How Global Illiberalism Damages Democracy

Abstract: As global illiberalism rises, democratic actors facing autocratization confront dwindling international support, tougher strategic dilemmas, and steeper costs for defending liberal democracy. Tools once central to democratization—such as Western linkages and international organizations—have weakened or now help to entrench illiberalism. These shifts abroad confound resistance at home: they 1) narrow and politicize international support, 2) create damaging credibility gaps, and 3) fragment democratic coalitions. Amid a deficit of liberal oxygen, historical and contemporary experiences suggest we are entering a bootstrapping era—demanding we shift our focus to how democratic resistance endures under global illiberalism through autonomous, locally anchored initiatives.