Autocrats, alternative facts & dystopian futures

Ian Explains: Autocrats, Alternative Facts & Dystopian Futures | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

It's a fact that can be hard to swallow: even the most brutal of dictators can be democratically elected. Many voters, it turns out, like autocrats. So how popular are anti-democratic movements in some of the world's strongest democracies? More so than you might think. And it's a trend that's growing.

Watch the episode: Authoritarianism's Enduring Appeal: Anne Applebaum Discusses

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How worried should we be about falling birth rates around the world? For years, experts have been sounding the alarm about overpopulation and the strain on global resources, so why is population decline necessarily a bad thing? On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, demographic expert Jennifer Sciubba, President & CEO of the Population Reference Bureau, warns governments are “decades behind” in preparing for a future that’s certain to come: one where the global population starts decreasing and societies, on average, are much older.

People gather ahead of a march to the parliament in protest of the Treaty Principles Bill, in Wellington, New Zealand, November 19, 2024.
REUTERS/Lucy Craymer

Over the past few days you might have seen that viral clip of New Zealand lawmakers interrupting a legislative session with a haka -- the foot-stamping, tongue-wagging, eyes-bulging, loud-chanting ceremonial dance of the nation’s indigenous Maori communities.

FILE PHOTO: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump greet each other at a campaign event sponsored by conservative group Turning Point USA, in Duluth, Georgia, U.S., October 23, 2024.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo/File Photo

With world leaders descending upon Brazil this week for the annual G20 summit, the specter of Donald Trump’s return looms all around.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a copy of the Wall Street Journal while speaking at a Trump for President campaign rally at the Jacksonsville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida.
REUTERS

Donald Trump won the White House on a promise to turn around the US economy. Now, he’s struggling to appoint a lieutenant to tackle the job.

A ragpicker searches for garbage as he walks through railway tracks on a smoggy morning in New Delhi, India on November 4, 2023.

(Photo by Kabir Jhangiani/NurPhoto)

50: Particulate matter in the air over Delhi reached 50 times the safe level on Monday, causing the Indian government to close schools, halt construction, and bar certain trucks from entering the capital.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin poses with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during a courtesy call at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, November 18, 2024.
Gerard Carreon/Pool via REUTERS

Manila’s top defense official Gilberto Teodoro signed a treaty with the US on Monday that will allow the Philippines to access more closely-held military intelligence and purchase more advanced technology to defend itself from China.

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Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: From China to Canada, the world is gearing up for significant strategic shifts under Donald Trump's administration. According to Ian Bremmer, countries are eager to avoid crosswires with the US. In this Quick Take, Ian explains how these geopolitical moves are unfolding.

United States President Joe Biden, right, and US President-elect Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a change to Moscow’s nuclear doctrine on Tuesday in response to US President Joe Biden’s decision to lift a ban on Ukraine using US-supplied long-range missiles on targets inside Russia.

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On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with Jennifer Sciubba to explore a looming global crisis: population collapse. With fertility rates below replacement levels in two-thirds of the world, what does this mean for the future of work, healthcare, and retirement systems? In the US, Vice President-Elect JD Vance and Elon Musk are already sounding the alarm, the latter saying it's “a much bigger risk” to civilization than global warming. Can governments do anything to stop it?