Commentary Human history is a story of forgotten lessons. Despite the catastrophic collapse of European democracy in the 1930s, it appears that the tale of the twentieth century—in which citizens, cowed by existential threats, acquiesced in the rejection of liberty and truth in favour of obedience and propaganda, whilst allowing despotic leaders to seize ever…

Commentary “Whole-process democracy,” a term derived by the Chinese Communist Party to promote its self-acclaimed “well-deserved democracy,” contrasts sharply against reality. Hong Kong, an exception in China that used to enjoy limited democracy, met its fate and had its last election return a legislative council in which the pro-establishment bloc swept nearly all seats. This…

Commentary Authorities snatching dissidents in broad daylight, then prosecuting them interminably until they are inexplicably tossed back, is among the familiar state habits that mark totalitarian-authoritarian life. Writers such as Orwell, Solzhenitsyn, and Vaclav Havel sought to show as equally remarkable, precisely because it goes so unnoticed, the blinding effect such state conduct has on…

This essay is adapted from the forthcoming book, “The New Abnormal: The Rise of the Biomedical Security State” (Regnery Publishing, Nov. 1). “History doesn’t repeat itself,” said Mark Twain, “but it often rhymes.” This is among the reasons we look to the past, straining as best we can through the deepening fog of time to discern lessons…

The United States must work to build trust at home and abroad if it is to effectively counter creeping authoritarianism from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to one nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. “‘Trust’ is the most important word in any language,” said former under secretary of state Keith Krach during an Oct….

Commentary The other day, President Joe Biden accused voters of the opposition party of turning to “semi-fascism.” This is probably the first time in American history a president has openly attacked the opposing party’s constituents in this way. Then again, Biden, who once alleged that the chaste Mitt Romney was harboring a desire to bring…

Charles Eisenstein is the author of “The Coronation,” a collection of essays that explore the paradigms, dynamics, ideologies, and mythologies that predispose people toward accepting narratives around safety and social control, especially during times of crisis. He argues that governments around the world were able to exploit the need to fit in and feel safe…

Columnist Naomi Wolf, author of “The Bodies of Others: The New Authoritarians, COVID-19 and the War Against the Human,” asserts that after two years of pandemic policies, people in free societies are behaving more like those in authoritarian societies. Wolf maintains that America is now less free, and becoming almost unrecognizable. “A handful of bad…

The United States and 60 partner nations signed a new declaration on April 28, affirming their commitment to develop and promote a single global internet in the face of growing authoritarianism from China and Russia. The Declaration for the Future of the Internet was designed to champion “a single interconnected communications system for all of…

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be waning across the world, with restrictions being lifted and life, more or less, returning to normal. But journalist Nick Corbishley, who writes about economic and political trends in Europe and Latin America, is warning that the World Health Organization still plans to implement a global digital ID and vaccine…