Presented via Zoom on April, 10, 2020 by WorldOregon

COVID-19 has already killed thousands of people in Europe, leading to an unprecedented economic crisis and a sudden transformation of our daily lives– both here and abroad - and in the process raised difficult new questions about democracy. COVID-19 response has already led to a modification of civil liberties in open societies globally, as the freedom to assemble and to travel has been curtailed to stop the spread of the virus.

Earlier this week, Hungary’s parliament approved a bill to allow Prime Minister Viktor Orban to rule by decree, effectively circumventing democratic institutions in a European Union member state. Turkey's confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped to more than 13,000 recently, making it the 10th worst affected country in the world, with speculations that President Tayyip Erdogan could use the moment to consolidate power and further limit freedoms. 

Florian Bieber, writing in Foreign Policy, recently noted, “The pandemic may well lead to a serious decline in democracy around the world. It is crucial that liberal democracies show self-restraint and vigilance.” How will leaders either seize this opportunity for power or encourage a nation to collaborate in navigating this crisis? Will authoritarian states emerge stronger from this crisis than democracies?

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