Democratic backsliding in Washington is damaging the international rules and alliances that underpin Europe’s security, while increasing the risk of conflict worldwide, per a new report out Tuesday. The weakening of checks and norms in the United States is putting pressure on the alliances and international rules the rest of the world relies on, while also giving governments cues to attack institutions at home, according to a new report from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Comparing 2025 with 2020, IDEA recorded seven statistically significant declines in U.S. democratic performance, including judicial independence, access to justice, the effectiveness of parliament, press freedom and freedom of expression.
Nearly half of the 30 indicators it uses to measure American democracy have fallen to their lowest levels since 1975. The erosion is unfolding against a deeply polarized backdrop. A July Lowy Institute analysis described U.S. politics as increasingly tribal, with rival camps that see each other as threatening and excuse anti-democratic behavior when it suits them.
President Donald Trump quickly amassed power in the executive branch in 2025 and that the consequences were “far-reaching, undermining the rule of law domestically and internationally and testing long-standing alliances and multilateral cooperation.” That assessment also has a concrete policy backdrop. A February 2025 executive order directed officials carrying out U.S. foreign policy to act under the president’s authority and warned that failure to implement his policy could lead to professional discipline. Casas-Zamora elaborated that the spillover was evident in the way governments justify attacks on democratic institutions and civil society.
We see it in very concrete cases,” he said. The U.S. decline forms part of a broader democratic recession. In 2025, 98 of 173 countries — 57 percent — declined in at least one democratic factor over five years according to the report, while only 55 improved.
It was the 11th consecutive year in which more countries saw their democratic performance deteriorate than advance. The U.S. is not an isolated case, but its size and influence make its decline especially consequential. IDEA’s central warning is that democratic erosion is also a security problem.
The world recorded 65 violent conflicts in 2025, the highest number since 1946, including a record eight conflicts between countries. The report says hybrid political systems, where democratic procedures exist but political competition and enforceable rights are weak, have been involved in conflict more often than either fully authoritarian systems or well-functioning democracies. Casas-Zamora pointed to Russia as a tangible example.
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