What is the problem the article is pointing out? A "democracy" index based on the "feelings" of some chosen experts is always going to be biased and problematic

What is the problem the article is pointing out? A "democracy" index based on the "feelings" of some chosen experts is always going to be biased and problematic. Anyone getting the short end of that stick, if they were organised enough and had the resources, would fight against it irrespective of whether the rankings were justified or not. A large part of soft power is narrative control. There is nothing objective about narrative control. Which means powerful countries which weild a lot of soft power have managed to effectively control their narrative. And their narrative likely has little convergence with reality. No system should realistically expect the subjects to just cede control without any benefits accruing to the "controlled". So countries seeking to increase their own soft power will and should try to control their own narrative. It is easily one of the bigger captain obvious moments I have come across.