Editing 2010s (section)

===Political trends===
{{Further|2010s in political history}}

====International relations====
[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with other BRICS leaders at a meeting, on the sidelines of G20 Summit 2015, in Turkey on November 15, 2015.jpg|thumb|[[BRICS]], a supranational economic cooperative comprising five major [[Emerging market|emerging national economies]]—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—grew to represent over 3.1 billion people, or about 41 percent of the world population by 2015.]]
China was increasingly called a [[superpower]] in the early 2010s, including at the 2011 meeting between President [[Hu Jintao]] and United States President [[Barack Obama]]. By the end of the decade, China overtook the U.S. as the world's largest trading nation and the country filing the [[World Intellectual Property Indicators|most patents]], dramatically expanded its [[List of countries by level of military equipment|military]] and landed its lunar rover ''[[Yutu (rover)|Yutu]]'' on the moon, ending a four-decade hiatus of lunar exploration. In 2018, [[List of countries by military expenditures|global military spending]] reached its highest level since 1988, late [[Cold War]] levels, largely fuelled by increased [[Military budget|defence spending]] by the United States (4.6% increase to $649 billion) and China (5% increase to $250 billion). Together, their budgets accounted for half of the world's total military spending.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.trust.org/item/20190429105059-m8xz0 |title=Global military spending at new post-Cold War high, fuelled by US, China – think-tank |date=29 April 2019 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=29 April 2019 |archive-date=30 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430014523/http://news.trust.org/item/20190429105059-m8xz0 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2019, the [[Lowy Institute]] [[Asia Power Index]], which measures the projections of power across eight indexes in the Indo-Pacific, ranked the United States at #1 with a score of 84.5 and China #2 with a score of 75.9.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries |title=Asia Power Index &#124; Countries |website=power.lowyinstitute.org |access-date=29 May 2019 |archive-date=9 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109132254/https://power.lowyinstitute.org/countries |url-status=live}}</ref>

Along with the United States and China, [[Russia under Vladimir Putin|Russia under President]] [[Vladimir Putin]] steadily increased its defence spending and continued to [[2008 Russian military reform|modernise]] its military throughout the decade. This included the development of the [[T-14 Armata]] main battle tank and the fifth-generation [[Sukhoi Su-57]] jet fighter. Russia also exercised its [[power projection]] capabilities in its 2014 [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation]] of [[Crimea]] and interventions in [[Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014-present)|eastern Ukraine]] and the [[Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War|Syrian Civil War]]. Russia also waged [[information warfare]] campaigns against its geopolitical foes, [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|interfering]] in the 2016 U.S. elections via [[2016 Democratic National Committee email leak|hacking and leaking emails]] of U.S. political party leadership and by spreading disinformation via the [[Internet Research Agency]]. Other alleged Russian intelligence operations included the [[2016 Montenegrin coup attempt allegations|2016 Montenegrin coup plot]] and the [[Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal|2018 Skripal poisonings]], both of which were attributed by some to the GRU's [[Unit 29155]]. Collectively, these activities—and the Western-led efforts to combat them—have been referred to as marking the beginning of the [[Second Cold War]].

The [[European Union]] went through several crises. The [[European debt crisis]] caused severe economic problems to several [[eurozone]] member states, most notably [[Greece]]. The [[2015 European migrant crisis|2015 migration crisis]] led to several million people entering the EU illegally in a short period of time. There was a significant rise in the vote shares of several [[eurosceptic]] parties, including the [[Lega Nord|League]] in Italy, [[Alternative for Germany]], and the [[Finns Party]] in [[Finland]]. As a result of a [[referendum]], the [[United Kingdom]] became the first member state in the EU's history to  [[Brexit|leave the Union]].

====Western polarisation====
Socio-political polarisation increased as conservatives and social liberals clashed over the role and size of government and other social, economic and environmental issues in the [[Western world|West]]. In the [[United States]], polls showed a divided electorate regarding healthcare reform, immigration, gun rights, taxation, job creation, and debt reduction.<ref name="rasmussenreports.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/generic_congressional_ballot |title=Generic Congressional Ballot – Rasmussen Reports |publisher=Rasmussenreports.com |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-date=8 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108001850/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/generic_congressional_ballot |url-status=live}}
*Jamrisko, Michelle. [http://www.salon.com/2013/09/10/political_polarization_colors_measures_of_economic_confidence_newscred/ "Political polarisation affects economic views"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123160718/http://www.salon.com/2013/09/10/political_polarization_colors_measures_of_economic_confidence_newscred/ |date=23 November 2020 }} ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]''. Associated Press, 2013. Web. 7 January 2015.
*{{cite news |first=Zeke |last=Miller |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/americans-want-higher-taxes-on-wealthy-no-entitlement-reform-in-super-committee-deal-2011-8 |title=Americans Want Higher Taxes on Wealthy, No Entitlement Reform In 'Super Committee' Deal |publisher=Businessinsider.com |date=10 August 2011 |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124133404/https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-want-higher-taxes-on-wealthy-no-entitlement-reform-in-super-committee-deal-2011-8 |url-status=live}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/09/05/herman_cain_obama_just_doesnt_have_a_clue_on_economic_issues.html |title=Herman Cain: Obama "Just Doesn't Have A Clue" On Economic Issues |publisher=RealClearPolitics |date=5 September 2011 |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214080342/https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/09/05/herman_cain_obama_just_doesnt_have_a_clue_on_economic_issues.html |url-status=live}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.democracycorps.com/wp-content/files/dcor120811fq_WEBSITE.pdf |title=Democracy Corps/Women's Voices. Women Vote Action Fund Frequency Questionnaire |access-date=12 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722134242/http://www.democracycorps.com/wp-content/files/dcor120811fq_WEBSITE.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_favorability_ratings |title=Congressional Favourability Ratings – Rasmussen Reports |publisher=Rasmussenreports.com |date=27 October 2011 |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-date=15 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115020732/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_favorability_ratings |url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Europe]], movements protesting increasing numbers of refugees and migrants from [[Islamic countries]] developed, such as the [[English Defence League]] and [[Pegida]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/01/who-german-anti-islam-20151743438911640.html |title=Who is a German? |author=Jan Douwe Keulen |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=27 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827100242/https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/01/who-german-anti-islam-20151743438911640.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/why-online-islamophobia-is-difficult-to-stop-1.2810242 |title=Why online Islamophobia is difficult to stop |date=2 November 2014 |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214190830/https://www.cbc.ca/news/why-online-islamophobia-is-difficult-to-stop-1.2810242 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The trend of polarisation in the West was partially influenced by the prevalence of [[identity politics]], both [[left-wing]] and [[right-wing]], among [[activist]] movements.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Politico]] |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/11/02/culture-war-liberals-conservatives-trump-2018-222095 |title=How Everything Became the Culture War |date=November 2018 |access-date=24 April 2019 |archive-date=24 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524050840/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/11/02/culture-war-liberals-conservatives-trump-2018-222095 |url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning around 2011, [[far-left]] and [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] concepts such as combating [[social inequality]] and [[economic inequality]], often via [[progressive stack]] tactics, proliferated in the [[Western world]] and elsewhere.