In an academic setting where people are using precise terminology these nuances are worth debating and are important. But in a forum such as this one where it

In an academic setting where people are using precise terminology these nuances are worth debating and are important. But in a forum such as this one where it is clear what one means by “democracies” this is not appropriate. Clearly there is a distinction between Russia/China and the U.S./most of Europe in terms of freedom/elected representation where one side is called “democratic” and the other authoritarian. Pedantically quibbling over precise definitions is useless in this context.