That means to say, uninformed and unthinking politicians leading an ill-informed electorate. But this is what we have right now. The same can hardly be said of Muslims in the Islamic world, though; for their knowledge of Christianity far surpasses - even though much of their knowledge is quite distorted - any knowledge of Islam by the man in the street in the West.
As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. But what we often don't hear uttered is its converse: Ignorance is weakness.
The West is far weaker than it need be because of this ignorance of Islam, since Islam is our greatest enemy. The greatest enemy since Nazism and communism. I'll give you some good reasons why this is so. And none of them - absolutely none of them - are based on hatred.
Islam is the enemy of the West for a plethora of good, solid reasons, and if we wish to survive as a civilization, we are going to have to bite the bullet and deal, head on, with the issues these reasons raise. Let us begin...
First and foremost, we are dealing with a religion which does not recognize any separation of politics and religion, any separation of the political from the spiritual. For Muslims, life is one coherent whole: the political and spiritual both meld into one. This has always been so, and always will be. No re-classification of the religion into two separate parts is possible because of Islam's very nature.
In Islam, all power rests with Allah, the god of Muslims. The Qur'an, their holy book, is always taken literally. Those words are considered to be the actual words of Allah. Therefore, none of these words can be changed, for to change any of them would be tantamount to tampering with Allah's words. This would be a grave sin in their eyes.
For the same reason that the words contained in the Qur'an cannot be changed, they cannot, therefore, be re-interpreted either. So do not hold your breath for any kind of reformation in this religion, because it’s not going to happen.
In Islam, all power rests with Allah, and it filters down via his vice-gerents on earth to the people. Hence the great desire among Muslims to restore the caliphate. Contrast this with the Western model of government.
In the West, the ideal political system is democracy. In democracy, all power rests with the people, and they exercise that power at the polls. In a democracy, all power filters in the opposite direction from Islam. In democracy it filters up; in Islam, down! Herein lies the greatest barrier to the miscibility of the two worlds: the western world and the Islamic world.
Without digressing too much here, I should like to add that this is the main reason why George W Bush and Blair's venture into Iraq to bring democracy there was a grave error of judgment. We are now seeing the experiment failing before our very eyes. How can one bring democracy to a region of the world where the people who inhabit that region believe that all power rests with Allah, and where they believe that Allah has prescribed their way of life for them for then, for now, and for all time?
I would suggest that where such a dichotomy exists, the most sensible and prudent thing to do would be for us to lead our lives as we see fit, and for those people to be allowed to live their lives as they see fit. That way, there would be hope of some peace in this world.
But this is not what we have done. We have done the very opposite of this: We have entered the Middle East in the hope - the vain hope in my opinion - of bringing our way of doing things, our way of life, to them; furthermore, we have allowed millions and millions of Muslims into the West - and at the very time when Christianity, the religion which underpins the West, is greatly weakened anyway - which will only give us headaches for the years ahead. Why? Because Muslims who immigrate bring their hopes and dreams and aspirations with them, hopes and dreams of establishing Islam everywhere on earth. To Islamize the world is the main aspiration of the Muslim; and we have seen in France in the recent past the manifestation of aggression in its cause. For what happened in France was in no small part because of the Muslim's desire to establish Allah's caliphate here on earth. These were the first rumblings, the first roar of the lion! Expect more of this in the future, as Islam grows stronger and stronger.
Muslims, by and large, do not respect non-Muslims. How can they? Their religion does not allow them to do so. Their religion preaches that Muslims are superior to non-Muslims; indeed, they use the derogatory term infidel for us. This word to some Westerners might simply mean that they call us infidels because we are people who do not subscribe to their faith. This, after all, would be quite logical, since to us it simply means not fidèle, or not true to the faith. But this does not completely describe what Muslims mean by this term. To Muslims, to be called an infidel is an insult indeed. It has connotations of inferiority, backwardness, and even uncleanness.
You see, Muslims believe that Islam is the perfection of religion for man for all time. They call it ad deen al kamal, the perfect religion. In their eyes, people who have not yet submitted to the will of Allah are in a state of pre-Islamic chaos, a state known to them as jahiliyyah. To Muslims, all Muslims, the whole world is classified in two parts: that part of the world which has submitted and is therefore in the Islamic state known as Dar ul Islam, or 'the House of Islam'; and that part of the world which has yet to submit and is therefore in a pre-Islamic, chaotic, jahiliyyic state known as Dar ul Harb, or the 'House of War'.