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Identity Politics Could Be Good Politics For Democrats In 2020 |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-identity-politics-could-be-good-politics-for-democrats-in-2020/ |date=2 April 2019 |access-date=24 April 2019 |archive-date=20 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420092228/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-identity-politics-could-be-good-politics-for-democrats-in-2020/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Time |title=What's Intersectionality? Let These Scholars Explain the Theory and Its History |url=https://time.com/5560575/intersectionality-theory/ |date=29 March 2019 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020230006/https://time.com/5560575/intersectionality-theory/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-201105 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=May 2011 |title=Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% |first=Joseph |last=Stiglitz |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=6 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206042126/http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-201105 |url-status=live}}</ref> Around the middle of the decade, phenomenon such as [[white nationalism]], [[identitarianism]] and emboldened feelings of [[Nativism (politics)|nativism]] saw a marked reemergence in the West due to drastically increased migration and corresponding crime and amongst both the right and left general dissatisfaction with Western government and Media responses to certain issues.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rise of Right-wing Populism in Europe and the United States |first=Thomas |last=Greven |date=May 2016 |url=http://dc.fes.de/fileadmin/user_upload/publications/RightwingPopulism.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://dc.fes.de/fileadmin/user_upload/publications/RightwingPopulism.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> There were also increased calls for [[egalitarianism]], including between the sexes,<ref>England, Paula. "The gender revolution uneven and stalled" ''Gender & society'' 24.2 (2010): 149–166.</ref> and some scholars assert that a [[Fourth-wave feminism|fourth wave of feminism]] began around 2012, with a primary focus on [[intersectionality]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Nicola |last=Rivers |title=Postfeminism(s) and the Arrival of the Fourth Wave |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2017 |pages=4, 8 |isbn=978-3-319-59812-3 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-59812-3}}</ref><ref name="4thWave-Guardian20131210">{{cite news |last=Cochrane |first=Kira |author-link=Kira Cochrane |title=The Fourth Wave of Feminism: Meet the Rebel Women |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/fourth-wave-feminism-rebel-women |newspaper=The Guardian |date=10 December 2013 |access-date=17 January 2018 |archive-date=14 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314123922/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/fourth-wave-feminism-rebel-women |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Anti-establishment politics====
[[File:Encontro com o Senhor Donald Trump, Presidente dos Estados Unidos da América (47422559941).jpg|thumb|[[President of Brazil|Brazilian President]] [[Jair Bolsonaro]] and [[President of the United States|United States President]] [[Donald Trump]] in 2019. Both are emblematic of a wave of [[Neo-nationalism|neo-nationalist]] and [[globalisation]]-weary [[Conservative wave|conservative]] [[Populism#Late 20th- and early 21st-century growth|populism]] in the second half of the decade.]]
[[Populism]] in politics saw a widespread surge throughout the decade, with many politicians and various political movements expressing populist sentiments and utilising populist rhetoric.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/opinion/26brooks.html |author=Brooks, David |title=The Populist Addiction |newspaper=The New York Times |date=25 January 2010 |access-date=29 September 2017 |archive-date=21 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221154518/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/opinion/26brooks.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/02/15/the-populism-problem |author=Surowiecki, James |title=The Populist Problem |magazine=The New Yorker |date=15 February 2010 |access-date=29 September 2017 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130023858/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/02/15/the-populism-problem |url-status=live}}</ref> This included [[conservative wave]] phenomenon in Latin America and [[Neo-nationalism|neo-nationalist]] fervor in Europe and North America. The [[2019 European Parliament election]] saw the highest voter turnout in two decades and saw relatively moderate centre-right and centre-left parties suffer significant losses to less moderate far-right, environmentalist, and both pro-EU and [[Euroscepticism|eurosceptic]] parties, who made gains.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/european-parliament-elections-5-takeaways-results-n1010491 |title=European Parliament elections: 5 takeaways from the results |last=Smith |first=Alexander |date=27 May 2019 |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date=27 May 2019 |archive-date=8 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008112811/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/european-parliament-elections-5-takeaways-results-n1010491 |url-status=live}}</ref> Examples of 2010s populist movements included the [[Tea Party movement]],<ref>{{cite news |website=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |url=https://www.salon.com/2010/05/03/tea_party_populism_history/ |title=The strange history of Tea Party populism |first=Steve |last=Fraser |date=3 May 2010 |access-date=17 May 2018 |archive-date=6 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106134208/https://www.salon.com/2010/05/03/tea_party_populism_history/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Occupy Wall Street]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-what-should-a-populist-movement-ask-of-washington/246143/ |title='Occupy Wall Street': What Should a Populist Movement Ask of Washington? |author=Thompson, Derek |website=The Atlantic |date=4 October 2011 |access-date=30 September 2017 