Chaos Report: The Fall and Fall of Authoritarianism

From Bangladesh, Pakistan and India to Philippines and Beyond

The great thing about the 21st century, powered by digital technologies, is that we have been able to speed up the sense of time: from mail to email, online learning, instant shopping, and even the shorter shelf life of authoritarian leaders.

The wave of public unrest and challenges to the status quo powers in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Israel, Venezuela, and now Bangladesh all indicate the same trend: Decentralized systems exert more power than the tyranny of those who seek to cling to power indefinitely.

In Pakistan, army chiefs who once took years to be discredited, if ever, are now discredited the day they take office. Ferdinand Marcos Sr. ruled the Philippines for 14 years, but his son, Bongbong Marcos Jr., is struggling to complete his first presidency. Despite his global brand, PM Modi in India faces tremendous historical momentum against him.

An emerging world powered by decentralized technology systems runs entirely contrary to the traditional and centralized power structures that once produced and reinforced authoritarianism. With power now unstable and fluid, the question arises: What kind of bio-governance will replace the existing one?

One thing is for sure: the new governance model will have to be real-time and without a central human authority.