The 'House of War' is the part of the world which has yet to be taken over, and must at some point be taken over in the future. We, I am sorry to inform you, are in the 'House of War'. So we can expect anything at anytime.
Some people would ask why we were able to go for quite a long time without problems with Muslims. The answer to that is a simple one indeed. First of all, there were relatively few Muslims living in the West, so the ones that did live here were not powerful. Secondly, Muslims living in the Islamic world were, for the most part and for many years, poor by anyone's standards. This all changed with the Oil Embargo of the 70s - a time when the price of oil on the world markets soared. As a result of this, the Islamic world became rich and empowered.
Money is power; and it talks loudly. In recent years we have seen evidence aplenty of Islam being on the move. I tell you now: If we do not find a way of clipping its wings here in the West, we shall lose our democracy, and we shall be in deep, deep trouble.
So the trouble we will have with Muslims will not come only from without, but in the future we can expect trouble from the Muslims within. The millions of Muslims living here in the West will not integrate, because it is not in their worldview to do so. It is also forbidden them by their very own Prophet Himself, the Prophet Muhammad. He forbade Muslims even to befriend infidels. He also exhorted them to kill us. And he certainly told them that they should live separate lives, and dress and behave differently, so that they could easily tell themselves apart.
No Western politician is going to be able to change these facts, for facts they are indeed. Moreover, as Islam will grow here, their numbers will become greater and greater, and they will be able to use our democratic system to outvote us and introduce their form of government based as it is on their beloved Shari'ah, or Quranic laws. How do you propose we shall be able to stop them? We shall be outnumbered, and as the outcome of democratic elections depends on the number of votes cast, we shall be able to do nothing about it. This time will come quicker than we might think, because so few babies are being born to infidel families.
The only thing left for people to do, will be to fight. Inevitably, at some point, civil war will ensue. If the political process fails people, then this will be all that will be left for them: civil war, guerre civile, Bürgerkrieg, call it what you will. But one thing I can assure you, no politicians' sweet talk, posturing, or manœvring, will get us out of this one without conflict at some point in the future.
One of the biggest problems for the West is its devotion to the concept of freedom of religion. This is a lofty concept indeed, an ideal; but this devotion blinds people to one important reality: To the reality that Islam is not just a religion, but a political system, too. Indeed, it is more of a political system than anything else, and it is, in addition, a political system diametrically opposed to our own. It abhors freedom of choice, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of anything that we so cherish. The only thing one is free to do in Islam is become a Muslim, and submit to the will of Allah.
These two systems are totally immiscible, and unfortunately, we have imported this immiscibility right into the heart of the West; and to our own great disadvantage, and to the disadvantage of our long-term peace and security. What, I ask you, will the Americans do when the ever-growing Muslim population in America starts wanting to tinker with the Americans' beloved Constitution? When Muslims will see their way clear to supplant the Constitution with Shari'ah law?
Questions like these are the ones we should be grappling with NOW. To wait until the time comes would be foolish indeed.
Wake up to the harsh realities of life in the twenty-first century! We've got some collective thinking to do if we wish to save ourselves from darkness. Perhaps we shall, indeed, be forced to think about having to re-classify Islam as a political system first and foremost, a political system immiscible with our own, and one whose advance needs to be forestalled. This may be one of our only sensible alternatives. Since to give complete, unhampered freedom to Islam to grow here in the West is tantamount to digging our own graves.
© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved
This essay was first published on Friday, April 20, 2007
As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. But what we often don't hear uttered is its converse: Ignorance is weakness.
The West is far weaker than it need be because of this ignorance of Islam, since Islam is our greatest enemy. The greatest enemy since Nazism and communism. I'll give you some good reasons why this is so. And none of them - absolutely none of them - are based on hatred.
Islam is the enemy of the West for a plethora of good, solid reasons, and if we wish to survive as a civilization, we are going to have to bite the bullet and deal, head on, with the issues these reasons raise. Let us begin...
