February 4, 2026—Democracy is in retreat around the world, driven in large part by a “downward spiral” in the United States, according to the 2026 report by the Human Rights Watch, a nonprofit organization based in New York City.
“Under relentless pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, and persistently undermined by China and Russia, the rules-based international order is being crushed, threatening to take with it the architecture human rights defenders have come to rely on to advance norms and protect freedoms,” Philippe Bolopion, HRW executive director.
Democratic Retreat
While once viewed as a champion of democratic freedoms, the United States now leads the world in the opposite direction.
“In short order, Trump’s second-term administration has undermined trust in the sanctity of elections, reduced government accountability, gutted food assistance and healthcare subsidies, attacked judicial independence, defied court orders, rolled back women’s rights, obstructed access to abortion care, undermined remedies for racial harm, terminated programs mandating accessibility for people with disabilities, punished free speech, stripped protections from trans and intersex people, eroded privacy, and used government power to intimidate political opponents, the media, law firms, universities, civil society, and even comedians,” Bolopion said in the report’s introduction.
Bolopion said that although the democratic retreat started before Trump’s second term, it reached a tipping point in 2025.
Impacts Around the World
The 539-page report covers every region, 97 countries, and the African Union. It carries greater weight this year because the U.S. State Department no longer publishes annual human rights reports.
It explores governmental crackdowns on dissent and peaceful expression in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, the UAE, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. From the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia to defeat peaceful dissent to transnational targeting of human rights defenders by Cambodia, the UAE, and China and Hong Kong.
It covers threats against journalists, restrictions on free expression, denials of due process, and reversals of diversity programs. It addresses issues calling for corporate accountability, such as toxic lead waste from mining in Zambia. Moreover, it discusses a trend of transnational repression of human rights advocates. Areas of special attention include Sudan, where mass atrocities continue, Ukraine, which experienced the “deadliest year” on record, and Israel, whose military “committed acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.”
In Latin America, democratic rights are increasingly squashed. Leaders “use Trump’s rhetoric as cover” to commit human rights abuses, Juan Pappier, HRW’s deputy Americas director, said at the press conference. He added that in Venezuela, Trump has consolidated the authoritarian situation to claim the country’s natural resources for American corporate power.
Rules-Based International Order Dismantled
The rules-based order is “being crushed,” according to the HRW report. It cites the recent comment by Trump that he doesn’t “need international law.” Moreover, it notes Trump’s withdrawal from 66 international organizations and his suspension of foreign aid.
Although the world is divided by competition, the superpowers are aligned in terms of asserting autocratic power,
Multilateral institutions, such as the International Criminal Court and the United Nation’s Responsibility to Protect framework against genocide, are now “under siege.”
The longstanding rules-based order, which the United States was instrumental in establishing after World War II. Today, autocratic authorities rule over 72 percent of the world’s population, indicating a weakening of democratic rule on par with 1985 levels.
China and Russia Stand to Gain
In China and Russia, countries that have “long pursued an illiberal agenda” have considerable economic, military, and diplomatic power.
“They stand much to gain from a US government that now expresses open hostility to universal rights,” Bolopion said.
China and Russia coordinate with Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, and Venezuela to undermine human rights while “promoting a regressive international agenda,” HRW said.
A Call to Middle Powers
In their press conference today, HRW representatives echoed a call by Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney for middle countries to form strategic alliances. They added the alliances should be based around the values of democracy and human rights. The bottom line is, when democracy decreases, it affects the rights of everyone.
“Democratic ideals are crucial to represent the will of the people and keep power in check. Whenever democracy is undermined, rights are too,” Bolopion said.
