John McCain is fond of saying, “It’s always darkest just before it goes totally black.” According to a February report by Amnesty International, human rights “reached a nadir” in 2015. Not quite. The past 12 months prove that even when you hit bottom, there is always room to sink.
Few recent years have been so unrelievedly grim when it comes to freedom and democracy as 2016. Retreat from the values of human liberty and dignity was the norm. The bleak trend blanketed the globe like volcanic ash.
Rare was the country showing progress. Even the United States succumbed to illiberal impulses—electing a president who takes leadership lessons from Vladimir Putin and Saddam Hussein, praises torture, wants to curb press freedom, and endorses surveillance of “Muslim neighborhoods.” Steven Chapman recaps a year of misery.
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