OPINION — Based on my numerous assignments abroad, my work for the late Director of Central Intelligence William Casey as his Special Assistant and subsequent work as a negotiator with North Korea, I have concluded that authoritarianism is on the move and democracy is under siege. We have to do a better job of talking about our values and the need to respect the national sovereignty of all countries
The examples are all around us.
Iran
The 1979 revolution was a bloody overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty that led to the imprisonment of over 50 American hostages from the U.S. Embassy. The Iranian people had struggled for a democracy, but what they tragically got is an oppressive theocracy that persists today, with the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, retaining absolute power. The Green Movement of 2009 was a spontaneous cry for democratization in Iran, that was brutally suppressed by the state’s security forces. The 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini by Iran’s morality police, for the improper wearing of her head scarf, resulted in thousands of protesters demanding greater freedoms – “women, life, freedom” from an oppressive regime. The theocracy in Iran persists, and while it has been weakened in the past year, it continues to destabilize the region by supporting proxies including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, all of which are terrorist groups aiming to destroy Israel.
Hong Kong
On July 1, 1997, control over Hong Kong reverted to China from the United Kingdom, under the principle of “one country, two systems.” Hong Kong was to remain autonomous until 2049, governed by its constitution, the Basic Law, which ensured an independent judiciary, multiple political parties, and freedoms of assembly and speech. In 2020, China imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong, criminalizing any act of secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. Since then, hundreds of protesters and opposition lawmakers have been arrested, stifling free speech and assembly. Pro-democracy protests have literally ended since the imposition of the National Security Law.
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Myanmar (Burma)
Myanmar’s military conducted a coup d’etat in February 2021, removing and imprisoning members of the democratically elected members of the ruling party, the National League for Democracy. To date, thousands of protesters have been killed, with thousands arrested and close to one million displaced by the military junta, headed by General Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s armed forces, the Tatmadaw. Protests and opposition from various ethnic groups in Myanmar continues, with no indication that the junta will relinquish power.
Russia
In 1979, the Soviet Union, pursuant to the Brezhnev Doctrine, was on the march in Vietnam, Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Yemen, Libya, Czechoslovakia, Nicaragua, Grenada and then Afghanistan. National Security Decision Directive 75 said the U.S. should not coexist with the Soviet Union but change it fundamentally. President Ronald Reagan came into office in 1981 and was determined, with the help of DCI Casey and others, to defeat the Soviet Union in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan. In November 1986, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev decided to withdraw all Soviet combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 1988. He also introduced Perestroika (economic reform) and Glasnost (political and social openness). Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union in December 1991, succeeded by Boris Yeltsin. In 1999, Vladimir Putin replaced Yeltsin. To date, Mr. Putin has held on to power, eliminating all opposition, while invading Georgia in 2008 and taking Crimea in 2014 and now in 2025, into its third year of its war of aggression in Ukraine.
North Korea
The Kim family has ruled North Korea since the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. The current leader, Kim Jong Un, succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2010 and he continues to rule North Korea with an Iron hand. In 2024, North Korea amended its constitution to make the U.S. and South Korea its formal principal enemies, eschewing peaceful reunification with South Korea. The same year, North Korea signed a mutual defense treaty with Russia obligating each to defend the other in times of conflict. North Korea, a country with biting sanctions and significant malnutrition among its population, is supplying Russia with artillery shells, ballistic missiles, and combat troops for the war in Ukraine. North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is growing exponentially, with sophisticated short, medium and long-range ballistic missiles. The Hwasong/19 is a road mobile, solid fuel ballistic missile capable of targeting the whole of the U.S.
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China
When Deng Xiaoping took over in December 1979, he inherited a poor and ravaged country. Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward caused millions of deaths from starvation, and the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) devastated the country. Mr. Deng’s vision of market-oriented reforms and opening to the outside world for investment, technology and trade met with opposition with from some conservates in leadership positions, but Mr. Deng persisted, encouraging foreign investment in China – primarily from the U.S. – while encouraging Chinese students to study in the U.S.
Chinese Communist Party Secretary General Zhao Ziyang and his predecessor, Hu Yaobang, advocated parliamentary democracy, with the rule of law. Premier Wen Jiabao and Zhu Rongji advocated for democratization through free and fair elections, beginning with village elections in China. In 2013. Xi Jinping replaced Hu Jintao and ushered in a period of assertive leadership, stoking nationalism from a century of humiliation in the 19th century. Mr. Xi Jinping launched a significant military modernization campaign and did not recognize the ruling from the United Nations Tribunal Court, asserting sovereignty over the South and East China Seas, and indicating a potential use of force against Taiwan. Mr. Xi aims for China to become the leading global power by 2049, marking the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. At the 10th Party Congress, Mr. Xi secured a third term at the Tenth Party Congress, despite the customary two-term limit, ensuring his continued presidency for an extended period.
South Korea
In December 1987, the citizens of South Korea held demonstrations advocating for democratization during the period of military rule under General Roh Tae-woo. The people prevailed and President Kim Young-Sam was elected. Subsequently, South Korea thrived as a liberal democracy, achieving the status of having the world’s tenth largest GDP. Currently, South Korea’s democratically elected president, Yoon Suk Yool, declared Marshall Law on December 3, 2024, and on December 14 was impeached by the National Assembly. Apparently, Mr. Yoon wanted total control and wanted to silence the opposition – the Democratic Party – in the National Assembly. The Constitutional Court will render its decision within the next few weeks if Mr. Yoon should be removed from office.
Conclusion
These are just a few personal reflection on autocrats who have assumed or tried to assume total control of countries and territories, despite the wishes of the people. We are competing with these autocracies to prove that democracy and the rule of law is far superior to autocracies and the rule of man.
This column by Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joseph DeTrani was first published in The Washington Times
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