HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019236.jpg
1.33 MB
Extraction Summary
2
People
2
Organizations
13
Locations
0
Events
2
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Report / policy paper (house oversight committee production)
File Size:
1.33 MB
Summary
This document appears to be page 2 of a report titled 'Breaking Down Democracy,' produced as part of a House Oversight investigation (Bates stamp HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019236). It analyzes the decline of freedom in influential countries between 2007 and 2016, highlighting significant drops in Turkey and Bahrain. The text discusses strategies used by modern authoritarians, including the rewriting of history (specifically in Russia regarding Stalin), the hiring of Western lobbyists ('K Street representatives') by autocracies like China and Kazakhstan, and the emulation of authoritarian tactics by populist politicians in democracies.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Putin | President of Russia |
Encouraged the reassessment of Stalin; admired by European nationalistic right and anticapitalist left parties.
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| Joseph Stalin | Historical Figure (Soviet Leader) |
Mentioned in the context of Russia rewriting history textbooks to reassess his role.
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Organizations (2)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| House Oversight Committee |
Source of the document production (indicated by Bates stamp).
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| K Street |
Mentioned as the location of representatives/lobbyists working for authoritarian regimes.
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Locations (13)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
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Experienced a -28 decline in freedom score; hires K Street representatives.
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Experienced a -25 decline in freedom score.
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Experienced a -21 decline in freedom score; hires K Street representatives.
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Experienced a -17 decline in freedom score; hires K Street representatives.
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Experienced a -17 decline in freedom score.
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Experienced a -16 decline in freedom score.
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Experienced a -12 decline in freedom score.
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Experienced a -12 decline in freedom score; rewriting history; hires K Street representatives.
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Experienced a -12 decline in freedom score.
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Experienced a -10 decline in freedom score.
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Described as in the vanguard of hiring political consultants and lobbyists.
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Hires K Street representatives.
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Mentioned regarding authoritarian states hiring lobbyists.
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Relationships (2)
European parties... have expressed admiration for Putin and aligned their policy goals with his.
China is clearly in the vanguard, with multiple representatives working for the state...
Key Quotes (3)
"The hiring of political consultants and lobbyists from democratic countries to represent the interests of autocracies is a growing phenomenon."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019236.jpg
Quote #1
"Russia has taken the lead, with the state’s assertion of authority over history textbooks and the process, encouraged by Putin, of reassessing the historical role of Joseph Stalin."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019236.jpg
Quote #2
"European parties of the nationalistic right and anticapitalist left have expressed admiration for Putin and aligned their policy goals with his."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019236.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,161 characters)
BREAKING DOWN DEMOCRACY: Goals, Strategies, and Methods of Modern Authoritarians
MAJOR DECLINES FOR INFLUENTIAL COUNTRIES OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS
[Chart Y-Axis Label: Change in Freedom in the World Aggregate Score, 2007-2016]
[Chart X-Axis/Bars:]
Turkey -28
Bahrain -25
Ethiopia -21
Azerbaijan -17
Venezuela -17
Hungary -16
Ecuador -12
Russia -12
Ukraine -12
Afghanistan -10
[Chart X-Axis/Bars:]
Turkey -28
Bahrain -25
Ethiopia -21
Azerbaijan -17
Venezuela -17
Hungary -16
Ecuador -12
Russia -12
Ukraine -12
Afghanistan -10
weakening of political pluralism. Russia has also moved aggressively against neighboring states where democratic institutions have emerged or where democratic movements have succeeded in ousting corrupt authoritarian leaders.
• The rewriting of history for political purposes is common among modern authoritarians. Again, Russia has taken the lead, with the state’s assertion of authority over history textbooks and the process, encouraged by Putin, of reassessing the historical role of Joseph Stalin.
• The hiring of political consultants and lobbyists from democratic countries to represent the interests of autocracies is a growing phenomenon. China is clearly in the vanguard, with multiple representatives working for the state and for large economic entities closely tied to the state. But there are also K Street representatives for Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ethiopia,
and practically all of the authoritarian states in the Middle East.
• The toxic combination of unfair elections and crude majoritarianism is spreading from modern authoritarian regimes to illiberal leaders in what are still partly democratic countries. Increasing- ly, populist politicians—once in office—claim the right to suppress the media, civil society, and other democratic institutions by citing support from a majority of voters. The resulting changes make it more difficult for the opposition to compete in future elections and can pave the way for a new authoritarian regime.
• An expanding cadre of politicians in democracies are eager to emulate or cooperate with authoritarian rulers. European parties of the nationalistic right and anticapitalist left have expressed admiration for Putin and aligned their policy goals with his. Others have praised
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HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019236
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019236
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