Can a democratic transition be reversed? The lesson of Central Europe since 2008 is a clear and depressing “yes”. The backsliding ranges from the deliberate and systematic demolition of independent institutions and political pluralism in Hungary, to the aggressive actions of Law and Justice in its first weeks in power in Poland, to the soft decay of Slovakia’s institutions and the “Berlusconisation” of the Czech Republic. Any of these approaches can be a blueprint for politicians in Central Europe, or indeed Western Europe, who aspire to secure full control over their states by transforming and degrading their democratic institutions. If …read more
Source: Legatum Institute
