From the paradigm of liberal democracy and human rights to neo-authoritarian models as the basis for the new world order

Abstract

The editorial, which serves as an introduction to volume 43, number 83 of Cuestiones Políticas, analyzes the decline of the liberal world order established by the West since the end of the Cold War, arguing that we are facing a historic transition in which Western hegemony, based on democracy and human rights, is losing legitimacy and influence in the face of the rise of neo-authoritarian models promoted by powers such as China and Russia. The text emphasizes that, while the promises of freedom and democratic pluralism are being emptied of content, new technologies are enabling the consolidation of systems of surveillance and social control that turn citizens into managed subjects, erasing the classic boundary between national security and respect for fundamental rights. In this scenario, authoritarian superpowers are restructuring the international architecture under the logic of efficiency, order, and concentrated power, relegating both multilateral organizations and emancipatory movements. The essay concludes that this transformation represents a philosophical and civilizational challenge, raising the essential question about the future of human dignity and freedom in a world subject to the totalizing logic of digital control and raison d’état.