De-democratization in Turkey and the Balkans

This seminar will be the second of our discussion series, "Moving Beyond De-Democratization toward Democratic Resilience" that aims to bring the leading scholars and experts who investigate the decline of democracy at a global and regional scale. Over the last decade, not only the number of liberal democracies has diminished but also the number of democratizing countries has dropped across different regions from the Indo-Pacific to the Eastern Europe. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are also reminded that peace and democracy are closely connected.

We continue to ask the pressing question of how democratic politics can become more resilient and legitimate, and what pro-democracy actors can do to reverse the processes of autocratization that unfolds at various levels. We will explore these questions with a regional focus on May 18th and draw the attention to the regime dynamics observed in Southeastern Europe covering Turkey and the Balkans. What were the mechanisms that invigorated democratic backsliding in the countries of Southeastern Europe? Considering the density of linkages that these countries have had with the European Union (including democracy aid programs and European integration programs), why did democratic backsliding occur? How can democracy be made resilient in this region?

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2/4 'MOVING BEYOND DE-DEMOCRATIZATION TOWARD DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE' SEMINAR SERIES

Throughout 2022, we are holding a series of discussions "Moving Beyond De-Democratization toward Democratic Resilience", inviting scholars and leading experts who investigate this phenomenon and seek answers globally and regionally.

In the last few years, our knowledge of the phenomenon of de-democratization has expanded. Several countries in different regions have experienced and are still experiencing a process called ‘executive degradation’, whereby democratically elected governments transgress their democratic limits and breach the separation of powers in favour of a powerful executive. A considerable amount of research has been conducted on the causes and conditions that lead such processes since 2015 when the Journal of Democracy took “the temperature of democracy” around the world and gave an alarm on the global trend of democratic recession. The Democracy Reports of the V-Dem Institute have underlined a pattern that recession follows in each country. What makes some democracies more resilient compared to others against such new and subtle challenges? How democratic politics can become more legitimate? What the pro-democracy actors can do to reverse this process at global, national and local levels? The aim of the series of public debates will reflect on such issues and questions.