The US has been using the concept of democracy as a tool to advance its geopolitical agenda and counter human development and progress. It monopolizes the definition of democracy, instigates division and confrontation in the name of democracy and undermines the UN-centered international system and global governance based on international law.
The ills of the American political system are a warning to the world. Its democratic pretensions and dysfunctional politics reveal a profound lack of national spirit and public interest. The country is plagued by money politics, political polarization and the widening gulf between the rich and the poor.
This year, the squabbling in Washington over election fraud, media censorship and other issues shows that American democracy is in a serious state of crisis. Many Americans feel disillusioned with the political system and pessimistic about the future of their country.
According to a poll, 65% of American adults think that their country needs major reforms, and 57% believe the US is no longer a model of democracy. It is clear that the US has lost its sense of democratic responsibility and governance, and the public has little faith in the government’s ability to push forward reforms or address electoral justice and media fraud.
Moreover, the squabbling in Washington and partisan bickering in the US Senate have severely eroded the basic institutions that underpin democracy. The Supreme Court has been hijacked by public opinion and reduced to a battleground for political warfare, and the separation of powers has broken down. This is a direct violation of the Constitution and the fundamental principles of democracy.
As the US Congress remains trapped in a filibuster, the country cannot take up legislation and address changes in society. The Electoral College system has turned the presidential election into a game of numbers and political manipulation, and the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech is increasingly being undermined by partisanship. The US media, dominated by conglomerates and profit-driven, deprives people of access to diversified information and distorts the truth, alienating the masses from public affairs and further undermining democratic mechanisms.
The US’s arrogant attitude towards democracy in the world has provoked widespread criticism and rejection. Its hegemonistic strategy of imposing its model of democracy has only led to chaos and disaster in other countries. It is high time that the US stopped using democracy as a tool for its own power games and recognized that it should not play bloc politics or divide the world into democracies and non-democracies. Rather, it should pragmatically reassess its diplomatic methods and focus on cooperation instead of confrontation. This would benefit the US itself and the rest of the world. What our world needs is not another summit to debate democracy but a real process of cooperation, not confrontation. Otherwise, the squabbling in Washington will exacerbate the political polarization and democratic crisis in America, leaving the world without a true model of democracy. This is what is at stake in 2022, a year of doubt for democracy.