News & Politics

How to Build a Global Pro-Democracy Movement | Yordanos Eyoel | TED

“Democracy is the most compelling vision we have for self-governance,” says freedom advocate Yordanos Eyoel. Taking a stand against predatory and opportunist authoritarian forces, she shares how to reimagine, accelerate and protect the pro-democracy movement — to build societies that are both functional and inclusive. If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become…

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“Democracy is the most compelling vision we have for self-governance,” says freedom advocate Yordanos Eyoel. Taking a stand against predatory and opportunist authoritarian forces, she shares how to reimagine, accelerate and protect the pro-democracy movement — to build societies that are both functional and inclusive.

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71 Comments

  1. @anonymoussource7999

    December 22, 2023 at 9:48 am

    Regime change in the guise of “Democracy” in order to strengthen U.S. global imperialism , the billionaire and corporate elite. Regime change in Latin America and Africa so we can pillage and plunder their natural resources so Americans can enjoy their capitalist luxuries.

    “The AuthoritArian Playbook”….
    -Undermining institutions
    -Spreading disinformation
    -Exploiting racial and religious differences
    -Weaponizing fear
    -Stoking political violence

    LOL… sounds a lot like the U.S. playbook to me.

    Maybe if the U.S. were serious about pro-democracy, they could first start working on Apartheid-Israhell.

  2. @grdfhrghrggrtwqqu

    December 22, 2023 at 9:48 am

    ted needs to stop being woke, this is just laughable at this point

    • @denizdix

      December 22, 2023 at 11:36 am

      If “being democratic” is woke, then I guess I’ll become woke, too.

  3. @kenbrownnyc

    December 22, 2023 at 9:50 am

    By “democracy” you mean capitalism … if that’s your plan .. it won’t work. And, The U.S. is not a democracy, it’s a fascist oligarchy.

  4. @karenreaves3650

    December 22, 2023 at 10:07 am

    Blacks Law definition of Democracy is Monarchy.

    • @geoffreyallenperdue

      December 22, 2023 at 11:45 am

      And That is another reason why the United States is a Constitutional Republic

    • @MrSummerblade

      December 22, 2023 at 4:41 pm

      The Law Dictionary: ‘That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens; as distinguished from a monarchy,aristocracy, or oligarchy.’

      Black’s is about a century out of date.

      Read some history anyway, from the reforms of Cleisthenes in 509BC onwards

  5. @johnf906

    December 22, 2023 at 10:13 am

    Great 👍 my Ethiopian sister

  6. @meanderinoranges

    December 22, 2023 at 10:29 am

    Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner. Democracy is worthless unless you first guarantee the government won’t infringe upon the rights of the minorities.

  7. @abdisamicyasin3034

    December 22, 2023 at 10:43 am

    Like the democracy usa brought to iraq and Afghanistan.

    • @geoffreyallenperdue

      December 22, 2023 at 11:44 am

      Hmm

      I wonder how they were beforehand..?

      No wars, murders, rapes- things that have been present throughout all human history?

      No? Just perfect people living in paradise?

      Cmon..

    • @abdisamicyasin3034

      December 22, 2023 at 12:01 pm

      @@geoffreyallenperdue even most pro west agree … saddam Iraq Era was more stable and safer rather than now.
      There was no isis neither al qeada before 2003 in Iraq.

    • @K4R3N

      December 22, 2023 at 12:17 pm

      Remember when USA the “greatest democracy” had slavery. And didn’t give women rights either.

  8. @GGGGrkdiskwhhwjjdhdjd

    December 22, 2023 at 10:54 am

    Single digit iq

  9. @moebaby2007

    December 22, 2023 at 11:25 am

    What does democracy mean?
    As an American, I don’t believe we have one here.

    • @geoffreyallenperdue

      December 22, 2023 at 11:41 am

      We are a Constitutional Republic.

      ‘and to The Republic for which it stands..’

  10. @worldtotheend

    December 22, 2023 at 11:41 am

    So you are from Ethiopia. You come to America and then says the answer is Democracy? I think you should travel to more countries and learn world history a bit more from different angles. Even the UNSC voting is hopeless. I thought TED should have brought non-mainstream and thought provoking ideas into light. I missed TED talk in the past.

