In 1989, Francis Fukuyama declared that democracy would eventually emerge as the universal form of human government. The intervening years have given ample ammunition to those who disagree. Indeed, the inexorable rise of China has led some to dismiss democracy’s messy compromises in favour of authoritarian efficiency. People are prepared to sacrifice their freedoms, the argument runs, as long as the system under which they live can deliver economic growth.
The tumultuous events of 2011 have undermined this idea. Across the Arab world – a region once held to be indifferent to the attractions of democracy – long-oppressed peoples have risked everything to free themselves from the grasp of authoritarian regimes. In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Ye-men, brutal tyrants were triumphantly toppled. And although Bas-har al-Assad has so far clung on in Syria, his grip on the country has been weakened by months of protests.
Of course, the optimism should not be overplayed. The North African revolutions have not yet spawned fully-fledged democracies. Tunisia may have elected its first parliament, but the ongoing elections in Egypt have been marred by renewed clashes between the military and demonstrators, and free polls in Libya remain some way off. Beyond the Middle East, meanwhile, many autocracies survived the year intact.