Former President Barack Obama recently warned of a “rising wave of authoritarianism sweeping the globe,” even in nations once considered immune to democratic erosion. Speaking with democracy activists from Hungary and Poland in London, Obama offered a clear, yet veiled, rebuke of President Donald Trump’s second term and the state of global politics.
Weaponizing the Systems of Democracy
Obama did not mention his successor by name, but his critique echoed the concerns of President Trump’s critics. He stated, “We’re seeing politicians target civil society, undermine freedom of the press, weaponize the justice system,” adding that “Even countries that thought they were immune from wholesale assaults on democracy now understand that we’re all part of one struggle.” The former President has been outspoken about his concerns throughout the year, citing actions like President Trump’s attempts to deploy military assets to Democratic-led cities and his repeated calls for indictments against political rivals.
The conversation included panelists who were alumni of the Obama Foundation’s young leaders program, including Sándor Léderer (an anti-corruption watchdog founder in Hungary) and Zuzanna Rudzinska-Bluszcz (former Deputy Justice Minister for Poland). Obama’s comments also served as a clear critique of leaders like Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a champion of “illiberal democracy” whom President Trump has praised as a “very great leader” and an inspiration for his government’s playbook.
Unresponsive Bureaucracies Fuel Populism
Acknowledging that populist anger did not emerge in a vacuum, the former President admitted that sclerotic bureaucracies and unresponsive centrist politicians have contributed significantly to the global wave of populism. He argued that when governments, regardless of their center-right or center-left alignment, lose touch with voters and fail to deliver on basic hopes, they create frustration. “That obviously then opens the door for right-wing populism, anti-immigrant sentiment, anger, grievances,” he said.
Obama linked this frustration to complex modern economies and wealth gaps that leave people feeling “as if they don’t have control” over global forces. He also cited social media as being “very good at making people fearful of or angry about those who don’t agree with them.” He argued that authoritarians succeed “just by breaking things” rather than building new structures necessary to solve complex problems like health care or education, suggesting their goal is to “tear things down, remove constraints on their actions, and empower themselves in a small group.”
The former President offered a path forward that focuses on improving government effectiveness while remaining within legal bounds. “In the United States, for example, there will need to be laws that are changed so that action can be taken more effectively, more quickly to respond to problems in a lawful way,” Obama said. He stressed the danger of frustration, observing, “when people are frustrated, they’re willing to take any action, even if it’s unlawful, because at least there’s a sense of, something’s happening.” He concluded that all politicians must internalize this truth.
What The Author Thinks
The Trump administration’s politically driven decision to implement “Reductions in Force” during a government shutdown is a profound, cynical act of weaponizing federal employment for political gain. By permanently dismantling agencies and targeting those perceived as “Democrat-oriented,” the administration transforms a temporary budgetary crisis into a permanent ideological restructuring of the civil service. This action demonstrates a strategic disregard for the legal and ethical separation of the federal workforce from partisan politics, confirming that for this administration, punishing political opposition through bureaucratic means is prioritized over the consistent delivery of essential public services.
Featured image credit: Heute
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