Can democracies survive in a 'Might is Right' world?
- noahbergman3
- Oct 7
- 3 min read
Defence and Security Forum
Speakers: The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC, and Lady Olga Maitland
Moderator: General Sir Richard Shirreff, KCB CBE
4th September 2025, London
Report by Emily Claessen
The international order painstakingly built after 1945 is fraying. Institutions that once anchored the “free world” - free trade, collective security, and the rule of law - are under mounting strain. Authoritarian powers are pushing outward, while within democracies, populist currents exploit inequality, weak governance, and social discontent.
Uncontrolled migration, soaring housing costs, and declining public services provide fertile ground for politicians who offer easy answers while vilifying elites. Instead of tempering conflict, electoral systems in many countries amplify polarisation, dragging politics toward the extremes and eroding the political centre. The future of the liberal world depends on whether democracies can adapt before it’s too late.
America’s Waning Reliability
For decades, the United States served as the linchpin of the postwar system. Today, its leadership seems less assured, shaped increasingly by self-interest and transactionalism. States who once assumed American reliability now confront an uncertain future. The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) - salvaged after Washington’s withdrawal - demonstrates that like-minded states can sustain ambitious projects without US leadership. The challenge ahead is for Europe and Asia to summon similar resolve, investing in collective defence and strategic resilience.
Democracy at Home
Safeguarding democracy abroad begins at home. Populist surges gain strength not from foreign interference alone, but from domestic failings. Effective governance, secure borders, and political reforms are necessary to blunt extremist appeal. Democracies must learn that authoritarian “bullies” respect strength, not accommodation. They must be prepared to take blows and withstand pressure if they are to preserve their integrity - failure to project resilience only invites coercion.
If “might makes right” becomes the organising principle of international politics, smaller states will be left vulnerable and the rules-based order itself imperilled. Democracy’s survival will depend less on nostalgia for a fading past than on its capacity to adapt - self-reliant, pragmatic, and willing to act in concert.
The Digital Front
Western states are already under siege: cyber intrusions on infrastructure, disinformation aimed at voters, and influence campaigns designed to erode trust. Critical infrastructure is a prime vulnerability. Power grids, telecommunications systems, and water supplies - often operating on outdated technology - are prime targets for state-backed hackers probing for weaknesses. These quiet incursions may one day be weaponised in moments of open conflict.
Battle for Minds
Perhaps more dangerous than technical disruption is psychological warfare. Democracies, with their open societies and fragmented media ecosystems, are uniquely exposed to disinformation. False narratives spread rapidly across social platforms, undermining trust in institutions and corroding shared reality. Older individuals, often less digitally literate, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation.
The pace of technological change compounds the problem. Artificial intelligence, surveillance tools, and social platforms evolve far faster than regulation or oversight. In the absence of robust standards, hostile actors exploit these gaps to destabilise open societies.
Civilisational Stakes
The liberal order was never perfect, nor were its champions always consistent. Yet its animating ideal - that might does not make right - remains worth defending. If the United States no longer embodies it, others must. Unless democracies harden cyber defences, restore trust in political institutions, and rebuild the political centre, they risk succumbing to the very forces they aim to resist. The new front lines are already drawn - on servers, in social feeds, and in the minds of citizens.
A fractured order need not collapse, but its survival requires adaptation. For democracies, the task ahead is to act collectively, govern competently, and defend both borders and bandwidth. The alternative is to watch as the international order dissolves into a world where might alone dictates right.