In the aftermath of the Cold War, a wave of democratisation, coined by American political scientist Samuel Huntington as the ‘Third Wave’ swept across the world. The wave refers to the transition of several non-democratic setups to democratic ones, promising a future where democratic ideals would grow. However, the present century has witnessed geopolitical events and developments that have impacted the ideals of governance worldwide. The paper aims to investigate contemporary trends of democracy prevalent in the world. It uses prominent democracy indices and reports like the Varieties of Democracy (V Dem); Freedom in the World; Democracy Index; Bertelsmann Transformation Index and the Global State of Democracy report, to have better insights about the Third Wave of Democracy. It also highlights the major factors that are seemingly responsible for its existing status. The findings of the paper reveal that while democracy is seen as an ideal form of governance by many, two decades into the 21st Century, a large proportion of the world is struggling with the third wave in one form or the other. While several internal factors can trigger democratic decline, recurring coup attempts and the rise of far-right populism are accelerating the decline of the Third Wave of democratisation at the global level.
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CASS Opinion Roundup – May 2026, Vol. No. 0001
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The West: The History of an Idea
The world is witnessing the collapse of the Western order, if not the emergence of an alternative one. The idea of ‘West’ as against the rest is still at the root of contemporary understanding of world politics. Georgios Varouxakis, a remarkable voice on Modernity and Nationalism, has provided the historical origins and modern connotations attached with the idea of ‘West’. In his book ‘The West: The History of an Idea’, Varouxakis has argued that the West is not an eternal entity, rather it is a modern socio-political construct that emerged in the political philosophy of the early 19th century and evolved with the passage of time. The book provides an in-depth historical analysis of the idea to determine the roots of its modern interpretation.
Space-Enabled Warfare in the 21st Century: Pathways for Developing States
Space has emerged as a distinct domain of warfare alongside land, sea, air, and cyber. Developed countries like the United States, Russia, and China possess offensive and support capabilities in space. In the shadowed expanse of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where satellites operate like silent custodians, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine transformed the nature of modern conflict. As Russian troops marched forward, the commercial satellites like Maxar and Planet, which are operated by Western firms, captured high-resolution imagery of Russian troops, providing real-time intelligence to Ukrainian commanders, unlike ever before.
