WUNRN
Freedom in the World 2013 - Gender
Direct Link to Full 37-Page Report:
Democratic Breakthroughs in the Balance
The
emergence of popular movements for reform were the driving force behind major
gains in the Middle East last year, according to Freedom in the World 2013, Freedom House's
annual report on the state of global freedom. However, a number of regions
experienced setbacks due to a hardened and increasingly shrewd authoritarian
response to these movements.
While
the number of countries ranked as Free in 2012 was 90, a gain of 3 over the
previous year, 27 countries showed significant declines, compared with 16 that
showed notable gains. This is the seventh consecutive year that Freedom in the World has
shown more declines than gains worldwide. Furthermore, the report data
reflected a stepped-up campaign of persecution by dictators that specifically
targeted civil society organizations and independent media.
Among
the most striking gains for freedom was that of Libya, which advanced from Not
Free to Partly Free and registered one of the most substantial one-year
numerical improvements in the report's nearly 40-year history. Burma and a
number of African countries, including Côte d'ivoire, Guinea, Lesotho, Senegal,
and Sierra Leone, also saw major advances. Noteworthy declines were recorded
for Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The
Middle East showed ambiguous results for the year. In addition to major gains
for Libya, and Tunisia's retention of sharp improvements from 2011, Egypt
experienced relatively modest progress. The country held a flawed but
competitive presidential election and direct military rule came to an end, yet
the elected parliament was dissolved and President Morsi pushed through a new
constitution under deeply problematic circumstances.
Moreover,
the gains for the Arab Spring countries triggered a reaction, sometimes
violent, by authoritarian leaders elsewhere in the Middle East, with resulting
setbacks for freedom in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, and the
United Arab Emirates.
The
report's findings were especially grim for Eurasian countries. Russia took a
decided turn for the worse after Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency.
Having already marginalized the formal political opposition, he enacted a
series of laws meant to squelch a burgeoning societal opposition. The measures
imposed severe new penalties on unauthorized demonstrations, restricted the
ability of civic groups to raise funds and conduct their work, and placed new
controls on the internet.
Citing
an accentuation of repression in a number of critical countries, the report
urges the United States and other democracies to demonstrate leadership in the
struggle for freedom. It criticizes both the Obama administration and the
Republican opposition for a reluctance to provide that leadership.
Key global findings:
The
number of electoral democracies stood at 117, the same as for 2011. Two
countries, Georgia and Libya, achieved electoral democracy status, while two
were dropped from the category, Mali and the Maldives.
Four
countries moved from Partly Free to Free: Lesotho, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and
Tonga. Three countries rose from Not Free to Partly Free: Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt,
and Libya. Mali fell two tiers, from Free to Not Free, and Guinea-Bissau
dropped from Partly Free to Not Free.
Some
notable trends highlighted in the report include increased Muslim-on-Muslim
violence, which reaching horrifying levels in Pakistan and remained a serious
problem in Iraq and elsewhere; a serious decline in civil liberties in Turkey;
and among the Persian Gulf states, a steady and disturbing decline in
democratic institutions and an increase in repressive policies.
Worst of the Worst: Of
the 47 countries designated as Not Free, nine have been given the survey's
lowest possible rating of 7 for both political rights and civil liberties:
Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Two territories, Tibet and Western Sahara, were
also ranked among the worst of the worst.
An
additional 5 countries and 1 territory received scores that were slightly above
those of the worst-ranked countries, with ratings of 6,7 or 7,6 for political
rights and civil liberties: Belarus, Chad, China, Cuba, Laos, and South
Ossetia.
Key
regional findings:
Middle
East and North Africa
In
a region notable for sectarian polarization, civil strife, and repressive
autocracies, freedom scored some grudging but nonetheless impressive gains in
2012. Gains:
Tunisia maintained dramatic improvements from the previous year, and Libya and
Egypt both moved from Not Free to Partly Free. Declines: Syria suffered by far the worst
repercussions from the Arab Spring. Declines were also seen in Bahrain, Iraq,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
Sub-Saharan
Africa
In
recent years, sub-Saharan Africa has ranked as the world's most politically
volatile region, with major democratic breakthroughs in some countries, and
coups, civil strife, and authoritarian crackdowns in others. While the region
saw several significant gains, especially in West Africa, civil conflicts and
the emergence of violent Islamist groups prevented an overall upgrade for
political freedom. Gains:
Three countries moved from Partly Free to Free: Lesotho, Sierra Leone, and
Senegal. Côte d'Ivoire moved from Not Free to Partly Free. Guinea and Malawi
also showed gains. Declines:
Mali suffered one of the greatest single-year declines in the history of Freedom in the World,
dropping precipitously from Free to Not Free, and Guinea-Bissau's status
declined from Partly Free to Not Free. Declines were also seen in the Central
African Republic, The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, South Africa, and
Uganda.
Central
and Eastern Europe/Eurasia
The
return of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency ushered in a new period of
accelerated repression. With Russia setting the tone, Eurasia (consisting of
the countries of the former Soviet Union minus the Baltic states) now rivals
the Middle East as one of the most repressive areas on the globe. Indeed,
Eurasia is in many respects the world's least free subregion, given the
entrenchment of autocrats in most of its 12 countries. Gains: Improvements
were seen in Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia, as well as in the
disputed territories of Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the latter of which
moved from Not Free to Partly Free. Declines:
Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine all had notable declines.
Asia-Pacific
For
years ranked among the world's most repressive regimes, Burma continued to push
ahead with a process of democratic reform that was launched in 2010. While it
remains a Not Free country, it registered improvements that brought it ahead of
China in both its political rights and civil liberties ratings. Gains: Improvements
were seen in Burma, Bhutan, Indian Kashmir, Mongolia, and Tonga. Declines: The most
serious declines in the Asia-Pacific region for 2012 took place in the Maldives
and Sri Lanka.
Americas
As
the year ended, Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez was in a Cuban hospital
attempting to recover from surgery for an undisclosed form of cancer. For over
a decade, Chávez has been a significant figure in regional politics and has
aspired, with less success, to a leading role on the global stage. His
reelection in 2012 was ensured by the massive abuse of state resources. Gains: The region of
the Americas saw no substantial improvements. Declines: Ecuador, Paraguay, and Suriname
suffered notable declines.
Western
Europe and North America
Although
Western Europe and North America continue to grapple with the impact of the
financial crisis and, in Europe, an increase in nationalist sentiment in
response to an influx of immigrants, they have managed to weather these
challenges without a serious weakening of their traditionally high level of
respect for democratic standards and civil liberties. There were no major gains
or declines in this region.