First and foremost, we are dealing with a religion which does not recognize any separation of politics and religion, any separation of the political from the spiritual. For Muslims, life is one coherent whole: the political and spiritual both meld into one. This has always been so, and always will be. No re-classification of the religion into two separate parts is possible because of Islam's very nature.
In Islam, all power rests with Allah, the god of Muslims. The Qur'an, their holy book, is always taken literally. Those words are considered to be the actual words of Allah. Therefore, none of these words can be changed, for to change any of them would be tantamount to tampering with Allah's words. This would be a grave sin in their eyes.
For the same reason that the words contained in the Qur'an cannot be changed, they cannot, therefore, be re-interpreted either. So do not hold your breath for any kind of reformation in this religion, because it’s not going to happen.
In Islam, all power rests with Allah, and it filters down via his vice-gerents on earth to the people. Hence the great desire among Muslims to restore the caliphate. Contrast this with the Western model of government.
In the West, the ideal political system is democracy. In democracy, all power rests with the people, and they exercise that power at the polls. In a democracy, all power filters in the opposite direction from Islam. In democracy it filters up; in Islam, down! Herein lies the greatest barrier to the miscibility of the two worlds: the western world and the Islamic world.
Without digressing too much here, I should like to add that this is the main reason why George W Bush and Blair's venture into Iraq to bring democracy there was a grave error of judgment. We are now seeing the experiment failing before our very eyes. How can one bring democracy to a region of the world where the people who inhabit that region believe that all power rests with Allah, and where they believe that Allah has prescribed their way of life for them for then, for now, and for all time?
I would suggest that where such a dichotomy exists, the most sensible and prudent thing to do would be for us to lead our lives as we see fit, and for those people to be allowed to live their lives as they see fit. That way, there would be hope of some peace in this world.
But this is not what we have done. We have done the very opposite of this: We have entered the Middle East in the hope - the vain hope in my opinion - of bringing our way of doing things, our way of life, to them; furthermore, we have allowed millions and millions of Muslims into the West - and at the very time when Christianity, the religion which underpins the West, is greatly weakened anyway - which will only give us headaches for the years ahead. Why? Because Muslims who immigrate bring their hopes and dreams and aspirations with them, hopes and dreams of establishing Islam everywhere on earth. To Islamize the world is the main aspiration of the Muslim; and we have seen in France in the recent past the manifestation of aggression in its cause. For what happened in France was in no small part because of the Muslim's desire to establish Allah's caliphate here on earth. These were the first rumblings, the first roar of the lion! Expect more of this in the future, as Islam grows stronger and stronger.
Muslims, by and large, do not respect non-Muslims. How can they? Their religion does not allow them to do so. Their religion preaches that Muslims are superior to non-Muslims; indeed, they use the derogatory term infidel for us. This word to some Westerners might simply mean that they call us infidels because we are people who do not subscribe to their faith. This, after all, would be quite logical, since to us it simply means not fidèle, or not true to the faith. But this does not completely describe what Muslims mean by this term. To Muslims, to be called an infidel is an insult indeed. It has connotations of inferiority, backwardness, and even uncleanness.
You see, Muslims believe that Islam is the perfection of religion for man for all time. They call it ad deen al kamal, the perfect religion. In their eyes, people who have not yet submitted to the will of Allah are in a state of pre-Islamic chaos, a state known to them as jahiliyyah. To Muslims, all Muslims, the whole world is classified in two parts: that part of the world which has submitted and is therefore in the Islamic state known as Dar ul Islam, or 'the House of Islam'; and that part of the world which has yet to submit and is therefore in a pre-Islamic, chaotic, jahiliyyic state known as Dar ul Harb, or the 'House of War'.
The 'House of War' is the part of the world which has yet to be taken over, and must at some point be taken over in the future. We, I am sorry to inform you, are in the 'House of War'. So we can expect anything at anytime.
Some people would ask why we were able to go for quite a long time without problems with Muslims. The answer to that is a simple one indeed. First of all, there were relatively few Muslims living in the West, so the ones that did live here were not powerful. Secondly, Muslims living in the Islamic world were, for the most part and for many years, poor by anyone's standards. This all changed with the Oil Embargo of the 70s - a time when the price of oil on the world markets soared. As a result of this, the Islamic world became rich and empowered.