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111175153/https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-what-should-a-populist-movement-ask-of-washington/246143/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Brexit]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-populists-analysis/after-trump-and-brexit-populist-tsunami-threatens-european-mainstream-idUSKBN1341I1 |title=After Trump and Brexit, populist tsunami threatens European mainstream |author=Barkin, Noah |publisher=Reuters |date=9 November 2016 |access-date=30 September 2017 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130080052/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-populists-analysis/after-trump-and-brexit-populist-tsunami-threatens-european-mainstream-idUSKBN1341I1 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Black Lives Matter]],<ref>Roberts, Frank L. "[https://gallatin.nyu.edu/content/dam/gallatin/documents/syllabi/2015/FA/IDSEM-UG1849.pdf Black Lives Matter: Race, Resistance, and Populist Protest] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106145400/https://gallatin.nyu.edu/content/dam/gallatin/documents/syllabi/2015/FA/IDSEM-UG1849.pdf |date=6 November 2020 }}". New York University. Fall 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2018.</ref> and the [[alt-right]].<ref name="NewYorker">{{cite magazine |last=Wallace-Wells |first=Benjamin |title=Is the Alt-Right for real? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/benjamin-wallace-wells/is-the-alt-right-for-real |magazine=The New Yorker |date=5 May 2016 |access-date=20 February 2020 |archive-date=29 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829183821/http://www.newyorker.com/news/benjamin-wallace-wells/is-the-alt-right-for-real |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WilsonGuardian">{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Jason |title='A sense that white identity is under attack': making sense of the alt-right |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/23/alt-right-movement-white-identity-breitbart-donald-trump |work=The Guardian |date=23 August 2016 |access-date=7 September 2016 |archive-date=30 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830020613/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/23/alt-right-movement-white-identity-breitbart-donald-trump |url-status=live}}</ref> Examples of populist country leaders were just as extensive, with [[Donald Trump]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/how-can-donald-trump-and-bernie-sanders-both-be-populist.html |title=How Can Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Both Be 'Populist'? |author=Kazin, Michael |newspaper=The New York Times |date=22 March 2016 |access-date=30 September 2017 |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531054701/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/how-can-donald-trump-and-bernie-sanders-both-be-populist.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Narendra Modi]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/05/23/indias-modi-has-been-bellwether-global-populism/ |title=India's Modi has been a bellwether for global populism |author=Taylor, Adam |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=23 May 2019 |access-date=20 November 2019}}</ref> [[Andrés Manuel López Obrador]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ab335480-c742-11e6-8f29-9445cac8966f |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/ab335480-c742-11e6-8f29-9445cac8966f |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Mexico's populist Amlo capitalises on economic woes |newspaper=Financial Times |date=1 January 2017}}</ref> [[Hugo Chávez]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/world/americas/venezuela-populism-authoritarianism.html |title=How Does Populism Turn Authoritarian? Venezuela Is a Case in Point |author1=Fisher, Max |author2=Taub, Amanda |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1 April 2017 |access-date=30 September 2017 |archive-date=2 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402005743/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/world/americas/venezuela-populism-authoritarianism.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Matteo Salvini]],<ref name="StilleAug2018">{{cite news |last=Stille |first=Alexander |title=How Matteo Salvini Pulled Italy to the Far Right |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/aug/09/how-matteo-salvini-pulled-italy-to-the-far-right |date=9 August 2018 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=11 August 2018 |archive-date=7 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707235102/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/aug/09/how-matteo-salvini-pulled-italy-to-the-far-right |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jair Bolsonaro]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/01/01/681429911/right-wing-populist-jair-bolsonaro-sworn-in-as-president-of-brazil |title=Right-Wing Populist Jair Bolsonaro Sworn in As President of Brazil |website=NPR |access-date=26 January 2019 |archive-date=25 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125184417/https://www.npr.org/2019/01/01/681429911/right-wing-populist-jair-bolsonaro-sworn-in-as-president-of-brazil |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Rodrigo Duterte]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/98589db0-8132-11e8-bc55-50daf11b720d |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/98589db0-8132-11e8-bc55-50daf11b720d |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Rodrigo Duterte and the populist playbook |website=Financial Times |access-date=26 January 2019}}</ref> [[Boris Johnson]], [[Viktor Orbán]], [[Robert Fico]], [[Antonis Samaras]] and [[Alexis Tsipras]] left and right-wing, described as such.

