I asked another quite complex question:
'is the us sliding into autocracy faster than russia, hungary or turkey'
AI Overview
Based on analyses in 2025, some researchers and experts have warned that the United States is undergoing a rapid, and in some ways faster, "autocratization" process compared to the early stages of democratic backsliding in Russia, Turkey, and Hungary. While Russia, Turkey, and Hungary are already considered firmly established hybrid or autocratic regimes, observers note that the US has seen a faster, more intense, and wider-ranging authoritarian turn in a shorter period (often cited under the second Trump administration) than those countries experienced in their initial phases.
Key Findings on the Speed of Backsliding:
- Faster Than Precedents: Researchers like Steven Levitsky have indicated that the U.S. democratic decline under Donald Trump has been faster than the authoritarian turns in Hungary (under Orbán) or Turkey (under Erdoğan).
- Outpacing Putin's Russia: Some former U.S. diplomats have stated that the dismantling of democratic norms in the US has moved faster than Vladimir Putin's initial consolidation of power in Russia, which took years to achieve, whereas the US shifts were occurring within months.
- "Fastest Evolving Episode": The V-Dem Institute’s 2025 Democracy Report identified the U.S. as undergoing the "fastest evolving episode of autocratization" in modern history, particularly regarding the intense testing of executive power limits.
- Comparison to "Competitive Authoritarianism": Political scientists have argued that the U.S. has transitioned into a "competitive authoritarian" system—a state with democratic trappings but an uneven playing field—moving at an "alarming speed".