Anyone convinced the Cold War's meltdown created global freedom should pay attention. Not only is Russia a thugocracy run by veterans of the KGB, and Iran an Islamofascist state, but North Korea – ironically calling itself The "People's Republic" of North Korea – remains a fully-functioning totalitarian police state complete with trial-less incarceration, summary execution, etc.
Not that evil is isolated to formally-recognized enemy states. Current governments of friendly nations, and their elected officials, continue to defend civil rights violations, wink while a multibillion-dollar industry of slavery thrives in the "free" world (including the U.S.), and otherwise make a mockery out of the rule of law.
There's some evidence that economic pressure still works, but it's not easy finding the right place to apply it to every problem. The big trick is figuring out how to arrange economic incentives in favor of, rather than against, the rule of law and meaningful (that is, enforced) rights.
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