But there’s one country that, through its example, offers hope – and some crucial lessons. That country is Ukraine.
Ilya Lozovsky: Why Ukraine’s desperate struggle gives me hope
If you believe - as I do - that democracy is humanity's best hope, these are discouraging times. China, the world's next superpower, thinks it's found a different path forward. The liberal nations of Europe and North America are gnawed by self-doubt, beset by problems of their own making. Moreover, they now regard their past enthusiasm for nurturing new democracies in the world's unlikeliest places with an air of embarrassment. In fact, in recent decades, democracy promotion has nearly disappeared from the higher echelons of U.S. foreign policymaking.