Autocracy

The past year showed that the future of humanity is in the hands of the voters of democratic countries. This year will show which way we are headed. We know how autocratic regimes behave and what their aims are. The great challenges of our time demand virtues that only the voters of free nations can appreciate and choose.

LGBT groups are readying to resist the pressures and bans of Erdogan's government - but the autocratic President looks determined to crack down even harder on a vulnerable segment of society.

"The Kremlin's disinformation and interference in the internal affairs of Eastern European countries is a huge problem for all of Europe. Attempts at destabilization are made by activating local politicians and strengthening autocracy at the expense of democracy. All this is done with a single goal - to make Ukraine's victory more difficult and Europe to weaken".

The leader of the insurgent winning party in the recent repeat elections, Slavi Trifonov, is increasingly being compared to the country's autocratic and long-time chief Boyko Borissov.

According to him, what we have today in Europe hardly has anything to do with civil democracy that was introduced after the World War II.

Tunisia, shaken by days of nationwide unrest over price hikes, marked seven years on Jan. 14 since the North African nation drove out its long-time autocratic ruler.

Singapore celebrated the semi-centennial of its independence over the weekend. Under the leadership of its founder, Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away in March, it rose from being a poor country with no resources to one of the wealthiest and most developed states in the world.