Related to the rise of populism and protests movements was the decline of traditional political parties. In Europe, [[pasokification]] described the loss of vote share experienced by traditional [[centre-left]] or [[social democratic]] parties. In France, specifically, [[Emmanuel Macron]]'s ''[[La République En Marche!]]'' party won a majority in its first election in 2017.

[[Centre-left]], [[neoliberal]] and traditional [[social democratic]] parties often lost their vote share to more [[socialist]] or [[democratic socialist]] alternatives, especially in [[Europe]]. This happened most completely in [[Greece]], where [[PASOK]] was replaced by [[Syriza]] as the main left-wing party. Other [[far-left]] parties which rose in prominence included [[Podemos (Spanish political party)|Podemos]] in [[Spain]] and [[La France Insoumise]] in [[France]]. In the [[two-party system]]s of the [[English-speaking world]], these challenges mainly came from within the established parties of the left, with [[Bernie Sanders]] in the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and [[Jeremy Corbyn]] in the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] pushing for more left-wing policies.

The political establishment was also challenged in many countries by protest movements, often organised through new [[social media]] platforms. These included the various [[Arab Spring]] protests, the [[Occupy movement]], and the [[yellow vests movement]].

====Democractisation and authoritarianism====
[[File:Xi_Jinping_2019.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Xi Jinping]] became China's [[Paramount leader|leader]] [[President for Life|for life]] in 2018.]]
Countries which [[Democratisation|democratised]] fully or partially during the decade included [[Angola]], which reformed under [[João Lourenço]];<ref name="freedom2019">{{cite web |title=Freedom in the World 2019 |url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2019/democracy-in-retreat |publisher=Freedom House |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=15 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215005216/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2019/democracy-in-retreat |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Armenia]], which went through [[2018 Armenian revolution|a revolution]];<ref name="freedom2019" /><ref name="wpost">{{cite news |title=Three countries where democracy actually staged a comeback in 2018 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/17/three-countries-where-democracy-actually-staged-comeback/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> [[Ecuador]], which reformed under [[Lenín Moreno]];<ref name="freedom2019" /> [[Ethiopia]];<ref name="freedom2019" /><ref name="wpost"/> and [[Malaysia]], where the ruling party [[2018 Malaysian general election|lost the first election]] since independence.<ref name="freedom2019" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Did an election just cause Malaysian democratisation? |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/did-election-just-cause-malaysian-democratisation |publisher=The Lowy Institute}}</ref>

Long-term [[dictator]]s ousted from power included [[Muammar Gaddafi]] of [[Libya]] (after 42 years),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/the-big-picture/2018/11/death-gaddafi-181103124656506.html |title=The Death of Gaddafi |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=20 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120130827/https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/the-big-picture/2018/11/death-gaddafi-181103124656506.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Robert Mugabe]] of [[Zimbabwe]] (37 years),<ref>{{cite news |title=Zimbabwe's army mounts a coup against Robert Mugabe |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2017/11/15/zimbabwes-army-mounts-a-coup-against-robert-mugabe |newspaper=The Economist |date=15 November 2017}}</ref> [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] of [[Yemen]] (33 years),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-17177720 |title=Yemen president Saleh steps down |date=27 February 2012 |access-date=20 November 2019}}</ref> [[Omar al-Bashir]] of [[Sudan]] (30 years),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/profile-omar-al-bashir-sudan-longtime-ruler-190411083628141.html |title=Profile: Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's longtime ruler |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=19 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119130215/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/profile-omar-al-bashir-sudan-longtime-ruler-190411083628141.