As the calendar turns to 2026, the health of democratic norms worldwide and within India is attracting unprecedented scrutiny. Recent events, both internationally and at home, suggest that the core principles of democracy, accountability and the rule of law are under pressure. This is not a distant fear from textbooks on political science; these are developments playing out on the centre stage of global politics and in our own streets, courts and political discourse.
At the global level, the storm around the United States’ recent military intervention in Venezuela is a stark example of how even powerful democracies can slip into behaviour that undermines democratic principles and international order. In early January, U.S. forces launched strikes in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro, triggering widespread international condemnation for violating international law and the sovereignty of a fellow state. The United Nations Human Rights Office said the intervention “undermined a fundamental principle of international law” by using force against Venezuela’s territorial integrity, making the world “less safe” as a result.
Australia, South Africa, China and other UN member states echoed these concerns, warning that unilateral military actions, even if framed as law enforcement, set dangerous precedents for global norms and peaceful dispute resolution.
Civil society groups such as Oxfam have also condemned the intervention as a violation of the United Nations Charter. They warned it risks exacerbating humanitarian crises and undermining democratic energies already present inside Venezuela.
Closer home, questions about democratic culture have surfaced in how society and authorities respond to acts of public disorder. In Raipur, individuals accused of vandalising Christmas decorations at a shopping mall were publicly welcomed by supporters, with garlands and processions described as a “hero’s welcome.” While everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, such public celebrations of the accused raise deeper questions about how the rule of law is perceived and upheld, especially when incidents are intertwined with religious identity and political narratives.
Democracy depends not just on elections and constitutions, but on a shared commitment to equal application of the law, respect for dissent, and the protection of civil liberties, including the rights of minorities to celebrate their faith freely and without fear. When individuals accused of breaking public order are lionised, and violence or intimidation becomes fodder for celebration, society risks normalising a culture that privileges ideology over the impartial application of justice.
These developments are not isolated. Across the world, democracies have been grappling with intensifying partisanship, weakening constraints on executive power, and challenges to civil liberties. In some countries, leaders have used emergency powers, anti terror laws or public order statutes to curtail dissent. In others, the judicial and media ecosystems that once served as checks and balances come under increasing pressure.
The lesson of early 2026 is clear. Democracy is not a static achievement but a living practice that requires constant reaffirmation of norms and institutions. It demands that states respect both international law and the sovereignty of peoples, and that societies uphold the rule of law in everyday life.
As citizens, the question is not simply whether authoritarianism is a theoretical threat. It is whether we are attentive to the signs of its slow encroachment, and whether we are willing to defend democratic values through active participation, critical scrutiny and an unflinching insistence on justice for all.
