It happened again. Thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s government buildings on January 8 in protest of their newly sworn-in president. The riots occurred almost two years to the day after the assault on the US Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump.

The similarities are striking: the violence and vulgarity of the attacks against democratic institutions and the aim to sow chaos while claiming to be law and order. In both cases, political leaders questioned the results of elections, and, in general, the values of democracy.

Over half the world’s population lives under authoritarian regimes, and movements that clearly call individual and public freedoms into question and foster xenophobia persist at the ballot box. There are many reasons for this, but among them is a near-universal sense of grievance. So many citizens around the world suffer from economic hardship while a sliver of the population — […]