Current events 6.10.23

An emerging facet of our society is that we may be facing the end of what we’ve come to know as the “Democratic Process”, not only here in the USA but around the globe. 

If Donald Trump is re-elected, he’s served notice that free elections are just fine unless he’s not re-elected, at which time he’ll declare he should have been elected and will declare any such election fraudulent and himself the true winner. He has plenty of support for it. This attitude is not just a Trump thing.

Look at where the rest of the world is headed in terms of democratic process. Currently, only 8% of the countries around the world are “fully functioning” Democracies. Another 55% live in what’s termed “Flawed and hybrid Democracies” (infringement of media and active suppression of political opposition and critics). The rest of the world, about 37%, is authoritarian. 

This sad state of decline in democratic rule is being fueled by efforts to undermine credible election results, widespread disillusionment among youth over political parties and their out-of-touch leaders as well as the rise of polarizing right-wing extremism. Authoritarianism is gaining in countries like Afghanistan, Belarus, Cambodia and Nicaragua. Three out of seven backsliding democracies are in the Americas.  A third of democracies in that region have experienced declines including Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador and Guatemala. 

Vladimir Putin runs an incredibly nationalistic, populist variety of authoritarianism. A recent poll showed that 82% of Russian citizens support Putin. Putin is an incredibly complex individual presumably quite capable of destroying the Ukraine just to possess it, just like Hitler’s plan to possess the Soviet Union in 1941. Putin routinely threatens that if the conflict goes on much longer, he’ll nuclear tactical weapons and these threats are taken seriously. 

There is now rising neo-fascism including fascist sympathizers in the U.S and Greece. Hard-right politics have emerged in Israel. Far right politico Marine Le Pen continues to gain political acumen in France. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni runs the first far-right government since Mussolini.  Hungary’s Viktor Orban is a hero of the American right.  The CPAC did a satellite conference there. The right-wing tendency in India to elect or appoint politicians and government officials based on aristocratic and religious ties is common.

Other authoritarian nations desirous of expanding their borders are closely watching the Russian-Ukraine debacle. China now routinely threatens to invade Taiwan, ostensibly only waiting to see how the Russian invasion of the Ukraine turns out. North Korea has the weaponry and the requisite unstable leaders to develop an interest in accumulating South Korea. American Republican leaders have shown little interest in support of the Ukraine.

I think the idea of a functioning democracy was always an experiment, one that most countries of the world including the U.S. toyed with for many years, now seemingly receding. Why?  The democratic process is slow and ponderous, requiring much time, uncertainty and political polarization. The democratic process seems to necessarily require “scorched earth” to bring forth a useable product. For excellent examples, watch politician’s TV ads.

These attitudes were more acceptable in previous decades where social and cultural problems differed from our age. We now face devastating weather changes from global warming that absolutely threaten our existence. Mass shooting of our citizens now so common they barely make the news. The specter of five western states soon to be cut off from a reliable water supply. Our food supply in danger from draught. Hundreds of billions of dollars damage to our ultrastructure from fire, flood, storm, pollution. 

Sadly, the response of our democratic process is to deny, delay and argue. Would the responses from a single uber-potent leader to “get things done” be more effective? Probably, but the Principle of Unintended Consequences would quickly apply. History shows that any such empowered leader would also have the power to do damage that couldn’t be effectively reversed. The whole point of an ultra-potent leader would be the lack of oversight (Proved by Trump during his administration). Any such oversight would drag a reign right back to the same delay, uncertainty and polarization inherent in a democracy. 

So, in 2024 will we get to see the decline of democracy in our time? Trump has served notice that he plans to override democracy and he has about a third of our population supporting his plans to do it. The rest of the world seems to be heading that direction. Can we resist those waves? I’m not optimistic. DW