Freedom, democracy, and human rights have always been rare. Dictatorship is the rule. Yet there have been democratic flowerings, as in the 1990s, after the Soviet Union collapsed. The weather is now cold. Strongmen are in the saddle, riding high.

There are individuals and organizations that chart such things. Freedom in the world has declined for 14 straight years, according to Freedom House. If there is good news, it is this: People resist this decline, heroically (and often fatally).

What do we mean by “freedom,” or “democracy,” or “human rights”? The basics, really: freedom of expression; freedom of worship; the rule of law; competitive elections, with genuine choice; the right not to live in fear of a midnight knock at the door.

Here and now, I will not do a proper tour d’horizon. That would take a small book, not a brief piece. But maybe a whirlwind tour, hitting some critical spots? Fifty years ago, there was a movie: If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium — or Benin?

Last year, that West African nation held parliamentary elections. Without opposition parties, effectively. Protests against this development were banned. The Internet was blocked on Election Day. But the picture was brighter in Mauritania: That nation conducted its first-ever peaceful transfer of power.

In East Africa, Omar Bashir was at last kicked out. He ruled Sudan for 30 years. He is one of the most monstrous and murderous rulers of our time. To get him out, people massed in the streets, risking everything. Sudan has a long way to go before reaching democracy. But the country is on a hopeful path.

Ethiopia is a curious case. Last year, its prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, won the Nobel Peace Prize. He won it for good reason, or reasons: He had made peace with Eritrea and dramatically liberalized at home. Yet, as I write, Ethiopia is practically in civil war, with mass slaughter feared.

To the north, Egypt is a sad case, and an outrageous one. Egypt is the largest Arab state, by far, and the most important one — culturally and politically. Egypt has long known oppression. But the current strongman, General Sisi, has pushed the country down to a new level. Civil society is virtually abolished.

There are some 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt. People are tortured to death, routinely. Sometimes their names make the news: Shady Habash, a young filmmaker; Giulio Regeni, an Italian doctoral student; Mustafa Kassem, a U.S. citizen who had returned to Egypt to see his family.

In 2018, General Sisi was “reelected,” with 97 percent of the vote. (Why not 98?) His nominal opponent was a faithful supporter of his, acting the stooge.

The big country in the Gulf is Saudi Arabia. Three years ago, Mohammed bin Salman was named crown prince. There were hopes for him as a liberal reformer, and there still are. Yet there are new political prisoners to go with the old. One of the “old” is Raif Badawi, who blogged in favor of human rights. One of the “new” is Loujain al-Hathloul, who also asked for human rights.

They are imprisoning women now, such as Loujain. The reports of torture — including rape, of course — are as credible as they are unbearable.

The world was fascinated by the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. There was a bone saw! And yet the excitement quickly wears off; yawns set in. Asked who should be held accountable for the murder of this well-known journalist, President Trump said, “Maybe the world should be held accountable, because the world is a vicious place.” That is the attitude of millions.

For rays of democratic hope in the Arab world, look to the Maghreb — to Tunisia and Algeria, in particular.

In Iran, the ayatollahs and their administrators have ruled since 1979. From time to time, people rise up, taking to the streets, demanding their rights. They did so last year. The regime puts these protests down, killing as many as necessary. Someday, the regime’s luck will run out — but when?

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been atop Turkey since 2003. There is democratic activity beneath him — mayoral elections, for example. But nationally, Erdogan’s grip is tighter than ever. His Turkey is the world’s leading jailer of journalists — outpacing China, Egypt, Iran, etc.

Have a Turkish joke: A prisoner goes to the prison library, to request a book. The librarian says, “We don’t have the book. But we have its author.”

Keep an eye on India, the largest democracy in the world. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, is a Hindu nationalist, and this nationalism finds expression in curbs on minority groups, especially Muslims.

In China, the Communist Party has made Xi Jinping ruler for life. He is presiding over the most oppressive period in China since the Cultural Revolution (1966–76). To go with the old gulag archipelago, there is a new gulag archipelago, especially designed for Xinjiang Province. More than a million Uyghurs have been thrown into these camps.