Money is power; and it talks loudly. In recent years we have seen evidence aplenty of Islam being on the move. I tell you now: If we do not find a way of clipping its wings here in the West, we shall lose our democracy, and we shall be in deep, deep trouble.
So the trouble we will have with Muslims will not come only from without, but in the future we can expect trouble from the Muslims within. The millions of Muslims living here in the West will not integrate, because it is not in their worldview to do so. It is also forbidden them by their very own Prophet Himself, the Prophet Muhammad. He forbade Muslims even to befriend infidels. He also exhorted them to kill us. And he certainly told them that they should live separate lives, and dress and behave differently, so that they could easily tell themselves apart.
No Western politician is going to be able to change these facts, for facts they are indeed. Moreover, as Islam will grow here, their numbers will become greater and greater, and they will be able to use our democratic system to outvote us and introduce their form of government based as it is on their beloved Shari'ah, or Quranic laws. How do you propose we shall be able to stop them? We shall be outnumbered, and as the outcome of democratic elections depends on the number of votes cast, we shall be able to do nothing about it. This time will come quicker than we might think, because so few babies are being born to infidel families.
The only thing left for people to do, will be to fight. Inevitably, at some point, civil war will ensue. If the political process fails people, then this will be all that will be left for them: civil war, guerre civile, Bürgerkrieg, call it what you will. But one thing I can assure you, no politicians' sweet talk, posturing, or manœvring, will get us out of this one without conflict at some point in the future.
One of the biggest problems for the West is its devotion to the concept of freedom of religion. This is a lofty concept indeed, an ideal; but this devotion blinds people to one important reality: To the reality that Islam is not just a religion, but a political system, too. Indeed, it is more of a political system than anything else, and it is, in addition, a political system diametrically opposed to our own. It abhors freedom of choice, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of anything that we so cherish. The only thing one is free to do in Islam is become a Muslim, and submit to the will of Allah.
These two systems are totally immiscible, and unfortunately, we have imported this immiscibility right into the heart of the West; and to our own great disadvantage, and to the disadvantage of our long-term peace and security. What, I ask you, will the Americans do when the ever-growing Muslim population in America starts wanting to tinker with the Americans' beloved Constitution? When Muslims will see their way clear to supplant the Constitution with Shari'ah law?
Questions like these are the ones we should be grappling with NOW. To wait until the time comes would be foolish indeed.
Wake up to the harsh realities of life in the twenty-first century! We've got some collective thinking to do if we wish to save ourselves from darkness. Perhaps we shall, indeed, be forced to think about having to re-classify Islam as a political system first and foremost, a political system immiscible with our own, and one whose advance needs to be forestalled. This may be one of our only sensible alternatives. Since to give complete, unhampered freedom to Islam to grow here in the West is tantamount to digging our own graves.
© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved
This essay was first published on Friday, April 20, 2007
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Democracy Doesn't Collapse Overnight (It's Already Started) | Anne Applebaum
July 19, 2026 | Democracy feels like something we can take for granted, but few people are talking about how quickly it can unravel from the inside.
Around the world, authoritarianism is on the rise, not through invasions or coups, but through the slow erosion of institutions, elections, and truth itself. It's a pattern that has repeated across countries and decades, and one that's now playing out closer to home than many would like to admit.
Anne Applebaum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, and the author of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, Autocracy, Inc., and Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps. [Among others.] She has spent her career studying how democracies fall apart, and what it takes to stop them. …
Around the world, authoritarianism is on the rise, not through invasions or coups, but through the slow erosion of institutions, elections, and truth itself. It's a pattern that has repeated across countries and decades, and one that's now playing out closer to home than many would like to admit.
Anne Applebaum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, and the author of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, Autocracy, Inc., and Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps. [Among others.] She has spent her career studying how democracies fall apart, and what it takes to stop them. …
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Democracy Now! "How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies": Northwestern Prof Jeffrey Winters on Book The Blind Spot
May 27, 2026 | We speak with political scientist Jeffrey Winters about his new book, The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies. Winters argues that democracy's failure to address wealth inequality is by design. While voters have a say on some issues, oligarchs, who succeed in maintaining economic inequality by fighting against wealth redistribution, have more power.
"Liberal democracies around the world are now among the most unequal societies ever to have existed in human history," says Winters.
