Free fall.

• Author: Sanchez, Julian
• Position: Data

Perhaps it's the "oil curse"--the phenomenon of despots who rely on oil revenues to preserve their power without democratic support. Maybe some of the blame rests with Islam's doctrinal union of din (faith) and dawlah (state). The West bears a share of the responsibility too: The U.S. sought to undermine secular nationalist leaders during the Cold War and brought together the best of the worst of the world's fanatical mujahedin for Operation Cyclone in Afghanistan.

Whatever the causes, the most recent survey conducted by the human rights group Freedom House reveals a stark contrast between the political trajectories of the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds. While the number of "free" countries in the...