site.btaNational Assembly Chair in Brussels: Fear of Future Is Biggest Threat to Democracy

The biggest threat to democracy is the fear of the future, National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan said Wednesday in her address to participants at the meeting of representatives of European national parliaments in Brussels.

“Democracy is being tested today. And that the world is changing dramatically before our eyes. Trust in institutions is declining. Democracy is challenged to survive in an era of populism, toxic political and social polarization, hybrid threats, foreign interference, and information manipulation. Citizens are experiencing a period of unprecedented anxiety, uncertainty, and worry. They are gripped by understandable fear for tomorrow. And the biggest threat to democracy is fear of the future. But the future is already here. It is happening,” Nazaryan said.

“We need to start an open debate about democracy in light of radically changing world and to expand our understanding of democracy in the context of new realities. The speed of change obliges us to realize that the defence of democracy today must be based not only on values, but also on technological capacity. We must realize that the next generations will defend democracy, not only with ideas, but also with technological competence. This is precisely why a strong focus is needed on the education of the younger generation of Europeans. This is the long-term investment that will largely determine the future of our societies,” she emphasized. 

According to Nazaryan, a strategic task of national parliaments is to initiate new legislative policies for targeted financing of social networks, communication channels, and public information resources that create an environment for a new tolerant, informed, and ideologically unencumbered communication in a digital environment.