I think for most of history almost no one had any rights, then technological advancements (printing, internet, etc.) shook that system up and gave a chance for people to grab some bits of power. Now the system is stabilizing according to these new developments, and the power is getting centralized again. Im not sure if this is unstoppable, but sometimes it seems like it.

Absolutely, across the world we're seeing a rise in fascism, populism and oppressive regimes. And from Brexit and the election of Trump, there is a shockingly signficant amount of support for that kind of leader. People, including myself, are easily manipulated with fear into blaming other people for problems. With social media campaigns as a tool, it has only made controlling the populace more effective for autocrats.

The article touched on how bringing oppressive tactics to light, "naming and shaming" doesn't work as well anymore because these types of rulers typically like to surround themselves with yes-men and oust those who disagree, keeping them insulated from complaints of human rights groups.

They know that while autocratic regimes are refining their methods, the countries that say they support human rights, such as the United States, can be unreliable when their own interests are at stake.

This is a huge one. There was a time when advanced nations could completely shut an autocratic country off from the rest of the world and that country would either change its ways or lag behind everyone else. Now those bad actors are global suppliers of vital resources like oil, rare earth metals, and anything electronic.

Advanced nations now have to decide on how many human rights abuses they'll ignore in order to ensure they still get their next shipment.