Democracy is a system of government that provides the means for people to achieve their own social and economic goals, while respecting each person’s individual liberty. While it is far from perfect, democracy is the best alternative to autocracy and offers the best hope for humankind’s long journey toward true equality and a sustainable future for all.
It takes time for a society to develop democratic institutions and to become fully mature as a democracy. A healthy democracy is capable of addressing changing conditions by adapting its structures, practices and values to meet those needs. It can foster a thriving civil society and an engaged, informed citizenry that works from objective facts to govern itself, while also protecting individuals against corrupt or biased influence.
In the United States, democracy is currently suffering from erosion in two major ways: strategic manipulation of elections and executive overreach. Both of these weaknesses are dangerous to the health of our democracy and the nation’s future.
Strategic manipulation of elections can include electoral fraud or administrative actions that reduce the opposition’s representation (like gerrymandering) as well as election procedures that make voting more difficult (like inadequate polling facilities). In addition, it can take the form of partisan manipulation of civil service jobs, which can allow political leaders to weaponize public services and government employment for their own partisan gains.
Even when it is not strategically manipulated, democracy can suffer from democratic erosion between elections through executive aggrandizement: consolidating power by diminishing the independence of the civil service and undermining the “checks and balances” provided by the coequal legislative branch and independent judiciary. This is a process known as democratic erosion, and it is a growing problem in the world.
The United States’ commitment to democracy has been weakened in recent years, a development that is harmful to both America’s own democracy and the international community’s credibility as a defender of the principle. The Obama administration’s statements about defending democracy were often more aspirational than strategic, and the Trump administration’s support for authoritarian regimes has damaged the nation’s reputation abroad.
As the United States continues to struggle with its own democratic ailments, it will be important for its leaders to renew a commitment to promoting and supporting democracy around the globe. This will be a complicated task, given powerful forces that are aligned against reforms that would empower ordinary Americans and strengthen the country’s electoral and civil society institutions. But it is a fight that should be waged and won if we are to ensure the continued progress of democracy in America. The American people deserve a government that meets their needs, represents their interests and protects their freedoms. A modernized democracy is essential for that to happen. If it does, America will be in a position to help other democracies navigate their own challenges and overcome the dangers of autocracy. The road ahead is rocky, but the prize is well worth the effort. The world can only benefit from a recommitment to democracy.