As Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine radios on, many scholars warned that authoritarianism

is sinking in its teeth across the globe.

In fact, it's been that way for most of the 21st century.

According to a new report from the pro-democracy nonprofit Freedom House, global democracy

has declined for the 16th year in a row.

So what's behind this surge and what do we mean when we say authoritarianism?

Today we put those questions and your comments to our panel.

This episode is part of our two-year reporting project called Remaking America.

From democracy to science and civics, Remaking America will examine the health of our institutions

and where the US goes from here.

After the break, we'll take a deeper look at what we mean when we say authoritarianism

and explore the rise of it around the globe.

I'm Jen White.

You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story.

Remember to join future conversations, have your questions answered on future topics,

or just to let us know what you think.

Tweet us at 1A.

Let's jump into our conversation on authoritarianism.

Joining us is Ruth Bengeat.

She's a professor of history and Italian studies at NYU.

She's also the author of Strong Men, Mussolini to the present.

Professor Bengeat, welcome back to the program.

...