"Liberal democracies around the world are now among the most unequal societies ever to have existed in human history," says Winters.
Friday, July 17, 2026
Michael Lambert: I Found Out that Nobody Cares about the By-election
July 17, 2026 | I went to the seaside this week. I went to Clacton to experience the excitement of the coming by-election; but what I found was something much more concerning for our democracy.
I spoke to more than 40 people, and what astonished me was the sheer number of voters who knew nothing about the by-election or simply didn't care about politics at all.
Of those who did, the divide was stark: either a cult-like devotion to Nigel Farage, or a damning view of him as an opportunist chancer.
In this video, I break down the conversations I had, the misinformation being spread, and why the "they are all the same" narrative is dangerous for our political discourse.
Nigel Farage is indeed a charlatan. I agree with you totally. Unfortunately, many people in this country are not discerning enough to be able to observe his character flaws. I cannot help but worry for the future of democracy in this country. In fact, with Trump in power in the US as well, I cannot help but worry about the future of democracy in the West as a whole. — © Mark Alexander
I spoke to more than 40 people, and what astonished me was the sheer number of voters who knew nothing about the by-election or simply didn't care about politics at all.
Of those who did, the divide was stark: either a cult-like devotion to Nigel Farage, or a damning view of him as an opportunist chancer.
In this video, I break down the conversations I had, the misinformation being spread, and why the "they are all the same" narrative is dangerous for our political discourse.
Nigel Farage is indeed a charlatan. I agree with you totally. Unfortunately, many people in this country are not discerning enough to be able to observe his character flaws. I cannot help but worry for the future of democracy in this country. In fact, with Trump in power in the US as well, I cannot help but worry about the future of democracy in the West as a whole. — © Mark Alexander
Sunday, July 05, 2026
Saturday, June 20, 2026
The Tech Billionaire Plan to Destroy Democracy | Gil Duran | TMR
People like Peter Thiel may WANT to live forever, but even though I am no doctor, I can assure him that he will not. Just look at how much and how quickly Peter Thiel has aged in just a few years! Peter Thiel and people like him are living in a land of make-believe. They are totally and utterly delusional. — © Mark Alexander
Sunday, June 14, 2026
This Is Oligarchy: Elon Musk Becomes World's First TRILLIONAIRE with SpaceX IPO
This is just the start! Now we have one trillionaire. How long will it be before we have many? That we have trillionaires at all is the result of Reaganomics and Thatcherism. That political duo were the start of this INSANITY. And the WEAK political leaders the West has had to tolerate ever since have allowed this nonsense to take shape. That we had multi-billionaires hundreds of times over was bad enough, but now, with the start of the trillionaire class developing, things are about to take a turn for the worse. Bleak times lie ahead for us little people! Goodbye democracy; hello servitude! — © Mark Alexander
Friday, May 29, 2026
"How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies": Northwestern Prof Jeffrey Winters on Book "The Blind Spot"
May 27, 2026 | We speak with political scientist Jeffrey Winters about his new book, The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracies. Winters argues that democracy's failure to address wealth inequality is by design. While voters have a say on some issues, oligarchs, who succeed in maintaining economic inequality by fighting against wealth redistribution, have more power.
"Liberal democracies around the world are now among the most unequal societies ever to have existed in human history," says Winters.
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
"Liberal democracies around the world are now among the most unequal societies ever to have existed in human history," says Winters.
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Trump's America - Is US Democracy in Danger? | DW Documentary
May 23, 2026 | Nations once considered beacons of democracy are under attack. Many countries around the world are moving toward authoritarianism and jeopardizing once staunchly protected democratic values. Among them: the USA.
The new DW documentary series, "Democracy Under Attack," is an urgent look into the heart of these conflicts. It puts a spotlight on countries where democratic values have long been taken for granted.
In an ever-increasingly fractured world, how resilient are today's democracies? Making sense of these questions is Turkish investigative journalist Can Dündar, who has lived in exile in Germany since 2016.
In the DW Documentary original series, "Guardians of Truth," he brought stories from Mexico, Belarus, and his home country, Turkey. He met people who, like him, faced the brutal consequences of corrupt institutions and the suppression of a free press.
Having lived the realities of increasing authoritarianism first-hand, Dündar believes it's time to sound the alarm that more and more democracies are under attack.
The premiere episode of "Democracy Under Attack: Can Dündar and Trump's America" takes viewers to the United States. In 2026, the USA will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding. The country, which has often been called the cradle of modern democracy, is under enormous pressure: The political camps are almost irreconcilably opposed to each other.
For many observers, President Donald Trump is governing in an increasingly authoritarian manner, and he and his supporters fiercely attack their critics.
In the film, directors Can Dündar and Demid Sheronkin meet one such person who has become a target. Mark Bray, a Rutgers professor, was denounced as "Dr. Antifa" and later received death threats after members from the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA launched a petition to get him fired from the university. He and his family fled the country for Spain.
Moving between US college campuses and a political convention, talking to student activists, Turning Point USA members, and professors, the documentary presents a tense collision of competing visions of democracy.
What is the state of freedom of expression and democracy in the United States of America? Is US democracy really in danger?
The new DW documentary series, "Democracy Under Attack," is an urgent look into the heart of these conflicts. It puts a spotlight on countries where democratic values have long been taken for granted.
In an ever-increasingly fractured world, how resilient are today's democracies? Making sense of these questions is Turkish investigative journalist Can Dündar, who has lived in exile in Germany since 2016.
In the DW Documentary original series, "Guardians of Truth," he brought stories from Mexico, Belarus, and his home country, Turkey. He met people who, like him, faced the brutal consequences of corrupt institutions and the suppression of a free press.
Having lived the realities of increasing authoritarianism first-hand, Dündar believes it's time to sound the alarm that more and more democracies are under attack.
The premiere episode of "Democracy Under Attack: Can Dündar and Trump's America" takes viewers to the United States. In 2026, the USA will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding. The country, which has often been called the cradle of modern democracy, is under enormous pressure: The political camps are almost irreconcilably opposed to each other.
For many observers, President Donald Trump is governing in an increasingly authoritarian manner, and he and his supporters fiercely attack their critics.
In the film, directors Can Dündar and Demid Sheronkin meet one such person who has become a target. Mark Bray, a Rutgers professor, was denounced as "Dr. Antifa" and later received death threats after members from the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA launched a petition to get him fired from the university. He and his family fled the country for Spain.
Moving between US college campuses and a political convention, talking to student activists, Turning Point USA members, and professors, the documentary presents a tense collision of competing visions of democracy.
What is the state of freedom of expression and democracy in the United States of America? Is US democracy really in danger?
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Back to Autocracy - A Short-lived Win for Democracy in Tunisia | DW Documentary
May 10, 2026 | The Revolution of Freedom and Dignity took place in Tunisia in 2010. In 2024, President Kais Saied was re-elected by a large majority. In 2019, he was still seen as a man of integrity and loyal to the constitution. Today, Saied’s ruling style is autocratic.
In December 2010, the self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi sparked what became known as the Revolution of Freedom and Dignity. The spark spread throughout the region and became the starting point of the Arab Spring.
With the flight of Tunisian ruler Ben Ali in January 2011, a decade of hope began: free elections, an internationally praised constitution, and political pluralism that was exceptional for the region. But the democratic experiment faltered. Islamist influence, political infighting and an ever-deepening economic crisis caused the initial euphoria to fade. Disappointed young people took to the streets once again, chanting "work, freedom and national dignity".
In this politically-torn country, a reserved professor of constitutional law entered the scene: Kais Saied. His demonstrative independence from the political establishment and his supposed loyalty to the ideals of the revolution made him a beacon of hope for many. But after Saied's surprise election in 2019 and his overwhelming re-election in 2024, things took a drastic turn. Saied concentrated power in his own hands, brought the judiciary into line, marginalized the opposition and restricted press freedom.
Step by step, he undermined Tunisia's young democracy - while the international community focused primarily on protecting Europe's external borders and barely reacted.
This documentary hears from witnesses and airs previously unpublished archive material to paint a vivid picture of political change: from the enthusiasm of the revolutionary years to the authoritarian developments that, 15 years later, appear to be a definitive betrayal of the hopes of the Arab Spring.
In December 2010, the self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi sparked what became known as the Revolution of Freedom and Dignity. The spark spread throughout the region and became the starting point of the Arab Spring.
