The Attack on Democracy and on Civil Liberties (2922)

According to Freedom House (2023) global freedom has been declining for the last 17 years. Joining Host Jim Falk to talk about the increase in attacks on democratic institutions and civil liberties in countries that were once considered established democracies is:

Moíses Naím, Ph.D., Former Minister of Trade and Industry for Venezuela, who is considered one of the foremost thinkers on how leaders or in this case, dictators and authoritarians, gather and exercise power. He is currently a distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. A syndicated columnist and a prolific author, his latest book is The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century.

George Orwell said, “We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it,” yet why do some who gain power use that power for good, and some for their own personal means at the expense of the people they govern?

As Freedom House and Dr. Naim remind us, “Freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people.”

Dr. Naím discusses the rise in autocracy and that freedom and democracy are to be treasured and protected. The liberties that we take for granted today can be slowly and deliberately diluted if as citizens we are not engaged and vigilant.

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