Democracies are backsliding and freedom is increasingly under threat across the globe . And the U.S. government has directed its embassies to watch in silence. That silence is not neutral—it is a green light to authoritarian regimes and it undermines our nation’s values and our global standing. By abdicating our role as a global champion of democracy, we are abandoning our allies in the global fight for freedom. For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations have understood that