On the 4th of July, 1776, America completed its Declaration of Independence. The nation would become a force to be reckoned with in the future—the undisputed superpower. What happens in the US doesn’t just stay in the US. It affects the entire world and goes on to influence cultures and nations around the world.
The United States of America follows a democratic government system that believes in the ‘sovereignty of the people’ and ‘rule by the people.’ The country promotes a free-market economy where capitalism thrives. It has a two-party system – the Democrats and the Republicans.
Source: https://time.com/tag/america/
But recently, the world power has been under intense scrutiny for its functioning. 1 in 7 Americans believes that America is on the wrong path and that the governing system needs an overhaul. Loopholes in democracy have started to emerge. People haven’t lost faith in democracy as a method of governing but have started questioning how it is being implemented. The obvious question is, why?
One might believe that the farther we go from the commencement of democracy, the better it will get and the easier it will be to follow the rule book. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Implementing democracy is not easy, mainly when every element and provision provided by democracy raises the question, ‘are people even capable enough to make this decision?’ with it. It is always entangled in endless debates.
America, the self-proclaimed messiah, and protector of democracy is facing a massive dilemma about its democratic functioning. While the Republicans in America believe that democracy has changed the country to such a point that it is not recognizable, the Democrats believe that the government has changed for the better. They reject all opposing propositions made by the Republicans.
Democracy enables people to be free and make their own decisions. Still, the question arises that the government should be so detached from the people that it cannot implement stringent measures to ensure peace.
Source: https://sunilsharmauk.medium.com/democracy-is-bleeding-and-on-the-decline-ddb14a005a1c
Freedom of speech has been the single most debated provision of American democracy. The condition has now come to the forefront, especially with continued technological advancements. In most countries, the law says that people can practice freedom of speech as long as it doesn’t disrupt public harmony. But where exactly does one draw the line? Should people be allowed to say whatever they want? What can someone do when social media permits people to hate someone blatantly? It harms the person’s self-esteem and threatens to disrupt their mental health for years to come.
Misuse of freedom of speech has had particularly disrupting consequences in the US. In the 2020 presidential election in the US, the President in power, Donald J. Trump, accused the democratic election system of being rigid without evidence. Around 30% of Americans now believe the election was rigid and unfair.
The essence of democracy is questioned, and layers of mistrust surround its functioning.
America’s gun rights are also a provision provided by its founding father. The Second Amendment of the American Constitution says, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Questions are raised as hate crimes, and gun assaults have seen record numbers in the US. Around 500 people die in America daily due to gun violence. In 2022 alone, America faced more gun violence crimes and death by the end of April than the number of days in a year till April. A mass shooting in a Texas primary school left 19 children and two adults dead. Even after all this, America has not been able to reach a consensus on gun control. While the Republicans support it, saying one can not amend the founding principle of the Constitution, Democrats oppose it. While the Democrats enjoy a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, their bills fail to become laws as the Supreme Court blocks them. The Supreme Court of America enjoys a conservative majority appointed by former US President Donald Trump himself.
Not just gun control, the United States has been globally scrutinized and embarrassed for being for its recent anti-abortion law. The Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, a historical judgment that allowed abortion for women.
It seems as if American democracy is moving back in time instead of moving ahead.
The international backlash isn’t helping America much. America believes itself to be the most righteous of all. It is of the view that it can meddle in other countries internal affairs. Suppose the country refuses to follow through with American propositions. In that case, the government chooses muscle-flexing to threaten these countries with sanctions and hamper their development. Given that America has had a history of dropping allies, inputting itself into other countries’ wars, and sometimes even provoking wars- like the Ukraine-Russia war. America’s reputation is down the pothole.
Countries like India, which are non-aligned, have responded sharply to America recently. America criticized India for buying Russian oil during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it turned a blind eye to Europe, which buys more energy from Russia in a day than India in 3 months. Lectures from America on if the country will be on the ‘right side’ of history and its human rights situations have led to public resentment of America. America seems to follow a democracy for its people but sticks to authoritarianism for the rest of the world. The government ignores racism and hate crimes- human rights assaults within their country – and decides to teach others.
Loopholes in capitalism have started to emerge, where the government has become almost subservient to big corporate. The steep increase in homelessness and unemployment rates, in addition to the growing rich and poor gap, the debate around, should the world follow this system? Especially when failing democracies have become common, authoritarian states now govern approximately 53% of the world population.
America is losing faith worldwide, and its government is losing support within the country. In short, America needs to gear up. Otherwise, it stands not just to lose its stand as a world power but also risks a complete collapse of its governing system.
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