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How the Ukraine war is our Eroding Freedoms and Undermining Democracy Return to Homepage





After having written over 80 books over the past decade I am fully aware of how there are efforts by subtle groups who are patiently waiting to see the end of democracy. When I tried writing a book about the healing vine Banisteriopsis caapi, which is used in healing ceremonies of ayahuasca, and trying to sell it on Etsy, Etsy gave me a lifetime ban from selling on its platform. Also my domain scott-rauvers.com has been banned / blocked on the intranet on Officeworks, an Australian Office Supply Company and possible bans on other networks I don't know about, these groups work from a distance because it is convenient, but fail to understand that they are hurting democracy and making themselves look bad.



Using Queries from GDELT’s global online news database,  for the last 6 months, I calculated how many times exact phrase President Putin was mentioned. I also did the same with President Trump. Here are my findings >>

President Trump
14978705

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQOy-b8P2Rbj-9N3rUowxn-dmWzLbckxwOmnqewLW59u4YwqtA8tv5whjekjcCSeIDHNdZm1z-sPUfi/pubhtml


President Putin
15298906

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSra8ymWBOXNchKiI9keuJ44vbvYcxx6gKrrRcSCQ2ePSMPgAsOOTUkHk6eFP5L2Igvbs6EaNZ3_ohY/pubhtml

Summary
Over the course of the last 6 months, President Putin is mentioned  2.11% more often than President Trump.

We are witnessing a continued erosion of democracy, much of which is being unintentionally fueled by the mainstream media.

This generation of young people is being fed daily news where Russia, as of 2025, holds 20% of Ukraine.  As this gradually seeps into the collective unconscious of this next generation, they are seeing the hard effort put forth by advancing Russian forces and how the same strategy that played out in Vietnam is exactly the same strategy being played out in Ukraine. A strategy of patience, which Ho Chi Minh used to win South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh employed a strategy of long-term perseverance, blending nationalist goals with communist ideology to undermine foreign influence and ultimately achieve unification, rather than a short-term military strategy to win South Vietnam directly.

The United States pulled out of Vietnam only after mass protests began due to declining support for the war and the war become prolonged. This same pattern is now unfolding in Ukraine, where troop strength is declining and support for the Ukraine war is now at an all time low (or should I say "Ukraine Conflict"). There is now widespread desertion, and declining morale in all Ukraine citizens.

This collective authoritarian regime education from a distance could have been avoided had Ukraine been left to fall to Russia at the very start. Instead, day in and out, the headlines continue to dominate the fact that authoritarian regime forces are not being squashed, but bit by bit eroding away Ukraine. This is giving authoritarian forces embedded in Western Democracy an ability to make bold moves to undermine Democracy, which will most likely continue to increase in the foreseeable future. Zelenskyy makes so many flights to other regions and countries he may as well be catching a red-eye flight from Boston to New York every few days. Intel agencies in both Russia and the U.S. know exactly where Zelenskyy is. If he were to be assinated, the authoritarian regime education would end.

Had the war ended early without any intervention, with Russia winning Ukraine, this day-by-day news headline of Russia's forces would not be on the mainstream news. Unlike Vietnam, which was a war viewed in living rooms, this is much worse, due to social media and other platforms that can make the authoritarian regime voices heard; especially on young people using such platforms.

Main Impacts of the Ukraine war on Democracy
Also Western democratic governments have increased digital monitoring, intelligence cooperation, and censorship in the name of countering Russian disinformation. Citizens struggle to trust mainstream media as it becomes highly polarized. Social media now bans certain narratives and voices (sometimes even academics and journalists), which is creating unnecessary fears that free debate is shrinking. Any disloyalty or criticism of military aid to Ukraine or NATO is framed as being “pro-Russian,” stifling pluralism.

Governments justify centralizing more power because of war and once this power is gained, they are rarely given back — weakening checks & balances over time. During sanctions which create energy crises and inflation, the working middle class suffers the most. However, oligarchs and defense contractors profit immensely; people now put their trust in strong leaders.

Democracy requires informed consent of the governed — if trust in media collapses, citizens can’t distinguish propaganda from fact. This divides democracy, making it far easier to destabilize from within. Also a black-and-white framing of news undermines nuanced debate, making citizens seeing the world as Democracies vs. Autocracies. This polarization paralyzes legislatures, erodes trust in institutions, and makes compromise nearly impossible. This has fueled a resurgence of democratic fatigue where voters feel their needs are ignored while elites prioritize geopolitics. Democracy thrives on pluralism, but wartime geopolitics demand conformity.

