However, the pace of transition has slowed considerably since the beginning of the twenty-first century, which has encouraged some to ponder the question of whether democracy, far from advancing, may actually be under threat.
然而，自21世纪初以来，民主化的速度已经大大放慢，这鼓励了一些人思考这样一个问题，即民主非但没有推进，实际上受到了威胁。