With the flight of Tunisian ruler Ben Ali in January 2011, a decade of hope began: free elections, an internationally praised constitution, and political pluralism that was exceptional for the region. But the democratic experiment faltered. Islamist influence, political infighting and an ever-deepening economic crisis caused the initial euphoria to fade. Disappointed young people took to the streets once again, chanting "work, freedom and national dignity".
In this politically-torn country, a reserved professor of constitutional law entered the scene: Kais Saied. His demonstrative independence from the political establishment and his supposed loyalty to the ideals of the revolution made him a beacon of hope for many. But after Saied's surprise election in 2019 and his overwhelming re-election in 2024, things took a drastic turn. Saied concentrated power in his own hands, brought the judiciary into line, marginalized the opposition and restricted press freedom.
Step by step, he undermined Tunisia's young democracy - while the international community focused primarily on protecting Europe's external borders and barely reacted.
This documentary hears from witnesses and airs previously unpublished archive material to paint a vivid picture of political change: from the enthusiasm of the revolutionary years to the authoritarian developments that, 15 years later, appear to be a definitive betrayal of the hopes of the Arab Spring.
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Jon Meacham: Trump Introduced a Virus into Democracy | Amanpour & Co.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
‘Washington Is a Kleptocracy’ — How Close Is US Democracy to Collapse?
Feb 17, 2025 | “Washington today is a kleptocracy… [America is] much closer to the end of democracy than most other Western democracies.
In part two of this ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview, Mehdi Hasan continues his conversation with Financial Times’ editor and columnist Edward Luce to unpack foreign policy under Trump 2.0 and dive into whether or not Trump will actually use military force to annex Greenland.
Luce also explains the ’Trump effect’ on countries like Canada and the UK, trade deals with China and if Britain can take a leadership role outside of the EU. They also discuss how American democracy is on the brink of collapse.
In part two of this ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview, Mehdi Hasan continues his conversation with Financial Times’ editor and columnist Edward Luce to unpack foreign policy under Trump 2.0 and dive into whether or not Trump will actually use military force to annex Greenland.
Luce also explains the ’Trump effect’ on countries like Canada and the UK, trade deals with China and if Britain can take a leadership role outside of the EU. They also discuss how American democracy is on the brink of collapse.
Monday, February 09, 2026
How Peter Thiel Is Destroying Democracy
Dec 7, 2025 | This is Peter Thiel - a major player in Silicon Valley who wants to transform humanity. But what does he actually want? What’s his problem with democracy? And is there an endgame?
Saturday, February 07, 2026
Chris Hedges on Trump, Epstein and the Decline of American Democracy | UpFront
Feb 7, 2026 | One year into Donald Trump’s return to office, a wave of hard line actions - from volatile ICE raids to growing concern over political pressure on the media - has raised alarm about the expansion of the president’s power.
Then with US midterms approaching, attention is turning to whether there is any meaningful challenge to Republican grip on Congress.
So what happens next? This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks with journalist and author Chris Hedges about Trump’s second presidency and whether US democracy is on the decline.
Then with US midterms approaching, attention is turning to whether there is any meaningful challenge to Republican grip on Congress.
So what happens next? This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks with journalist and author Chris Hedges about Trump’s second presidency and whether US democracy is on the decline.
Friday, January 30, 2026
Will Trump Trigger a New World War? | Max Hastings
Jan 30, 2026 | The legendary historian Max Hastings on NATO, China, democracy — and whether today’s world resembles 1914.
In this episode of Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by Sir Max Hastings — one of Britain’s most distinguished military historians, journalists, and former newspaper editors — for a wide-ranging conversation about war, power, and the fate of the Western order. They explore whether today’s fractured international system bears dangerous similarities to 1914, the impact of Donald Trump on U.S. foreign policy, Europe’s strategic vulnerability, NATO’s future, the rise of authoritarianism, and the challenges posed by Russia and China. Drawing on decades of scholarship and reportage, Hastings reflects on nationalism, Brexit, technology’s growing political power, and the enduring strengths — and vulnerabilities — of democratic societies in an age of renewed great-power rivalry.
