Thread by @AliVelshi

1/28
There are various organizations that rank democracy in the world, typically measuring how well a country stacks up against 5 core measures:

Freedom of Expression
Freedom of Association and Assembly
Judicial Independence
Effective Parliament
Media Integrity

#velshi

2/28
By these measures, America is backsliding, largely because of the after effects of Donald Trump’s undermining and denial of the outcome of the 2020 election. But democratic backsliding is the norm today. #velshi

3/28
Even within NATO countries, Hungary, Slovenia and even where I am, Poland, are backsliding. The number of countries moving in an authoritarian direction in 2020 outnumbered those going in a democratic direction. #velshi

4/28
That’s according to a report by the International Institute for Democracy and electoral assistance. #velshi

5/28
The report also found more than a quarter of the world’s population is now living in democratically backward countries that, together with those living in outright non-democratic regimes, made up more than two-thirds of the total global population. #velshi

6/28
SO, in Poland on Saturday, Joe Biden, while speaking about Vladimir Putin, said “The guy’s got to go.” And for a moment, my heart leapt. The leader of the free world was finally saying what had to be said about an imperialistic despot. #velshi

7/28
Now let’s be clear—America does NOT do this well - this idea of getting involved to save civilian populations. We did it totally the wrong way in Afghanistan. #velshi

8/28
Despite our red lines, Syria remans a failed state, propped up by Iran and Russia, with most of the population in exile. The Royhinga in Myanmar continue to be persecuted by the majority. #velshi

9/28
The government of India continues to crack down on the freedoms of the Muslims in Kashmir. #velshi

10/28
The Uighurs Muslims of Western China are forced into so-called “re-education” hard labor concentration camps where forced cultural assimilation and even sexual assault are reported to prevail. #velshi

11/28
The citizens of Hong Kong lose more of their western-style freedoms daily. And the people of Taiwan watching their skies for the Chinese jets they soon expect to unleash hell on them. #velshi

12/28
There is still no meaningful democracy in the Middle East— and that includes Israel, which exercises control of Palestinians in the West Bank. In the Americas: Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico are all backsliding, democratically. #velshi

13/28
In Africa: Niger, Benin, Mauritania, Cameroon and Zimbabwe are backsliding, while Mali and Cote d-Ivoire have ceased to be democracies entirely. Here in Europe: Hungary, Serbia, Poland, and Turkey are all going the wrong direction. #velshi

14/28
And so, we have Ukraine: the world’s most obvious chance to stake a stand for democracy and against colonialism, imperialism, and war. #velshi

15/28
Ukraine has a new president, brought in on a wave of anti-corruption, unlike the Afghans who had been beaten down by warlords, fanatics and corruption, or the Syrians. Ukrainians have the rare confluence of global attention, and existing good and true government. #velshi

16/28
Ukraine has complete freedom of expression of association and assembly. They have worked hard to erase corruption and achieve judicial independence. They have an effective, gender balanced and unusually young parliament. #velshi

17/28
And Ukraine has a working and effective media, or at least they did until Russia attacked. Ukraine can stand up to the imperial, expansionist Russia -with the world’s help. #velshi

18/28
On Saturday, Joe Biden stepped into the breach when he said, “he’s got to go.” Russian officials freaked out about it saying, “Putin’s fate is for the Russian people to decide.” #velshi

19/28
Which is laughable because the Russian people don’t have freedom of association of assembly or judicial independence or a functioning electoral system. #velshi

20/28
The Russian people can’t decide anything about their politics unless they launch a revolution What surprised me more is that The White House FREAKED OUT about it, too, walking it back a little. I heard Joe Biden say it, and I was proud of America.#velshi

21/28
America can’t fix the world’s problems, but it sure can help, by leading the world in the right direction. Joe Biden sees naked Russian expansionist ambitions for exactly what they are and wants them stopped. #velshi

22/28
He knows if Ukraine falls, so falls the democratic world’s best hope of fighting back the global tide of authoritarianism and dictatorship. What’s next? Moldova., which, like Ukraine, doesn’t have NATO protections, or Poland or Lithuania both of which do? #velshi

23/28
This war in Ukraine is unprovoked and illegal. Ukrainians have held the line far longer than anyone expected. Their leaders have rallied this world—and their people. #velshi

24/28
What America *can* do is hold high those who are trying to make their societies more equitable, just, and democratic, and push back against those who don’t. #velshi

25/28
And when the breaches are of a magnitude that NATO and the EU and the G7 and the G20 struggle with what to do, the American president can speak for the entire democracy living world. That’s what Joe Biden did yesterday when he said of Putin “The guy’s got to go”. #velshi

26/28

The White House says it was an unscripted moment. With Joe Biden, all the best ones are. I think he said what he meant and, if he did mean to say it, he was right, and should stick to it. #velshi

27/28
Democracy isn’t a halfway thing. Ukraine has it, Russia is trying to invade it and crush it, like Russia has done so many times, before, in so many places. It’s time for this to stop and it’s time for this type of thing to stop around the world. #velshi

28/28
And it’s time for the U.S. to make making it stop it’s business. Joe Biden is in the right place on this one. #velshi