Democracy is embattled. That is the message of the latest United Nations Development Program report, released earlier this month. Skepticism about the prospect of a new world order -- destined to be more democratic -- has given way to a backlash that considers democracy too messy for the job of state building. That view is cynical and wrong. Old problems such as inequality and inefficiency persist, but they will always exist. The compromises that are urged upon us, the sacrifice of individual freedom for peace and security, reflect the narrow interests of those in power, desperate to protect their advantages. They must be rejected.

The end of the Cold War ushered in a new era of democracy around the world. Termination of the superpower standoff held out the promise of a golden age of human rights and individual freedom. The fragmentation of existing states followed as communities asserted their right to self-determination. According to the U.N. report, 81 countries embraced democracy in the last two decades of the 20th century.

Unfortunately, violence often followed as vested interests fought those new voices. Just as troubling, once a new leadership took office, it often became more interested in perpetuating its power than exercising it on behalf of its citizens. As a result, the U.N. Development Report estimates that only 47 of those 81 countries are considered full democracies today. That is part of a global trend. The U.N. notes that 140 countries hold multiparty elections, a historical high-water mark, but only 82 of a total of nearly 200 are considered full democracies.