Aron Lund: Autocracies are set to dominate the world – we must learn to understand their thinking

The post-World War II liberal international order is eroding, paving the way for autocracies to dominate the global landscape, according to Aron Lund in Dagens Nyheter.

Lund cites a report from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg, which found 92 authoritarian states and 87 democracies by the end of 2025. This means three-quarters of the world's population now lives under repressive regimes. The wave of freedom that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall has receded, with a trend toward de-democratization evident even in the West, as seen in the United States' declining rankings. Meanwhile, India embraces Hindu nationalism, and China continues its ascent to superpower status.

Given this shift, Lund argues that understanding and interacting with non-democratic regimes without ideological bias is essential. He criticizes the common perception of authoritarian systems as primitive or incomplete, rather than as distinct political entities with their own internal lives and logic. The prevailing view often reduces dictators to caricatures of evil men seeking personal enrichment, overlooking the complex political dynamics at play.

Authoritarian systems, Lund contends, are human societies where politics, albeit non-democratic, occurs. Actions that may seem nonsensical to outsiders often serve a purpose within the regime's framework. To truly grasp the realities in the majority of the world's countries, one must move beyond exoticizing these systems. While authoritarian regimes commit cruel acts and uphold unsympathetic values, they can possess deep roots, genuine supporters, internal legitimacy, and intricate rules. Even seemingly bizarre practices, like the cult of personality in North Korea, often have an underlying logic when examined closely.