The United States has been added to the Civicus Monitor Watchlist, a global index tracking countries experiencing a rapid decline in civic freedoms. The international civil rights watchdog Civicus announced on Monday that the US now joins the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy, Pakistan, and Serbia on the first watchlist of 2025. The inclusion signals growing concerns about democratic erosion in one of the world’s most influential nations.
The Civicus Monitor assesses civic freedoms in 198 countries, categorizing them as open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed, or closed. The US, currently rated as “narrowed,” has seen growing restrictions on the rights to peaceful assembly, expression, and association. According to Civicus co-secretary general Mandeep Tiwana, the situation has worsened significantly in recent months. “Restrictive executive orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics by senior officials are creating an atmosphere that chills democratic dissent, a core American value,” Tiwana said.
The Trump Administration’s Role in the Decline
Civicus attributed the US’s addition to the watchlist largely to the actions of the Trump administration. The organization warned that the administration’s policies threaten to “severely impact constitutional freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression, and association.” The watchdog pointed to mass dismissals of federal employees, the appointment of Trump loyalists in key government positions, and the withdrawal from major international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Human Rights Council. Additionally, the administration’s decision to freeze federal and foreign aid and dismantle USAID has sparked concerns about global democratic backsliding.
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Beyond policy decisions, Civicus highlighted the crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters and unprecedented restrictions on media access to presidential briefings as direct threats to democratic accountability. The report described these actions as an “unparalleled attack on the rule of law” not seen “since the days of McCarthyism in the twentieth century.” Tiwana cautioned that these measures not only undermine domestic freedoms but also send a dangerous message to authoritarian regimes worldwide.
US Civic Freedoms in Decline
The US’s current “narrowed” civic space rating means that while citizens can still exercise their rights, violations occur with increasing frequency. During Biden’s tenure, this classification remained unchanged, but Civicus warns that the country is once again edging toward the “obstructed” category—a rating it held during Trump’s first term.
The previous downgrade under Trump’s administration stemmed from the government’s handling of Black Lives Matter protests and restrictive state laws targeting environmental justice activism. Civicus researchers have observed similar patterns emerging again, suggesting a growing trend of suppressing dissent. While the Trump administration has publicly expressed support for free speech, Tiwana argued that the government seems to “only support these rights for people who they see as agreeing with them.”
A Warning for Global Democracy
The US has long positioned itself as a defender of democratic principles, both domestically and abroad. “Historically, the US has been considered the beacon of democracy and defense of fundamental freedoms,” Tiwana noted. However, he warned that recent actions by the administration could embolden authoritarian governments and weaken global democratic institutions. “These moves erode the checks and balances essential to democracy and empower those who want to accumulate power and increase their wealth and their ability to stay in power for as long as possible.”
Civicus called on the US government to uphold the rule of law and respect both constitutional and international human rights norms. The organization’s assessment suggests that the country is at a critical juncture. If current trends continue, the US risks further democratic erosion, potentially losing its long-held status as a model for civic freedoms. “We urge the United States to uphold the rule of law and respect constitutional and international human rights norms,” Tiwana concluded.