Economic liberalization is followed by political liberalization. This is a law of political science. China is defying this law, at least for now.

Hong Kong was supposed to enjoy autonomy for 50 years — starting in 1997, when the British handed the city over to Beijing. “One country, two systems,” was the slogan. By the look of it, Hong Kong’s autonomy will not see its 25th birthday. But Hong Kongers, millions of them, are putting up a glorious fight.

Taiwan is a Chinese democracy. This is a rebuke to the Communists, and they know it. They will wipe away this insult, if they can. As Taiwan stands in contrast to the “People’s Republic,” South Korea stands in contrast to North Korea. The North is on its third dictator from a Communist dynasty — father to son to grandson. Will there be a fourth? No one, at this stage, would rule it out.

Hun Sen, the Cambodian strongman, has ruled since 1985. Rodrigo Duterte, of the Philippines, is relatively new. He was elected in 2016, at the age of 71. A taste of him and his rule can be had in the following statement: “Just because you’re a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination, if you’re a son of a bitch.” One of the bravest journalists in the Philippines is Maria Ressa. She has been arrested, tried, and convicted — but not yet sentenced, or killed.

Move to Latin America, and to that bludgeoned island, Cuba. The Communists have ruled Cuba since 1959 — in the person of two Castros. Possibly, there will be a third (maybe Raúl’s son, Alejandro). Cubans prop up the dictatorship in Venezuela, as do the Russians, Chinese, and Iranians. Venezuela provides an amazing example of “birds of a feather.”

It also provides an amazing example — a stunning one — of how it can all go wrong: how a prosperous, democratic country can slide into tyranny and starvation. It began with Hugo Chávez’s mesmeric populism.

A mini-Chávez, Evo Morales, was chased from Bolivia last year. He had tried to grab a fourth presidential term. People filled the streets, in democratic revolt. Daniel Ortega hangs on in Nicaragua: an impressive, sickening example of longevity in power.

While you are keeping an eye on India, keep the other one on Mexico — another large, important democracy. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a.k.a. AMLO, was elected president in 2018. He is a master populist, probably as talented as Chávez. And he is cementing a personal rule.

Vladimir Putin has been in power for 20 years. He is bent on ruling Russia for life. Last year, he cleared out a few constitutional obstacles. As Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian democracy advocate, pointed out, “dictatorship and term limits rarely go together.”

The opposition to Putin is inspiring. Consider Sergei Mokhnatkin, a human-rights activist. Repeatedly arrested, repeatedly tortured, he died in May. They had broken his spine. A fellow activist, Alexei Polikhovich, observed, “There was a man who lived like a little sparrow stuck in the throat of a snake.”

In Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko was first elected in 1994 — legitimately. (Most of them are elected legitimately, the first time.) He has stolen elections ever since. The latest theft occurred in August. Belarusians are still on the streets, protesting. Lukashenko told them, “Until you kill me, there will not be any more elections.” It is he who is doing the killing.

Let’s name just one victim, a brave fellow, 31 years old: Roman Bondarenko. He was a former soldier, and an artist, and a democracy protester. Beaten to death by his government’s agents. His countrymen mourned him with great emotion.

Alexander Lukashenko is known as “the last dictator in Europe.” How is Europe in general faring, by the way? Is the continent a bulwark of democracy? That is a nervous-making question, to be taken up another time.

As anti-democrats are in alliance with one another, democrats should be in alliance with one another. They should also argue for their values: their principles, their ideals, their record, worldwide. These arguments should not have to be made, you might object. They are self-evident. Like it or not, they do have to be made, because old people forget, and new people are born.

Also, democracy needs leadership. Champions. People look to the United States — even now — for better or worse. On October 23, Joe Biden tweeted,

64 years ago today, freedom-loving Hungarians revolted against communist rule. Their spirit inspired the Prague Spring, Poland’s Solidarity movement, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. As president, I’ll always stand in defense of democracy and freedom at home and around the world.

That would be something.­­