On March 10, the United States of America was added to the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist due to threats to civic freedoms under President Donald Trump’s Administration.
CIVICUS is an international non-profit global alliance of civil society organizations and activists working to strengthen civil society worldwide. The CIVICUS monitor tracks the state of global civic space through freedom of association, peaceful assembly, and expression in 198 countries and territories.
Interim Co-Secretary General of CIVICUS Mandeep Tiwana said the watchlist looks at “countries where we remain concerned about deteriorating civic space conditions, in relation to freedoms of peaceful assembly, association and expression.”
The decision to add the U.S. to the 2025 watchlist was made in response to what the alliance described as faltering civic freedoms, which it referred to as “the Trump administration’s assault on democratic norms and global cooperation.”
What has the Trump administration done?
Since taking office, Trump has dismantled the United States Agency for International Development, attacked and reversed hard-fought progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion, slashed federal funding for organizations supporting those most in need, stopped funding civil society organizations that help sexual and reproductive trans freedoms, and ordered the mass termination of federal government employees, including the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He has also cracked down on protests in several states against pro-Palestinian protestors, with 12 states introducing laws against protesting, as well as criminalizing the use of masks at demonstrations, which are widely used by protestors to conceal their identity as well as protect their faces from any potential attacks by armed officials, and withdrew from international efforts such as the World Health Organization and the UN Human Rights Council.
Additionally, Trump has now determined which media outlets have access to presidential press briefings. Associated Press journalists covering sensitive political topics are removed and barred from briefing, banned from White House events, and denied access to government officials. Concerns of unprecedented restrictions on public access to independent reporting continue to grow as Journalists have been facing intimidation threats.
These actions led us to the current CIVICUS rating of the U.S.: Narrowed. The CIVICUS Monitor classifies the state of civic spaces in countries using five ratings: Open, Narrowed, Obstructed, Repressed, and Closed.
“Restrictive Executive Orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the Administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal.”
Mandeep Tiwana
What do these five statuses mean?
Open is a country’s highest rating. An Open country has uncensored internet, police protect public protestors, and civilians are free to form associations and receive/impart information without restrictions. To be ‘open’ means that the country enables and safeguards the enjoyment of civic space for all people. Austria, Canada, Finland, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Uruguay are some of the 40 countries with the ‘open’ rating.
Narrowed is the second-highest rating for a country. A Narrowed country allows individuals to exercise their rights, but violations occur. Media can disseminate a wide range of information, but the government can undermine this freedom through strict regulation or by exerting political pressure. Protests are conducted peacefully but can be denied by authorities, sometimes with excessive force, which may include rubber bullets and tear gas, against peaceful demonstrators. Australia, Botswana, Chile, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, and the United States of America are some of the 42 countries with the Narrowed rating.
Obstructed is in the middle of the five ratings. An Obstructed country has a civic space that is heavily contested. Although civil society organizations exist, state authorities undermine them through the use of illegal surveillance, harassment, and demeaning public statements. Citizens can assemble peacefully but are vulnerable to excessive force, such as baton charges, tear gas, and rubber bullets. In an ‘obstructed’ country, there’s some space for editorial independence, but journalists risk physical attack and criminal defamation charges, encouraging self-censorship. Some 35 countries with an Obstructed rating include Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar, Serbia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Repressed is the second-lowest rating, meaning civic space is significantly restrained — those who criticize the higher power risk surveillance, harassment, imprisonment, injury, and death. Authorities target people who take part in peaceful demonstrations through excessive force, such as live ammunition and mass arrests. The media will typically reflect the state’s position, and any independent voice is targeted through raids or physical attacks. Websites and social media platforms are blocked. Internet activism is heavily monitored. Repressed is the most common rating with 51 countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, Haiti, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Closed is the lowest rating, which means the civic state is completely closed. Fear and violence prevail in Closed countries for people who attempt to exercise their rights to assemble peacefully, resulting in serious injury or murder. There is virtually no media freedom, the internet is heavily censored, and online criticism of power holders is subject to severe penalties. Closed is the rating with the fewest countries. Some of the 30 countries are Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Laos, North Korea, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Syria.
While the U.S. currently has a Narrowed rating, Tiwana notes that it is seemingly headed toward the Obstructed category, which it has not been in since 2020.
Tiwana said in a statement, “Restrictive Executive Orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the Administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal.”