The Global Rise of Autocracy Its Threat to a Sustainable Future

Introduction: Problematizing Rise of Autocracy and Its Consequences for Sustainable Future

Barbara Wejnert

Part 1: The State of Democracy and Rise of Autocracy  

1. What Distinguishes “Successful” Democratic Backsliders from Thwarted Ones? 

Barbara Geddes

2. Democracy Regression and Autocracy Diffusion: A Conceptual Framework

Barbara Wejnert

3. Democracy, Autocracy, War, and Social Movements:  The Russo-Ukrainian War, Recurrent Processes, and the Many Challenges of Our Own Moment

John Markoff

4. The Past and Future of Restricted Democracy in the United States

Samuel Cohn

Part 2: Backsliding Democracy and Rise of Authoritarianism: Challenges to Social and Environmental Sustainability

5. Green Authoritarianism and the Populist Revolt: The Challenge of Embracing Sustainability Without Succumbing to Techno-Authoritarianism

Majia Nadesan

6. Networks of Climate Change Skeptics and Far-Right Narratives in Europe

Alexander Ruser

7. Inclusive Development, Sustainability, and Democracy: Illusive Goals in the Context of Neo-Liberalism, Populism and Resurgent Authoritarian Tendencies in Sri Lanka

Siri Hettige

8. The Church in Ukraine: A Century-Long Movement “Away from Moscow”

Natalia Shlikhta

9. The Intersection of Climate Change, Gender Equality, and Legal Framework: Analyzing the Impact of Environmental Policies on Women’s Rights and Opportunities in Sri Lanka’s Fragile Democracy

Jeeva Niriella (Muthukuda Arachchige Dona Shiroma Jeeva Shirajanie)

Part 3: Retrospectively Looking Forward to the Future

10. Coping with the Climate War and Resurgent Authoritarianism: A View from Taiwan

Paul Jobin

11. Democratic Resilience: Ukrainian Alternative to Militant Authoritarianism

Olga Kutsenko

12. Understanding Russian Reality and Attitude toward Ukrainian war through the Lens of Ukrainian and Russian Media

Elzbieta Sawa-Czajka

13. Democratic Backsliding in Federal States

James A. Gardner

14. Democracy and Autocracy's Impact on Countries' Sustainability: The Tragedy of the Commons Revisited

Barbara Wejnert

Biography

Barbara Wejnert is Professor in the Department of Environment and Sustainability and an affiliated faculty member at the Jaeckel Center for Law, Democracy, and Governing at the University at Buffalo, USA.

"This rich and wide-ranging collection of essays addresses one of the critical issues of our time: the rise in autocracies across the globe and its implications for the sustainability of democracy, environmental protection, and human rights. The collection makes clear the urgent need for international collaboration to counter the growing threat posed by autocracies and associated tendencies."

Richard Caplan, Oxford University, UK

“We live in an age of anxiety, with fears growing that free societies are under attack from authoritarians within and beyond their frontiers. This book, with its wide ranging and well-researched contributions, looks at the interaction between the functioning of democracy and the difficulties facing decision-makers trying to meet commitments undertaken to ensure a sustainable future for us all. This original approach extends the consideration of threats to democracy to wider, equally urgent concerns about our common future. These deserve the attention of citizens, policy makers and analysts.”

Geoffrey Harris, European Parliament official 1976–2016

"The world is currently grappling with two major crises: climate change, which poses a severe threat to global sustainability, and the rise of autocratic regimes in formerly democratic countries, which undermines global governance. Although these issues might appear unrelated, this essential reading for students of political science, public policy, and climate change persuasively argues that democratic backsliding significantly threatens environmental sustainability. For those committed to combating rising temperatures and saving the planet, ensuring the strength and resilience of democracies worldwide may be a crucial first step."

Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz, University of Maryland College Park, USA