  11. @geoffreyallenperdue

    December 22, 2023 at 11:46 am

    Just Say NO to Globalism

  12. @HavojonNormatova

    December 22, 2023 at 12:15 pm

    Cool😊

  13. @K4R3N

    December 22, 2023 at 12:16 pm

    Maybe USA can stop interfering with foreign democracies. See “Killing Hope”

  14. @barbarahunc1357

    December 22, 2023 at 12:25 pm

    ‘Democracy is a verb, not a noun’
    Human civilization was build upon cooperation not fear.

  15. @nuppyup

    December 22, 2023 at 12:25 pm

    Innovative Pro-Democracy movements are already all over the world. Glad to hear this today. May the light of reason grow and prevail. Thank you for this inspiring talk.

  16. @arnswine

    December 22, 2023 at 1:05 pm

    Unfortunately, in addition to a spirit of social cooperation and the logic of majority rule, sustainable democracy requires accumulation of, organization of, protection of, and reasonable access to reliable “truth” as it evolves over time. The USA once had a decent system of publishers, librarians, libraries, and public schools to support informed voting. Now it doesn’t. It can take 400 years to build a cathedral, but only a second to destroy. Information is like that. No democracy that protects lying as a minor side-effect of free speech will survive loss of accurate public information.

  17. @amarpm1704

    December 22, 2023 at 1:29 pm

    Every human being got good and bad from birth. And every human being activates good or bad according to the surrounding environment. So, if power holding politicians and crowny capitalists buy media and threatens judiciary and executive by law making power, citizens will only receive bad things and their bad portion gets activated as they can’t think of any other thing even exist. That’s why they fall in trap of choosing authoritarians without knowing they are doing bad for themselves. This needs to be changed by ourselves for ourselves. I think Web3 technology has all the potential to do it without any physical movement and Just by techie silent movement. Education in Web3 is the key.

  18. @trnogger

    December 22, 2023 at 1:42 pm

    I am a huge fan of modern democracy (duh) but it’s a bit frustrating that after our world went through several revolutionary changes to communication and society we still haven’t come up with something better. The ideologies running our world are all from a time when most people had only minimal access to information or education, where communication was mostly limited to the people living nearby and the vast majority of people were earning their livelihood on farms or in factories. Today we are living in a world where people all over the world can read this comment a few seconds after I post it, where I can see people from the other side of the world giving TED Talks and a vast majority of people (in developed countries at least) have received a level of education that would have made you one of the most knowledgeable person around when these ideologies appeared. And maybe that’s why democracy is falling apart everywhere. Maybe it is just to old for the world we live in.

  19. @mrfreeze13

    December 22, 2023 at 2:28 pm

    It all boils down to capitalism. While we wear gold chains and diamonds we will never achieve justice and equality

  20. @haoshanduan6314

    December 22, 2023 at 2:34 pm

    Does that mean color revolution 😂?

  21. @Ausf

    December 22, 2023 at 2:47 pm

    Democracy is fine when people are voting on things that are more or less acceptable to all people, but when it comes to things that are unacceptable to half the population, democracy simply doesn’t work.

  22. @ClockworkAvatar

    December 22, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    you make democracy actually effective, term limits, actually scrutinize your politicians and remove the money from politics. anyone who really wants to be in charge probably shouldn’t be.

  23. @wongkoewei9829

    December 22, 2023 at 7:58 pm

    This movement should be called Pro American Movement or Pro US movement instead. Any country that oppose US will be branded as not democratic

  24. @skroftruth

    December 22, 2023 at 8:18 pm

    If people don’t feel like they can trust the results of an election, how do we ensure that democracy is truly being protected?

    • @user-bb7zv9ut8q

      December 23, 2023 at 6:41 pm

      Какая разница кто будет выбран? То что имеет значение это способность избирателей уволить допустившего критическую ошибку представителя власти.

  25. @LucasDias-mr6tz

    December 22, 2023 at 9:05 pm

    I am from Brazil and I sad: Bolsonaro was the horst thing for the brazilian democracy.
    Lula, is not a new Nelson Mandela, but was necessary for our democracy.

  26. @luyzqint3760

    December 22, 2023 at 9:34 pm

    Well, the US government uses USAID to change governments that don’t do as the US dictates, they pay-off News outlets in those countries to publish negative articles of their government if they don’t agree the US companies have a favorable deals or if not allowed to access their natural resources.

    In another words: what kind of democracy we are talking about 🤷‍♂️

  27. @stevejordan7275

    December 22, 2023 at 10:12 pm

    Wow! Yes! Sign me up!
    Wait…no action items? No Next Steps? Not even a web domain?
    Guess I’ll have to do my own research.

