Uncertain Future of Democracy in the 21st Century

The history of democratic regimes in our time shows that there exists a sharp difference between America and Western Europe on one hand and the rest f the world on the other. Democracy survives best in conditions of economic affluency and when ethnic diversity does not generate sharp conflicts. Authoritarian regimes of the present century differ from the older ones in the sense that they are mostly based on popular will expressed in competitive elections. The survival of democracy depends on the ability to avoid deep polarization based on conflicts of identities rather than of interests.