Pushing norms and standards in politics, conflict and media to new extremes, leaders in every region of the world in 2016 and continuing into 2017 consolidated and expanded their powers at the expense of freedom and democracy.
From armed conflict and forced migration to the spread of misinformation and the rise of right-wing populism, the chaotic and disheartening developments of the year in many ways marked the new frontiers of global repression and inequality.