  28. @truhhhhhhhokIII3

    December 22, 2023 at 10:23 pm

    I agree with everything she is saying…except it’s Authoritarian…not Authoritorian and it was bothering me so much. Its not even her accent, it just isnt spelt that way nor phonetically

  29. @LeeCarlson

    December 22, 2023 at 10:51 pm

    Democracy is only possible with impartial pro-sociality. And you won’t find it in 3/4 of the World. Maybe read some Frances Fukuyama or Joseph Henrich.

  30. @mariaantoniettamontella9173

    December 23, 2023 at 4:52 am

    condivido👏

  31. @dagabeinator

    December 23, 2023 at 6:46 am

    “How to brainwash the third world in a way that serves American interests”

  32. @sjman7952

    December 23, 2023 at 9:58 am

    Pro-Democracy? Can anyone define ‘Democracy’ for me? Is the USA’s a democracy? Have the needs and wants of Americans been served by American democracy? The speaker had the galls to admit democracy today is ‘not perfect’; but it was simply an attempt to deflect and mislead. Can she honestly answer on the spectrum of imperfect to perfect, at which point is democracy ‘good enough’? And who has the authority to decide the point of ‘good enough’? Joe Biden or Donald Trump? What about Ebrahim Raisi – does he have the right to determine an Iranian democracy that’s good enough?

  33. @Ri4CTV

    December 23, 2023 at 10:45 am

    Hello Yordanos Eyoel,

    I was profoundly moved by your TED talk on building a global pro-democracy movement. Your journey, beginning with your childhood in Ethiopia, struck a deeply personal chord with me. Like you, I experienced the complexities of navigating a multi-ethnic identity under challenging circumstances. My family fled Vietnam when I was 14, escaping discrimination due to my Chinese heritage, a heritage I identified with only in ancestry, not in thought or culture.

    Your experiences resonate with me not just on a personal level, but also in the broader context of my work. My business partner, Alec Mustafayev, and I have been deeply engaged in developing Thumoslang, a linguistic framework born from the Thumos philosophy. This approach to language and communication is designed to foster clarity and precision, enhancing personal understanding and interpersonal connections.

    The culmination of our work is “The Seadragon Blueprint for Advancing Humanity,” a comprehensive collection that encapsulates both the theoretical and practical applications of Thumoslang. The Foresight Octet, part of this collection, provides a detailed exploration of these concepts. We believe that Thumoslang has the potential to significantly contribute to the global conversation on democracy, offering tools for clearer, more effective communication and understanding.

    Your insights into the global challenges of democracy and the need for inclusive, inspiring narratives align closely with the objectives of Thumoslang. I believe that our framework could be a valuable asset in your work, offering a new dimension to the ways in which we can articulate and share the principles of democracy, inclusivity, and community building.

    I would be honored to collaborate or provide more information on how Thumoslang could support your efforts in fostering a more robust and engaging pro-democracy narrative. I am confident that together, we can make significant strides in advancing the global pro-democracy movement, bringing clarity and unity to our collective efforts.

    Thank you for your inspiring work and for considering the potential of Thumoslang in your mission. I look forward to the possibility of contributing to a world where democracy is not only valued but also vividly and effectively communicated.

    Best regards,

    Nickantony Quach

  34. @rosangapachuau7841

    December 23, 2023 at 1:42 pm

    In Democracy, we elect leaders with a hope that they will fulfill our dreams. But once the people whom we elected are in power, we the people are always fooled by them.

    That’s why, though not 100% correct, I believe that whether in Autocracy, Democracy, Theocracy,etc, the success of a nation is deeply rooted in the person who rules country. If that person was honest and is filled with a great sense of justice, the country may progress.

  35. @paulschultz2751

    December 23, 2023 at 2:14 pm

    Anti democratic threats such as arresting your political opponents on trumpeted up charges? No pun intended. Or forcing private citizens to take an experimental product line or lose their jobs? Or forcing private businesses to censor and ban opposition voices on large platforms? Are those the threats you are concerned about?