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hosni Mubarak]] of [[Egypt]] (29 years),<ref>{{cite news |title=Profile: Hosni Mubarak |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-12301713 |work=BBC News |date=24 March 2017 |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=1 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101033342/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-12301713 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali|Ben Ali]] of [[Tunisia]] (23 years).<ref>{{cite news |title=Ben Ali: Tunisia's ousted ex-president dies in exile aged 83 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49752876 |work=BBC News |date=19 September 2019 |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920180205/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49752876 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Arab Winter]] refers to the resurgence of [[authoritarianism]], [[Absolute monarchy|absolute monarchies]] and [[Islamic extremism]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bpr.berkeley.edu/2015/03/30/after-every-winter-comes-spring-tunisias-democratic-flowering/ |title=After Every Winter Comes Spring: Tunisia's Democratic Flowering – Berkeley Political Review |author=Yun Ru Phua |date=31 March 2015 |publisher=Bpr.berkeley.edu |access-date=11 February 2017 |archive-date=29 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729220649/https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2015/03/30/after-every-winter-comes-spring-tunisias-democratic-flowering/ |url-status=live}}</ref> evolving in the aftermath of the Arab Spring protests in [[Arab world|Arab countries]].<ref>Ahmed H Adam and Ashley D Robinson. ''Will the Arab Winter spring again in Sudan?''. Al-Jazeera. 11 June 2016. [http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/arab-winter-spring-sudan-160531082228922.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208195234/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/arab-winter-spring-sudan-160531082228922.html|date=8 February 2018}} "The Arab Spring that swept across the Middle East and succeeded in overthrowing three dictatorships in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya in 2011 was a pivotal point in the history of nations. Despite the subsequent descent into the 'Arab Winter', the peaceful protests of young people were heroic..."</ref> The term "Arab Winter" refers to the events across [[Arab League]] countries in the Mid-East and North Africa, including the [[Syrian Civil War]],<ref name="Fear and Faith in Paradise">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__lUxmzAZ08C&pg=PA296 |title=Fear and Faith in Paradise |last1=Karber |first1=Phil |date=18 June 2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-1-4422-1479-8 |access-date=23 October 2014 |archive-date=23 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923083405/https://books.google.com/books?id=__lUxmzAZ08C&pg=PA296 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Arab Winter">{{cite web |url=http://americamagazine.org/issue/culture/arab-winter |title=Arab Winter |date=28 December 2012 |work=America Staging |access-date=23 October 2014 |archive-date=26 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026051005/http://americamagazine.org/issue/culture/arab-winter |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)|Iraqi insurgency]] and the [[War in Iraq (2013–2017)|following civil war]],<ref name="The Jerusalem Post">{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Analysis-Arab-Winter-is-coming-to-Baghdad-359348 |title=Analysis: Arab Winter is coming to Baghdad |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=23 October 2014 |archive-date=14 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714211712/https://www.jpost.com//Middle-East/Analysis-Arab-Winter-is-coming-to-Baghdad-359348 |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014)|Egyptian Crisis]],<ref name="euronews">{{cite news |url=http://www.euronews.com/2013/02/08/egypt-and-tunisia-s-new-arab-winter/ |title=Egypt and Tunisia's new 'Arab winter' |date=8 February 2013 |work=Euro news |access-date=23 October 2014 |archive-date=29 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629014655/https://www.euronews.com/2013/02/08/egypt-and-tunisia-s-new-arab-winter |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Libyan crisis (2011–present)|Libyan crisis]] and the [[Yemeni crisis|crisis in Yemen]].