Autocracies around the world now know our dirty secret: democracies are stupid. Just wait a while, and even the strongest democracy will chase its own tail to exhaustion. And you will have a free hand to remake the world to your liking.
(Of course, Putin's invasion of Ukraine is its own variety of stupid, but not quite the same one.)
Hum... Democracies sure look stupid on the daily news, but those things didn't push any of them into exhaustion.
Instead, the enemy is what it always was, corruption and violent subpopulations. Every democracy that falls, goes through both of those.
On the autocracies side, it looks like they also are as they always were: blind by subservience. About every single time one of them is tested, the ruler doesn't know up from down and the population don't know (or don't want to know) what to follow.
> Instead, the enemy is what it always was, corruption and violent subpopulations. Every democracy that falls, goes through both of those.
Or external threats. Eastern Europe was battling with both the enemies you mentioned, but then the Soviets came and sealed the deal for almost 50 years.
I prefer to think of a democracy as an unstable fixed point and requires active support and maintenance by its citizens/leadership to remain close to that point.
When the herald had spoken thus, Cyrus is said to have asked those
of the Hellenes whom he had with him, what men the Lacedemonians were
and how many in number, that they made this proclamation to him; and
hearing their answer he said to the Spartan herald: "Never yet did I
fear men such as these, who have a place appointed in the midst of their
city where they gather together and deceive one another by false oaths:
and if I continue in good health, not the misfortunes of the Ionians
will be for them a subject of talk, but rather their own." These words
Cyrus threw out scornfully with reference to the Hellenes in general,
because they have got for themselves markets and practise buying and
selling there; for the Persians themselves are not wont to use markets
nor have they any market-place at all.
(Of course, Putin's invasion of Ukraine is its own variety of stupid, but not quite the same one.)