The Ukraine war erodes Western democracy not because of Ukraine itself, but because of how Western governments respond to it. This creates a democracy that is democratic in form, but authoritarian in practice — where citizens still vote, but trust, freedoms, and accountability are quietly drained.

Unlike the Vietnam war, which was reported by reporters from television, involving an intermediary whose narrative supported the Western government's anti-communist agenda, reflecting the Domino Theory, today this intermediary, or middle man, who was able to insert common sense into reporting no longer exists. This has left a fertile breeding ground for new ideologies to form; both in censorship or new political opinions. Putin does not want to invade neighboring countries, but is greatly concerned with how Russia is being boxed in by NATO.
In this interview by American Reporter Tucker Carlson, he expains this directly to the reporter.



The rise of Authoritarian Populist Parties in the West
The economic rise of both China and Russia, once considered full communist countries, are now considered authoritarian regimes. As this wave begins sweeping over western democracies, it is becoming known as authoritarian populism.

According to the University of Sydney, authoritarian populist parties have gained votes and seats in many countries, and entered government in states as diverse as Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. Even in Europe, their average share of the vote in parliamentary elections is still limited. However, it has more than doubled since the 1960s and their share of seats tripled.

According to Freedom House, only in the last five years (roughly 2020-2025) alone, several countries have seen their democratic systems deteriorate. They state the decline in democracy is a product of 16 consecutive years of decline in global freedom. A total of 60 countries suffered declines over the past year, while only 25 improved. As of today, some 38 percent of the global population live in Not Free countries, the highest proportion since 1997. Only about 20 percent now live in Free countries.

According to EIU.com While autocracies seem to be gaining strength, as shown by the index trend since 2006, the world’s democracies are struggling.

HIGHLY Recommended Reading
State of the world 2024: 25 years of autocratization – democracy trumped? Marina Nord et al. Mar 2025.

Solutions

Institutional Safeguards
Strong Rule of Law – Independent courts and watchdog agencies must uphold constitutional limits on government power and not be bullied or blackmailed into submission by parties with ulterior motives.

Regular Maintenance of Checks & Balances – Parliaments, congresses, and local governments must resist power grabs and defend their roles. They should be aware of methods of distraction that are used to seize power.

Free Press Protection – Ensure independent media cannot be easily silenced, controlled, or monopolized. Better laws and watchdog groups must help protect independent media.

Support Fair Elections – Safeguards against voter suppression, gerrymandering, or tampering through independent election commissions.

Civil Society & Citizen Power
Civic Education – Emphasize democratic values in early childhood education, critical thinking, and media literacy to resist propaganda.

Better Grassroots Mobilization – Organize peaceful protests, petitions, unions, and NGOs to build collective resistance.

Create Community Networks – Local engagement reduces reliance on centralized authority and builds resilience.

Create and Support Whistleblower Protection Programs – Encourage insiders to expose corruption and abuses without fear or reprimand.

Psychological Defense
Be aware of when Fear Politics Tactics are being used– Authoritarians thrive on us vs. them narratives; which breeds division, which than creates fake empathy that is used against the opposition.

Promote Inclusion – Societies less divided along ethnic, religious, or class lines are harder to manipulate or destroy from within.

Create Methods and Technologies that Counter Disinformation – Thoroughly fact-check and expose falsehoods that have been purposely spread to justify authoritarian moves. Trace and expose the parties responsible for such behaviour.

International & Reputation Pressure
Alliances for Democracy – Democracies supporting each other diplomatically and economically.

Impose Sanctions on Authoritarian Leaders and their Supporting Countries – Focus on targeting the corrupt elites rather than the working populations.

Clearer Global Transparency – Support investigative journalism and cross-border truth-sharing.



Closing summary
The law of distraction is being played out in plain view. Always watch what the left hand is doing, when the right hand is creating distractions to further its agenda. Putin does not want peace, but to prolong the war and educate democracy; to make it a history lesson in Russian textbooks. This is obvious in the numerous peace talks that have failed over the past few months. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a tool, a puppet, controlled by forces with an agenda to subdue democracy and further an authoritarian regime agenda. As the old saying goes - What you hate, you eventually become.



Closing Questions
What you resist pesists. Russia and China are no longer viewed as communist countries. However Vietnam, is now one of the few most communist countries. If the Vietnam war had never happened, would Vietnam still be communit today?

If the U.S. had not got involved in Ukraine, would we be seeing Putin's name in the news on average every 12 hours?


When something is glorified, or talked about often enough, it creates a statement about the way things ought to be. This occurs because it elevates its perceived importance or desirability, making it seem like a model for others to follow or emulate
or follow; even if the reality is more complex.

Article Written by Scott Rauvers

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