The Troubled Democratisation of Russia and the Resilience of Authoritarianism in Iran and China

Synopsis

The Freedom House Report of 2009, along with other sources provide sufficient information to academically suggest that the third wave of democratization that has been washing over the globe since the 1970s has indeed been receding since the turn of the 21st century.

Introduction

The states of Iran, China and Russia support the statement that democracy has lost its appeal at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, albeit to varying degrees. A retreat of democracy represents the retreat of countries with governing bodies which are elected from a group of political parties by the majority of the citizens to represent their social interest. The political parties must also have the same opportunities of winning, i.e. equal access to media and resources, for campaigning. Democratic systems also tend to be associated with the provision of various freedoms and rights including the freedom of speech and the press and the right to fair trial in the judicial system (Callaghan, 2000 p. 23).

At the other end of the governmental spectrum lie authoritarian systems. Unlike democracy, translated as ‘rule of the people’, a country holding an authoritarian political system is characterized by stern leadership and control by a small elite, with repression of any opposition. Rulers of these systems tend to abuse their powers and often ignore the cries of citizens who generally lack civil liberties (Callaghan, 2000 p. 36). This kind of leadership resides in states like Iran and China, where it seems to have taken deep root, having resisted democratization for so long. The resilience that has occurred may continue to occur not only for reasons associated with authoritarian regimes, but also for reasons unique to Iran and China themselves. Whilst in Russia, a state that claims itself to be democratic, it is evident that there is a struggle in the transition from