Dismantling Democracy: The Forces and Figures Driving Global Autocracy

September 15, 2026

Podcast Host: Nick Van Zandt, Founder and Executive Director, Unruled Masses

Podcast Guest: Deanna Wilken, Founder and President, Human Rights Research Center

In observance of International Day of Democracy, Human Rights Research Center and Unruled Masses team up for a special podcast episode unpacking global democratic backsliding, systemic human rights rollbacks, and the fight to take democracy back.

[Image credit: Beth Fitzpatrick via Pexels]

Summary

Global democracy has officially regressed to 1978 levels, leaving nearly three-quarters of the world's population under authoritarian rule. Even more alarming, the United States has experienced its fastest single-year democratic drop on record, stripping away decades of institutional checks, foreign aid, and fundamental human rights protections almost overnight.

In this powerful episode, Unruled Masses Executive Director Nick Van Zandt and Human Rights Research Center Founder Deanna Wilken go far beyond the headline news to expose the actual machinery driving this shift. They pull back the curtain on:

• The $14 Billion Defunding Fallout: Discover how massive cuts to global democracy and health programs are impacting millions of lives, and what it means for the future of human rights.

• The Global Blueprint: Think tanks, litigation networks, and coordinated campaigns are exporting autocratic strategies across four continents.

• The Target on Vulnerable Communities: Scapegoating, mass surveillance, and language manipulation are actively used to consolidate executive power.

• The 3.5% Rule for Action: Research shows most authoritarian episodes are reversible. Learn the proven historical recipe for forcing a democratic U-turn.

  
  

This isn't just a breakdown of how autocracies are built; it's a practical roadmap for civil resistance, public engagement, and systemic accountability.

Ready to get off the sidelines? Tune in to the full episode of Unruled Voices to equip yourself with the facts, understand the strategy, and learn how everyday people can take democracy back.

Click to Access the Special Episode

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Glossary

• Authoritarian: Favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.

• Autocracy: A system of government in which absolute power and authority over a state are concentrated in the hands of a single person.

• Benefactor: A person or organization that confers a benefit, gives financial aid, or makes a gift to help another person or cause.

• Blueprint: A detailed architectural or technical photographic print, or figuratively, a detailed guide or plan of action.

• Bribe: Money or another favor promised or given to influence the judgment, conduct, or official duties of a person in a position of trust.

• Christian Nationalism: An ideology seeking to merge legal, cultural, and political aspects of Christian religion with a nation's legal character and governance.

• Civic Group: An association of individuals that operates within a local community or nation to foster civic engagement, social action, or public service.

• Constraints: Limitations, restrictions, or checking forces that control, limit, or compel a specific state, action, or motion.

• Converging: Moving toward a common point or coming together to unite around a common interest, focus, or goal.

• Cultural Genocide: The systematic destruction or eradication of the language, traditions, values, religious symbols, or cultural artifacts of a specific group or population.

• DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion): A framework and set of practices intended to ensure fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups historically underrepresented or subject to discrimination.

• Democratic Backsliding: The state-led weakening or gradual decline of democratic institutions, civil rights, fair elections, and the rule of law within a democratic nation.

• DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency): An advisory initiative announced in late 2024 aimed at cutting federal government spending, reducing regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. Source: Associated Press

• Dred Scott: A pivotal 1857 U.S. Supreme Court case (Dred Scott v. Sandford) that ruled enslaved African Americans were not U.S. citizens and that Congress had no constitutional power to prohibit slavery in federal territories.

• Dystopian: Relating to an imagined or real society characterized by human misery, oppression, environmental ruin, or authoritarian government control.

• Electoral Integrity: The adherence to international standards and legal rules that ensure elections are free, fair, transparent, and democratic throughout the entire voting process.

• Executive Branch: The branch of government responsible for executing, enforcing, and administering laws passed by the legislature.

• Extremism: The advocacy of radical measures or holding extreme political or religious views, often outside mainstream societal norms.

• Fascism: A far-right, authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

• Flock Camera: Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras produced by Flock Safety that capture vehicle details and plate numbers to assist law enforcement agencies in monitoring traffic and solving crimes.

• Foreign Agent Law: Legislation requiring individuals or organizations receiving foreign funds or acting under foreign control to register with the government, disclose activities, and publish financial disclosures.

• Fourteenth Amendment (U.S. Constitution): A constitutional amendment ratified in 1868 granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., guaranteeing due process, and extending equal protection of the laws to all citizens.

• Freedom of Expression: The fundamental human right to express opinions and ideas freely through speech, writing, art, and other media without government censorship or retaliation.

• Genocide: Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.

• Ideology: a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones.

• Immigrant: A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.

• Laundering: The illegal process of concealing the origins of money obtained illegally, typically by transferring it through complex bank transfers or commercial transactions.

• Litigate: To take a claim or dispute to a law court to be settled through formal legal proceedings.

• Lobby: To seek to influence a politician, official, or public authority on an issue or piece of legislation.

• Louisiana vs. Callais: A U.S. Supreme Court case regarding redistricting in Louisiana and whether the creation of a second majority-Black congressional district violates the Equal Protection Clause under the U.S. Constitution.

• Oligarchy: A form of government or structure where power is effectively held by a small, elite group of people distinguished by nobility, wealth, family ties, or military control.

• Pendulum: Literally, a weight hung from a fixed point so that it can swing freely backward and forward; figuratively, a situation or trend that continually shifts between two opposing extremes.

• Ploy: A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's own advantage or to outwit an opponent.

• Project 2025: A conservative political initiative organized by the Heritage Foundation outlining policy proposals and strategic personnel transitions for a future Republican presidential administration.

• Rally: A mass gathering of people organized to show support for or protest against a political idea, party, cause, or public figure.

• Scapegoat: A person or group made to bear the blame, guilt, or punishment for others or for broader systemic problems.

• Shelby County vs. Holder: A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case that invalidated Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, removing the coverage formula used to require certain jurisdictions to obtain federal preclearance before changing voting laws.

• Silo: Literally, an airtight tower used to store grain; figuratively, an isolated system, department, or operational mind-set that operates in isolation from others.

• Status quo: The existing state of affairs, particularly regarding social, legal, or political conditions.

• Strongman: An authoritarian political leader who governs through force, military backing, coercive control, or strong-arm political tactics.

• Suffrage: The legal right or privilege to vote in political elections.

• Sustainability: The practice and capacity of meeting present societal needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

• Think Tank: An organization or institute that performs research, policy analysis, and advocacy on public policy, technology, social issues, or military strategy.

• Transactional Corporation: A commercial corporate entity that focuses primarily on immediate, deal-by-deal exchanges, short-term financial gains, and practical business transactions over long-term structural or ideological commitments.

• Transgender: Denoting or relating to a person whose gender identity does not correspond with the sex assigned to them at birth.

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A milestone document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 that outlines fundamental human rights that are to be universally protected.

• Voting Rights Act: A landmark 1965 U.S. federal law designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting practices.

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References

1. America Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "Project 2025, Explained". https://www.aclu.org/project-2025-explained

2. Bummel, Andreas. Democracy Without Borders. "V-Dem report finds global democracy is back at 1978 levels". https://www.democracywithoutborders.org/41651/v-dem-report-finds-global-democracy-is-back-at-1978-levels/

3. Carothers, Thomas. Carnegie Endowment. "The Effects of U.S. Democratic Backsliding on U.S. Power". https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/06/the-effects-of-us-democratic-backsliding-on-us-power

4. Casey, Maura. Charles F. Kettering Foundation. "Project 2025: The Blueprint for Christian Nationalist Regime Change". https://kettering.org/project-2025-the-blueprint-for-christian-nationalist-regime-change/

5. Global Democracy Coalition. "When Aid Fades: Impacts and Pathways for the Global Democracy Ecosystem". https://globaldemocracycoalition.org/when-aid-fades-impacts-and-pathways-for-the-global-democracy-ecosystem/

6. Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. "From America with Hate: The Alliance Defending Freedom's Role in Advancing Anti-LGBTQ+ and Anti-Woman Agendas in Eastern Europe". https://globalextremism.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ADFI_Report_2021-1.pdf

7. Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. "Project 2025: The Road to Authoritarianism, A Primer". https://globalextremism.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GAPHE-P25-Fact-Sheet.pdf

8. Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. "Project 2025 Goes Global: The American Export of Authoritarianism and Christian Nationalism Worldwide". https://globalextremism.org/reports/project-2025-goes-global/

9. Grossmann, Matthew. Niskanen Center. "Are the Courts contributing to democratic backsliding?" https://www.niskanencenter.org/are-the-courts-contributing-to-democratic-backsliding/

10. News Media Coalition. "Press Freedom Under Pressure: Global Downturn and the Cost of Journalism". https://www.newsmediacoalition.org/press-freedom-under-pressure-global-downturn-and-the-cost-of-journalism/

11. Root, Rebecca. International Bar Association. "Dismantling of USAID and foreign funding freeze jeopardises rule of law and human rights globally". https://www.ibanet.org/Human-Rights-News-Apr-May-2025

12. V-Dem Institute. "Democracy Report 2026: Unraveling The Democratic Era?". https://www.v-dem.net/documents/75/V-Dem_Institute_Democracy_Report_2026_lowres.pdf