The Worlwide Authoritarian Wave and Extremism during the COVID-19 Pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14422/cir.i22.y2021.004Keywords:
authoritarism, extremism, nationalism, COVID-19, governance, national securityAbstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic has had economic, political and social impact worlwide. However, the current health crisis has brought with it another pandemic: a growing wave of authoritarianism and extremism in many societies. Factors such as economic, humanitarian or socio-political crises have triggered polarization and social unrest, while political movements have taken advantage of these crises to come to power or advance their political agendas. The health crisis only exacerbated the already existing authoritarian tendencies meanwhile extremist groups have taken advantage of the online activity and connectivity of confined people to attract more followers and take violent action through social media. If the expansion of the power and autonomy of nation-states grows during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with limited checks and balances, there are risks of lasting effects on the privacy, security and democracy of all countries.
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