  36. @harrypearle9781

    December 23, 2023 at 7:25 pm

    DEMOCRACY song of Leonard Cohen, 1992 : “Democracy is coming to the USA”
    Leonard Cohen predicted a new democracy movement, 30 years ago
    (Perhaps songs, like, DEMOCRACY, BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND, IF I HAD A HAMMER, can help)
    ========================================================================

  37. @harrypearle9781

    December 23, 2023 at 7:26 pm

    DEMOCRACY song of Leonard Cohen, 1992 : “Democracy is coming to the USA”
    Leonard Cohen predicted a new democracy movement, 30 years ago
    (Perhaps songs, like, DEMOCRACY, BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND, IF I HAD A HAMMER, can help)

  38. @harrypearle9781

    December 23, 2023 at 7:28 pm

    “Democracy” song of Leonard Cohen, 1992 : “Democracy is coming to the USA”
    Leonard Cohen predicted a new democracy movement, 30 years ago
    (Perhaps songs, like, Democracy, Blownin in the Wind, If I Had a Hammer, can help)
    ========================================================================

  39. @tomihercla5420

    December 24, 2023 at 1:31 pm

    Hola vengo a avisar noHola vengo a avisar que le hackearon el canal a tercioresumenes (no sé si lo conocen) hace poco porque de repente elimino todos sus video y eso vengo a informar por su alguien puede ayudar. Fue robado y se convirtió en este canal

  40. @rosemelania3156

    December 24, 2023 at 10:30 pm

    Democracy is now just theory and just in the imagination of most politicians (my opion only)

  41. @chrisalex001

    December 25, 2023 at 4:06 am

    This is a very important topic so I’ll ask, how do you define democracy? Who would promote (decoded = lead – [decoded = control]) democracy globally as these platforms begin to expand? What do you mean by institutions, only political, or also educational? Do you perceive or believe that political and educational institutions are without faults? That last question does not imply that I like the anarchist, gun violence filled mentality that most Americans subscribe to, just to clarify. What ideology guides the ideas and thoughts these platforms will incite in individuals? As a political scientist, you know extremely well that constituents and simply most people neither have the inclination, education, or the capacity to properly use tools to enact any true kind of democratic participation in society, not in the true sense. Any denial of that is deliberately deceptive on your part. If all you are referring to is promoting ending discrimination of minority groups and gender, I can get behind that. However, when speaking about the entire world, things do get far more complex and questions need answering. Please define pro-democracy after defining Democracy itself. You understand very well that power dynamics in the world are far more sinister and complicated than mere platforms can dissolve. Therefore, your message reads more like a propaganda to expand a leftist point of view of the world under the umbrella of democracy (leftists indicated in the omission of what you did not say, please don’t insult my intelligence by denying that [and I’m not referring to Trump, screw him. I’m referring to the fact that you did not clarify who the authoritarian class is). Few people in history are more disqualified from becoming president than Donald Trump, and propagating fear is also a very well know tactic that conservatives and Libertarians in particular love to employ. When you mentioned Authoritarian groups, however, are you referring to them, or to the elites that lobby those political parties? I ask because Political Scientists love to come up with creative terms like Command Economy to refer to what they deem the poor handling of a Communist State in places like Cuba. However, in reality it is important to be direct and precise in what your language describes because without precision, very important things are left out like for example, would the world be truly democratic if unbalanced voices are simply cancelled until they hopefully disappear, or would it create more polarity and backlash years later, as Trump has evidenced with his mere presence in the political sphere and ex-presidency. I understand that this comment is pointless here on youtube since you probably won’t read it, but I guess I’m lazy and just wanted to respond here. I hope it is clear that I am not a radical leftists or on the radical right. I, however, have been vaccinated against the propagation of ideals without substance, eloquent beautiful proposals that hide many things beneath. The only reason I even considered writing this one big question of a message is that you are also an economist.

    So here is my big question in simple plain language: What do you mean by democracy and the act of being pro-democratic? What train of thought is going to lead people in their democratic quest, particularly in placed that have no history of democracy, of even the very concept itself? The answer is not simply common sense. You know very well that no ideology is totally absent of fallacies and absolutist projections for the ideal society. The real world asks us to make things work by asking questions and answering them. That, I believe is the true foundation of any democratic system. Most of humanity isn’t even truly ready to do that clearly and objectively yet. Therefore, your whole presentation raises further questions, like Hermes from Futurama would say.

    Again, what are you truly promoting here? This question is not coming from the right to try to disprove or belittle the left. And I know that such terms are also distasteful in political scientists circles. They see themselves as far more sophisticated and eloquent than that. However, as soon as I watched this video I wondered many things because you are literally saying nothing at all specifically.

