DEMOCRACY'S DARKEST HOUR: IN DEFENCE OF THE OPEN SOCIETY (DEMOKRATINS ÖDESTUND: TILL FÖRSVAR FÖR DET ÖPPNA SAMHÄLLET)

Much of what Åsa Wikforss warned about in her earlier books has now come to pass. In Democracy’s Darkest Hour, her characteristic analytical clarity is matched by an ever more palpable sense of urgency. The result is a powerful, and ultimately hopeful, defense of the open society.

For the first time in more than two decades, there are now more autocracies in the world than democracies. This is a development that has taken place through the ballot box, as elected leaders have dismantled democracy from within. Most people want to live in a democracy, yet open societies seem to struggle to protect themselves against authoritarian forces. Why is democracy so vulnerable? And what can we do to strengthen its resilience?

In Democracy’s Darkest Hour: In Defence of the Open Society, philosopher and Swedish Academy member Åsa Wikforss, together with Mårten Wikforss, draws on the latest research to examine the forces driving global democratic decline, from populism and the deceptive methods of propaganda to the corrosive logic of digital platforms and the unchecked spread of disinformation.

At the same time, the book offers concrete proposals for how the tide might be turned. Despite the seriousness of the situation, its message is ultimately hopeful: the future of democracy is not predetermined. How it unfolds depends on the choices we make.

Mårten Wikforss is an independent communications advisor with many years of experience in the industry. He trained as a journalist at Columbia University in New York and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History.

320 pages

Rights

Sweden: Fri Tanke

REVIEWS

“A glowing defence of the open society.”
Göran Greider, Dagens Nyheter / SWE