🏁 Axios Finish Line: Dunking on dictators

Plus: A reader's tale | Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Mar 30, 2022 Mar 30, 2022 Welcome back. Hit us at finishline@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 461 words ... 2 mins.     1 big thing: Democracy is good for your health Data: V-Dem Institute; Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios Here's a big reason to study the people of Ukraine: The war is showing in real-time the power of democracy, amid growing global clout for dictators. Why it matters: Free people live better lives, a mountain of data shows. And sometimes it takes an aspiring democracy to remind us why governments of the people are worth fighting for. Let the graphic above sink in — then share it with people who trivialize democratic erosion. Democracies are literally disappearing. Of 195 nations on earth, just 34 are liberal democracies — where citizens have rights to free speech, free press, free and fair elections, and other liberties — according to a study by Varieties of Democracy. Living in a stable democracy leads to a longer and more fulfilling life, the data shows: Health: If you live in a democracy and are at least age 25, you're likely to live 14 years longer than people in autocracies, a University of British Columbia study found. Babies in mature democracies are 78% less likely to die in childbirth. Wealth: Democratization boosts a nation's wealth 20% over 25 years. Education: Democratization bumps citizens' enrollment in secondary education by 70%. Reality check: After nuclear war, and possibly climate changes, the rise of authoritarians, like Vladimir Putin, and the decline of democracies has the most potential to shape America's future — more profoundly than the small-ball fights we often get sucked into. The dictators are winning. A Russian dictator, backed by an authoritarian Chinese leader and enabled by the silence of the Saudis, is killing thousands, seizing land, destroying a nation. A Freedom House report released in February found that 60 countries had suffered declines in democracy in the previous year. The bottom line: American critics sometimes dog — and in some cases damage — their democracy. But watching Ukrainians amplifies the preciousness and precariousness of freedom.  Share this story.     A message from Axios Checklist for clearer communications     This checklist details simple steps to help you think more clearly, communicate more effectively and keep busy readers hooked. It works for all your vital updates, from internal team priorities to client or community communications. Get the free checklist     ✨ Newly minted hero Jan Caire, a Finish Line reader in Gex, France, shared an inspiring story about her brother, Bill Daniels. Bill — a Columbus, Ohio, native who moved to Europe — watched the invasion of Ukraine from France and wanted to act. So he coordinated with a Swiss company to deliver quiet, speedy drones to the Ukrainian military in Lviv. He has made two trips to Ukraine with drones and food, and plans to make a third. In Bill's words: "I think it is important for people to know that this really is our fight too. By 'our' fight, I mean all democracies, Western or otherwise. If Ukraine does not come out of this on the upside, then the world and our children will simply face more and more of the same drum beat of creeping tyranny."   Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: