Global corruption fight faltering as rule of law declines: Watchdog
Al JazeeraFEB 2024
Report: Global Corruption Uptick Due to 'Weakening Justice Systems'
Image copyright: Matt Cardy/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
As authoritarianism grows around the world, anti-corruption mechanisms are dwindling. This is shown especially in Central Asia — a canary in the global corruption coal mine — where democracy has been on the decline, and police, prosecutors, and courts are prevented from holding the powerful to account. If anti-corruption mechanisms are not put in place, this culture of impunity for the powerful will only worsen.
Narrative B
A report of newfound corruption in Europe should come as no surprise. Since the 1990s, the EU has endured corrupt election supervision systems and pay-for-play sanctions policies, among other scandals. To say Europe and Western powers have only recently become corrupt is an absolute understatement — all too often actors from these countries are the ones facilitating corruption in the Global South.