In this episode of Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by Sir Max Hastings — one of Britain’s most distinguished military historians, journalists, and former newspaper editors — for a wide-ranging conversation about war, power, and the fate of the Western order. They explore whether today’s fractured international system bears dangerous similarities to 1914, the impact of Donald Trump on U.S. foreign policy, Europe’s strategic vulnerability, NATO’s future, the rise of authoritarianism, and the challenges posed by Russia and China. Drawing on decades of scholarship and reportage, Hastings reflects on nationalism, Brexit, technology’s growing political power, and the enduring strengths — and vulnerabilities — of democratic societies in an age of renewed great-power rivalry.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
American Democracy on the Brink a Year after Trump’s Election, Experts Say
THE GUARDIAN: Scale and speed of president’s moves have stunned observers of authoritarian regimes – is the US in democratic peril?
Three hundred and sixty-five days after Donald Trump placed his hand on the Bible and completed an extraordinary return to power, many historians, scholars and experts say his presidency has pushed American democracy to the brink – or beyond it.
In the first year of Trump’s second term, the democratically elected US president has moved with startling speed to consolidate authority: dismantling federal agencies, purging the civil service, firing independent watchdogs, sidelining Congress, challenging judicial rulings, deploying federal force in blue cities, stifling dissent, persecuting political enemies, targeting immigrants, scapegoating marginalized groups, ordering the capture of a foreign leader, leveraging the presidency for profit, trampling academic freedom and escalating attacks on the news media.
The scale and velocity of what he has been able to accomplish in just a year have stunned even longtime observers of authoritarian regimes, pushing the debate among academics and Americans from whether the world’s oldest continuous democracy is backsliding to whether it can still faithfully claim that distinction.
“In 2025, the United States ceased to be a full democracy in the way that Canada, Germany or even Argentina are democracies,” Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, the prominent Harvard political scientists and authors of How Democracies Die, and the University of Toronto professor Lucan Way, wrote in Foreign Affairs last month. They argued that the US under Trump had “descended into competitive authoritarianism”, a system in which elections are held but the ruling party abuses power to stifle dissent and tilt the playing field in its favor. » | Lauren Gambino | Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Three hundred and sixty-five days after Donald Trump placed his hand on the Bible and completed an extraordinary return to power, many historians, scholars and experts say his presidency has pushed American democracy to the brink – or beyond it.
In the first year of Trump’s second term, the democratically elected US president has moved with startling speed to consolidate authority: dismantling federal agencies, purging the civil service, firing independent watchdogs, sidelining Congress, challenging judicial rulings, deploying federal force in blue cities, stifling dissent, persecuting political enemies, targeting immigrants, scapegoating marginalized groups, ordering the capture of a foreign leader, leveraging the presidency for profit, trampling academic freedom and escalating attacks on the news media.
The scale and velocity of what he has been able to accomplish in just a year have stunned even longtime observers of authoritarian regimes, pushing the debate among academics and Americans from whether the world’s oldest continuous democracy is backsliding to whether it can still faithfully claim that distinction.
“In 2025, the United States ceased to be a full democracy in the way that Canada, Germany or even Argentina are democracies,” Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, the prominent Harvard political scientists and authors of How Democracies Die, and the University of Toronto professor Lucan Way, wrote in Foreign Affairs last month. They argued that the US under Trump had “descended into competitive authoritarianism”, a system in which elections are held but the ruling party abuses power to stifle dissent and tilt the playing field in its favor. » | Lauren Gambino | Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Thursday, January 01, 2026
Trump's Project 2026: How American Democracy Gets Dismantled by Stealth
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
Monday, December 15, 2025
Post-Truth Is Pre-Fascism: Can We Still Save American Democracy?
Dec 11, 2025 | “Post-truth is pre-fascism.” In this conversation, we dig into what that actually means for the United States right now — the state of American democracy, the collapse of local news, tech oligarchs, social media, and even the impossible question: how do you know when it’s time to leave?
We talk about why democracy is not a thing you have but something you do, why facts are a form of protection for the least powerful among us, and how “both-sides” coverage and endless online outrage are quietly doing the work of authoritarians for them.
We talk about why democracy is not a thing you have but something you do, why facts are a form of protection for the least powerful among us, and how “both-sides” coverage and endless online outrage are quietly doing the work of authoritarians for them.
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