<ref name="Yemen's Arab winter">{{cite news |url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-s-arab-winter-1470341500 |title=Yemen's Arab winter |work=Middle East Eye |access-date=23 October 2014 |archive-date=30 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930115643/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-s-arab-winter-1470341500 |url-status=live}}</ref> Events referred to as the Arab Winter include those in [[Egypt]] that led to the removal of [[Mohamed Morsi]] and the seizure of power by General [[Abdel Fattah el-Sisi]] in an anti-[[Muslim Brotherhood]] campaign.<ref name="euronews.com">{{Citation |title=Egypt & Tunisia's new Arab winter |date=8 February 2013 |url=http://www.euronews.com/2013/02/08/egypt-and-tunisia-s-new-arab-winter/ |newspaper=Euro news |access-date=19 December 2019 |archive-date=29 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629014655/https://www.euronews.com/2013/02/08/egypt-and-tunisia-s-new-arab-winter |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Democratic backsliding]] also occurred in countries such as [[Hungary]],<ref>{{cite news |title=As West Fears the Rise of Autocrats, Hungary Shows What's Possible |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/world/europe/hungary-orban-democracy-far-right.html |work=The New York Times |date=10 February 2018 |last1=Kingsley |first1=Patrick |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914133730/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/world/europe/hungary-orban-democracy-far-right.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Venezuela]],<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Final Blow to Venezuela's Democracy |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/venezuela/2016-11-01/final-blow-venezuelas-democracy |journal=Foreign Affairs |date=14 August 2019 |last1=Sabatini |first1=Christopher |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225184836/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/venezuela/2016-11-01/final-blow-venezuelas-democracy |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Turkey]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tansel |first1=Cemal Burak |title=Authoritarian Neoliberalism and Democratic Backsliding in Turkey: Beyond the Narratives of Progress |journal=South European Society and Politics |date=2018 |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=197–217 |doi=10.1080/13608746.2018.1479945 |doi-access=free |issn=1360-8746}}</ref>

In 2018, [[China]]'s [[National People's Congress]] approved a [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China|constitutional change]] that removed [[term limits]] for its [[List of national leaders of the People's Republic of China|leaders]], granting [[Xi Jinping]] the status of "[[President for life|leader for life]]". Xi is the [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]] ([[paramount leader|de facto leader]]).

====Deaths====
Sitting world leaders such as [[Hugo Chávez]] of Venezuela, [[Muammar Gaddafi]] of Libya, [[Kim Jong-il]] of North Korea, [[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia]], [[Lech Kaczyński]] of Poland, [[Zillur Rahman]] of Bangladesh, [[Islam Karimov]] of Uzbekistan and [[Beji Caid Essebsi]] of Tunisia, all [[List of heads of state and government who died in office|died in office]], as did former leaders [[Fidel Castro]], [[Lee Kuan Yew]], [[Nelson Mandela]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[Robert Mugabe]], [[Giulio Andreotti]], [[Francesco Cossiga]], [[Oscar Luigi Scalfaro]], [[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]], [[Mario Soares]], [[Konstantinos Stephanopoulos]], [[Konstantinos Mitsotakis]],  [[Jacques Chirac]], [[Helmut Schmidt]], [[Helmut Kohl]], [[Hussain Mohammad Ershad]], [[Mohamed Morsi]], [[Ariel Sharon]], [[Shimon Peres]], [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani]], [[Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]], [[Dimitris Christofias]], [[Václav Havel]], [[Malcolm Fraser]], [[Bob Hawke]], [[B. J. Habibie]], [[Yasuhiro Nakasone]], [[Alan García]], [[Jorge Rafael Videla]], [[Néstor Kirchner]], [[Fernando de la Rúa]], [[Patricio Aylwin]], [[Itamar Franco]], [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] and [[George H. W. Bush]].