In this interview, Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), reflects on her path from corporate law to leading human rights advocacy, rooted in her Armenian-American background and experiences in the Middle East. She offers a critical assessment of democracy’s challenges in the MENA region, highlighting the failure of the Arab uprisings, the entrenchment of authoritarian regimes, and the West’s complicity through military and economic support. Whitson discusses the erosion of liberal democracy globally, emphasising the growing influence of military, corporate, and foreign elites even within democratic states. She calls for stronger citizen engagement, legislative reforms, and an end to arms sales to repressive regimes. Drawing on her experience, Whitson stresses the importance of activists challenging not just abuses abroad but also structural interests at home. Despite a grim global trajectory, she defends the necessity of continued struggle for democratic values and civic responsibility. Ultimately, she underlines that liberal democracy must be actively defended, rethought, and rebuilt through collective education, political participation, and solidarity across societies.