The Fourth of July is America’s Independence Day. More than any other holiday, it encapsulates our standing as a free democracy and, through displays of red, white, and blue, parades, and fireworks, symbolizes freedom itself. But the United States is only one of many nations who have fought through actions and words on the battlefield as well as the streets for their independence.
While democracy is a political concept housed within human-made borders, freedom is a state of being that all humans aspire to possess. Consider the other nations and people around the globe who have secured their freedom from authoritarian regimes and oppressive leaders. Remember the collapse of the Greek junta, the transition to democracy in Spain following the death of Francisco Franco, Poland’s solidarity movement, open elections in Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Taiwan, the dismantling of Soviet communism, the expansion of the European Union, the Arab Spring.
The Freedom in the World project, which began in 1973, reveals that once a nation obtains freedom or reaches “free” status, they are likely to stay free. That’s reassuring. According to Freedom House, who issues the yearly reports of a nation’s political rights and civil liberties, “This striking ‘stickiness’ of the Free designation is evidence of the underlying strength and resilience of democracy.” Also, more nations in total today are free (84:195) than when the project began (44:148). That sounds positive and does indicate growth and a general spreading of democracy. However, even today, only 43% of the nations of the world offer enough rights and liberties to their citizens to be considered “free.” The remaining 57% are only partly free or entirely devoid of freedom. More concerning still, since the early 2000s, freedom in the world has been in decline. In an essay published at Journal of Democracy, Yana Gorokhovskaia, research director at Freedom House, reports troubling trends in regard to not only freedom but also democracy starting in 2023. She writes, “a wide range of freedoms came under attack around the world. People were prevented from exercising their chosen religion in Afghanistan, punished for criticizing authorities in Russia, and intimidated at opposition rallies in Madagascar. These incidents and others led global freedom to decline for the eighteenth consecutive year.” Sixteen “free” countries saw their scores worsen while the majority of decline rested in less stable nations. Freedom is fragile.
Today, given the turmoil in and between nations across the globe, with conflicts and ongoing strikes and invasions, you may feel a little more troubled this 4th of July than in recent past holidays. For good reason. Recent events demonstrate that tensions exist in our own country and not all people experience freedom equally. While tensions continue, we should remember that we are in a nation where we still hold the right to oppose and practice what we believe as long as it doesn’t impede on the rights of others. Though the struggle for freedom endures across the globe, hope emerges and calls us to carry on with courage.
All MCFL libraries will be closed Friday, July 4 in observation of our nation’s Independence Day.
Contributed by Sarah Broderick, Community Library Specialist
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_in_the_World
https://freedomhouse.org/article/reflecting-50-years-freedom-world
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/50-Year-Timeline
https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/01/freedom-now-vs-freedom-past/
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