Combating the Rise of Autocracy in Eastern Europe
Since the turn of the century, democratic institutions on the European continent seem to be deteriorating, either painfully slowly or frighteningly quickly. Autocratic leaders and democratic leaders with autocratic tendencies appear to be gaining prominence and influence. The latest Freedom House report highlights “a serious democratic backsliding” in countries such as Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. To combat this democratic backsliding in Eastern Europe, the United States should impose sanctions on kleptocrats, pass legislation to combat corruption, and enact policies that protect pro-democracy activists.
Western democracies, most notably the U.S. and the EU, have not been doing their best to demonstrate how democracy is a better alternative to autocratic and illiberal government systems. The Covid-19 pandemic also showed that democratic governments did not guarantee more effective management of global health crises. As a matter of fact, these and other crises presented autocratic leaders with opportunities to capitalize on people’s fears and gain more power. These trends have been on full display in countries such as Hungary, Poland, Czechia, the Balkans, and others. In a region that had been plagued by wars and economic turmoil while transitioning to a democratic system, the U.S. and EU will need to do more to maintain democratic institutions.
The absence of committed U.S. and EU leadership makes these countries more vulnerable to political and economic dependencies on foreign autocracies. China, for example, has been spending large amounts of money on infrastructure projects, especially in the Balkans, to expand its sphere of influence through its Belt and Road Initiative. These large infrastructure investments could lead to debt-traps in the near future, which Beijing has laid before, causing the region to be even more beholden to an autocratic regime. Despite the threat of debt-traps, autocratic leaders in the Balkans may see China’s autocratic form of government as worth adopting.
China’s greatest threat to democratic institutions is its blatant violation of human rights. While sanctions have a mixed record in modifying autocrats’ behavior, the U.S. and EU should continue coordinating sanctions against regimes engaging in human rights abuses and other crimes. Sanctions could focus on assets and financial transactions in the United States in order to cut those individuals off from the global financial system and stop them from spending money stolen from their populations. The U.S. has previously passed legislation that focuses on putting sanctions on what its adversaries can do with their money in the U.S. While the U.S. should continue sanctioning China, it should be careful not to abuse sanctions against smaller countries lest they may turn to Russia and or China for more economic opportunity.
The U.S. and the EU should also support pro-democracy activists in Eastern and Southern Europe. For example, in response to China’s crackdown of Hong Kong protesters in 2019, the US allowed Hong Kong residents in the US to stay for a span of 18 months. These are good steps that can be replicated in Europe, with extended support. The U.S., in conjunction with the EU, should ease political asylum opportunities for those that are being persecuted by dictatorial regimes in Eastern Europe. This policy would allow activists to feel confident that Western democracies are not just supporting them through words, but through deeds as well. This could also signal to autocratic leaders the West’s resolve in protecting human rights and democratic institutions.
To solidify support for democracies around the world, the U.S. Congress should pass the Kleptocrat Exposure Act, which allows the Secretary of State to reveal which foreign nationals have U.S. visa bans due to human rights abuses and corruption. Congress should also pass the Combating Global Corruption Act, which would make corruption a national security priority as well as ensure that there are transparency and accountability measures to implement foreign assistance by the State Department, USAID, and the Department of Defense. The State Department should work with the EU to ensure they have similar anti-corruption policies. Since autocracies thrive in corrupted institutions, these laws would help the governments expose and disempower kleptocrats.
Protecting democracy abroad and weakening the influence of autocratic regimes will take coordinated efforts between the U.S. and the EU. Targeted sanctions of kleptocrats, political protection of activists, and comprehensive anti-corruption legislation are effective ways for the U.S. and EU to decrease autocrats’ power. These coordinated tactics from the U.S. and EU could mitigate democratic backsliding in Eastern Europe after much positive traction achieved since the fall of the Soviet Union.
