Authors: Soheila Comninos and Scott Warren*
The United States’ retreat from its historic role as a global democracy champion, accompanied by sweeping cuts to foreign assistance by Western governments, has triggered a moment of reckoning for democracy efforts worldwide. But the crisis runs deeper than shrinking budgets. As Freedom House’s latest Freedom in the World report highlights, we are in the 19th consecutive year of global democratic decline, with backsliding taking hold even in long-standing democracies. Amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, this is a turning point for the entire democracy support field: for the institutions, funders, and governments that have long sought to advance democratic governance globally.
These shifts expose a larger truth: Western-led democracy promotion efforts have failed to stem the global authoritarian tide. In this moment of crisis lies an opportunity, and perhaps an obligation, to rethink the model. It’s time to shift power and resources to Global Majority-led and bottom-up pro-democracy efforts. Despite decades of investments, the traditional democracy promotion model – driven largely by institutions and experts from the Global North – has fallen short of its promises. One key reason is the credibility gap created by foreign policy double standards: promoting democracy rhetorically while backing authoritarian-leaning allies like India or Saudi Arabia when it serves national interests. At the same time, growing economic inequality – exacerbated by the uneven impacts of globalization – has made it harder to make the case that democracy leads to better outcomes than autocratic alternatives.
In an effort to explore solutions, the SNF Agora Institute spoke with more than 40 democracy practitioners, movement leaders, scholars, and funders from around the world. We asked why the pro-democracy community failed to stop democratic backsliding and what can be done to change course.
The insights were sobering. Democracy assistance is often seen as top-down, technocratic, and disconnected from local leadership and realities. Meanwhile, grassroots actors and community-based efforts – those best positioned to lead democratic change – are frequently sidelined and under-resourced. There are too few sustained spaces for actors from the Global Majority to come together to build collective power, sharpen strategies, and lead global democracy agendas. A deeper challenge lies in the lack of shared understanding about why democracy matters in people’s daily lives. Unless the work addresses core concerns like inequality, insecurity, and exclusion, pro-democracy efforts will continue to struggle to earn public trust and mobilize broader support.
Our new report distills these insights and takes a first step toward reimagining global democracy support. We do not wish to offer a prescriptive blueprint, but instead challenge practitioners, funders, and policymakers to reorient strategies and prioritize Global Majority and grassroots leadership – especially from countries with the most direct experience resisting authoritarianism and defending democratic values.
Toward a New Vision
Rebuilding trust in democracy and reimagining international cooperation on democracy emerged as two core priorities. Achieving these goals requires bold, structural changes, including:
Letting the Global Majority Lead: For too long, democracy support has been shaped by Western priorities. But democracy cannot take root and thrive unless it reflects the aspirations and experiences of the majority of the world’s population, from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Leaders from these regions bring the legitimacy, ownership, and deep understanding needed to build more inclusive, relevant, and effective approaches. It’s time to move beyond token partnerships and elevate Global Majority actors as the architects and drivers of global democracy efforts.
Building Unified, Cross-Sectoral Alliances: The struggle for democracy can no longer be confined to a professionalized elite, siloed by issue areas – whether gender, race, climate, or labor –, or fractured along ideological lines. Building lasting power depends on forging broad, cross-cutting coalitions that bring together civil society, grassroots movements, political networks, diasporas, academics, artists, and others. These diverse alliances are more representative and better positioned to mobilize public support, connect democratic values to everyday concerns, and drive lasting change.
What’s needed isn’t more organizations or silver-bullet solutions, but greater coherence and collaboration. The people and ideas are out there; what’s missing is the connective tissue. Cross-regional learning, peer support networks, and shared infrastructure can help weave together a more unified and resilient democracy ecosystem, led by and accountable to those on the frontlines of democratic struggle.
Investing in Resonant Narratives: We must broaden the conversation about democracy beyond just institutional reforms and elections, ensuring that we engage audiences outside of our own circles. It must connect with people’s daily concerns and their sense of dignity, justice, and agency. That means investing in locally driven narrative strategies that not only speak to lived realities like jobs, security, and opportunity, but also reclaim values co-opted by authoritarians and articulate a hopeful vision of democratic life.
A Call for Transformation
These ideas are not new, but the democracy sector has been slow to act on them, despite their growing urgency. As authoritarian forces double down on repression and cross-border coordination, the pro-democracy community must build a decentralized, unified approach to democratic renewal.
We invite donors, policymakers, and practitioners to engage with this emerging theory of change. Challenge its assumptions, build on it, and most importantly, act on it. Because the stakes are too high to stay the course.
* Scott Warren, Fellow at SNF Agora Institute, John Hopkins University.
