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Democracy rests on a delicate balance. It’s about giving voters choices, in the hope that they won’t opt for political forces that run counter to freedom, social justice and rights. The secret lies in the establishment of institutions, practices and social norms conducive to equality and pluralism.

Over the past twenty years, there has been no shortage of examples of democracies deteriorating and moving towards authoritarianism. We can even speak of a worldwide retreat from democracy. This backsliding more often concerns recent and less secure democracies, such as Hungary, Venezuela or Turkey, but it also affects established democracies.

The new American president-elect, for example, makes no secret of his preference for authoritarian regimes. Like the dictators and autocrats he admires, Donald Trump wants elections he never loses, a lawless presidency, a judiciary and civil service subservient to the executive branch, and a police and military ready to suppress any opposition. And he’s going to use any tools he can find to move in that direction.

A slim majority of Americans voted in favor of this authoritarian shift, which also brings with it setbacks for the rights of women and minorities, the dismantling of measures to promote the energy........

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