    • @zinanxiao3231

      December 26, 2023 at 1:38 am

      Sir/Madam, as I 16-year-old teenager, I really want to express my appreciation of your insightful comment. You have sparked my reflection upon democracy and the prevailing but hollowed slogan of eliminating discrimination and authoritarianism. I hope that you would keep sharing your views on various social issues, our world needs your voice.

  42. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:02 am

    For your commitment, we say THANK YOU! We all have a role to play in Keeping the Promise of the Global Goals

  43. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:03 am

    For understanding and for everything, we say THANK YOU! We need your reconciliation🙏

  44. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:03 am

    For your support, we say THANK YOU! If each of us has a role to play in protecting our planet🌏

  45. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:05 am

    Ted..♥

    Thank you for every smile
    Thank you for every moment
    Thank you for every memory

    Our promise still stands, connecting minds creating the future..!

  46. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:06 am

    For your contribution, we say THANK YOU! We need your recommendation..🙏

  47. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:07 am

    For every spirit and motivation, we say THANK YOU! We need your resolution🙏

  48. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:09 am

    Ted..♥

    For your love and kindness, we say THANK YOU! And you have my respect and appereciation..🙏

  49. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    December 25, 2023 at 10:10 am

    For your solidarity, we say THANK YOU! We need your re-actions..!

  50. @shawkigahrani9589

    December 25, 2023 at 10:57 am

    Thank you very much. Your channel is very great. 😊

  51. @khairulmufidzzain191

    December 25, 2023 at 11:45 am

    semangat

  52. @azerty8866

    December 25, 2023 at 1:57 pm

    I think the western democrats are stuck in the ww2 times. is this why they keep calling the successful non western leaders hitlers? or is it because countries like usa have a fake democracy?

  53. @azerty8866

    December 25, 2023 at 1:57 pm

    I think the western democrats are stuck in the ww2 times. is this why they keep calling the successful non western leaders hitler? or is it because countries like usa have a fake democracy?

  54. @azerty8866

    December 25, 2023 at 2:01 pm

    just look at what the western democrats are doing in ukraine. where is your democracy? your democracy is a lie. from what I have seen the western democracy creates tribes, that like to fight each other, in stead of reuniting people. what country would want that?

  55. @Ts18762

    December 25, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    It can only be achieved when the US stops staging coups and overthrowing elected governments for their own interests. They just want to install amenable leaders in the name of democracy.

  56. @brocandcara

    December 25, 2023 at 8:30 pm

    Shadow work aka Inner Healing naturally allows ALL of us to gather without Triggered emotions (the way the Elite control us) = now we can look at everyones concerns – including those who want to “build a wall” without mocking – but truly compassionately listen and crate a republic

  57. @marklee7041

    December 25, 2023 at 11:59 pm

    The United States has been using dirty means to force the world to accept its own most failed democratic system for more than half a century. American-style democracy has fundamentally had fatal flaws since its birth, but instead of improving and optimizing it, it was forced to improve it under forced circumstances. For example, the racial system and racial discrimination are incompatible with the democracy promoted by the United States. In fact, there are no cases around the world where American democracy has led to prosperity. Facts have proved that every country has different history, beliefs and culture, and each country must choose a system that suits itself. American-style democracy must first solve a series of problems such as racial discrimination, gender identity confusion, war mania, and extremely high crime rates before promoting this kind of democracy.

  58. @oseiriddleson5828

    December 26, 2023 at 6:18 am

    Learnt nothing new here, only the demonization of Trump and one bolsonario as authoritarian. Questioning election results now brands you authoritarian. It’s only in authoritarian societies that you’re supposed to accept what you’re given even if you have questions. Duuh.

  59. @guim_freitas

    December 27, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    Democracy won’t create demagogues if youth leaders are all from Great Universities in which scenarios they’ll apply relevant political science and sociology models.

  60. @justwanderin847

    December 28, 2023 at 2:55 pm

    The United States is a Republic not at democracy. Democracy leads to mob rule. We do not need world government.

  61. @villagecpa

    December 29, 2023 at 11:58 am

    Maybe start in the U.S. and STOP banning people you don’t like from being on the ballot. Just something to think about as you are lecturing everyone about “Democracy”…

  62. @MartinMartin-yi9to

    December 29, 2023 at 1:03 pm

    Democraty doesn’t work. Look what happens in Canada and the USA. They have very low voting and they vote between the same 2 opponent parties over and over again. So……..democraty doesn’t work.

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