Democracy | Russia’s military actions threaten its neighbors, but the world’s security is also becoming a threat within Western countries, says a democracy expert

Democracy and security expert Laura Thornton is worried that people no longer value the benefits of democracy.

“If only we would care about democracy as much as the Ukrainians”, says Laura Thornton and laughs a little dryly.

He is an American expert on democracy and security topics, who currently works as a director at the Alliance for Securing Democracy project in Washington.

In Finland, Thornton visited the International Democracy Day seminar in mid-September.

Ukraine comes up in Thornton’s interview for an obvious reason. Currently, the country is threatened by the Russian president Vladimir Putinwho, in Thornton’s words, “hates democracy more than anything”.

Immediately afterwards, Thornton states that Ukraine has so far not been a model country for democracy: it has big problems with, among other things, corruption.

“Ukraine’s democratic situation is by no means perfect, but it has proven to be durable.”

Now, endurance is measured every day in battles where Ukraine can be thought to be fighting for all other European countries as well. It is clear that Russia will continue its military actions if it is not stopped in Ukraine, says Thornton.

Russian According to Thornton, the attack on Ukraine proves that democracy, which is taken for granted in many Western countries, is about much more than values. Like safety.

“Authoritarian-led states feel they can do anything, like go and take over other states.”

Of course, there are shameful moments from the perspective of international security in the history of countries that are defined as democracies – for example, Thornton’s home country, the United States.

Still, Thornton believes that international security is in better shape the more genuine democratic states there are in the world. Ones where people get to choose their leaders and where freedom of speech and other human rights are respected.

In his opinion, that in itself is the reason why Western countries that have enjoyed democracy for a long time should support democratization in Africa, Asia and South America, for example.

“I felt sick when I saw Joe Biden doing a fist shake with Mohammad bin Salman in the summer.”

Support inevitably means sending money to organizations promoting democracy operating in the countries. Recently, many countries have rather tried to cut such expenses, which Thornton considers incomprehensible.

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“We spend ridiculously small amounts to support developing countries, but they are still seen as pointless expenses.”

According to him, the problem is that people think primarily of themselves. It is difficult to understand the personal benefit of, for example, Nigeria becoming democratized.

In Thornton’s opinion, it is not useful to criticize people for being self-centered, but those who promote democracy must make people understand why democratization benefits everyone.

Global in addition to safety, one concrete example of the benefit to the common man is energy, which has recently become a huge topic of conversation, says Thornton.

A large part of the world’s natural resources is located in countries controlled by autocrats. So, for example, European countries and the United States have become closer again this year with Saudi Arabiawho was an outcast for years.

Now, Saudi Arabia’s help is needed in the midst of energy and oil shortages, as the countries strive to completely break away from their ties to Russia. Suddenly, Saudi Arabia is the “lesser evil” for Western leaders.

“I felt sick when I saw this Joe Biden doing a fist salute in the summer Mohammad bin Salman with,” says Thornton.

According to Laura Thornton, Western countries must support parties promoting the development of democratization in authoritarian states.

People notice in their electricity bill the problems that result from relying on authoritarian states for energy imports, says Thornton. As long as we depend on them, they can blackmail us.

According to Thorton, it is clear that, first of all, Western countries must develop energy production models that will help them get rid of their dependence. At the same time, it should be aimed at democratizing the countries that provide important natural resources.

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Thornton says that international cooperation cannot only support countries where democratic development is already going in the right direction. It is even more important to support actors promoting democracy in those countries where power is still tightly held by dictators.

That’s why, for example, supporting opposition parties operating in Russia is, according to him, extremely important right now.

Does Thornton believe that Russia could one day develop into a genuine democratic state? The history of the development of democracy in Russia is thin.

“Turning Russia into a democracy may seem like an impossible project, but history has seen before that unexpected countries have turned to democracy. In the 1990s, I lived in Indonesia, which Suharto had ruled as a dictator for decades. In 1998, he had to resign and the democratization process began in the country.”

Then there is one more thing that Thornton is very concerned about: the popularity of democracy is declining in many long-lived democracies. That’s why he hopes that Western countries care about democracy as much as they do in Ukraine.

A good example is the United States. Thornton cites a recent survey showing that about 40 percent of Republican voters would rather have a strong leader who came to power without an election than a weak leader who was elected.

“Weak democracies used to mean new democracies, but that is no longer the case. We are all under threat now,” says Thornton.

There are already countries like Hungary in Europe, which are rapidly returning from democracies to autocracy.

“I believe that this is a momentary setback before development continues in a positive direction.”

As a threat is, according to Thornton, that democratically led states have begun to seem weak and ineffective to many. The achievements of such countries have been enjoyed for so long that they no longer know how to appreciate them. On the other hand, in democratic states, the same issues are discussed year after year.

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At the same time, China in particular has tried to spread internationally the idea of ​​how an efficient and productive country can be a state ruled by a single ruler, where you don’t have to worry about elections but can make decades-long plans for the development of the state.

“It’s a very intoxicating message, and more and more people around the world are starting to believe it,” says Thornton.

According to him, what makes the situation difficult is that it is difficult for those on the side of the democratic administration to respond to efficiency claims. Democracy includes, for example, political debate and sometimes very long processes. It’s understandable that people get tired of them.

At the same time, they should be convinced that drifting into an authoritarian regime is not the right solution, says Thornton. He believes that this is a challenge, especially in countries like the United States – or Finland – where there are no longer fresh memories of what it means to demolish democracy, freedom of speech and human rights.

“When I lived in Georgia, people there had a clear view that they don’t want those days back. Therefore, they strongly supported democratization. I hope we don’t have to learn these things the hard way.”

Although the development is moving in a worrying direction, Thornton does not paint excessive threatening pictures, in which one western country after another is drifting into dictatorship.

He reminds that the development is still primarily positive. There are many more democratic states now than in the 1980s.

“I believe that this is a momentary setback before development continues in a positive direction.”

Thornton, who describes himself as an optimist, is sure that in the end it is human nature to support democracy.

“I mean, no matter where a person is in the world, I believe that in the end they want to decide their own ruler, speak freely and not fear for their safety.”

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