The January 6 attack on the Capitol raised alarm bells for a democracy research group.
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The January 6 attack on the Capitol raised alarm bells for a democracy research group.
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In a new report by the European think tank International IDEA, the United States has been branded as a “retrograde democracy”.
“I think that for many people who study American democracy, this is not surprising,” said lead author Annika Silva-Leander.
The International IDEA measures the state of global democracy in 2020 and 2021 using 28 democracy “indices” based on five “core pillars”.
These are: representative government; basic rights; government inspection; fair governance; and participatory interaction.
“What we’ve seen for the US is a decline in congressional performance,” said Silva-Leander. “And we saw that decline particularly up until the 2018 midterm elections.” .
According to the report, a historic turning point occurred when former President Trump baselessly questioned the outcome of the 2020 election.
Silva-Leander said the January 6 attack on the Capitol “really sets off alarm bells more sharply than before.”
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
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Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Image of Brent Stirton / Getty
The report shows the US lagging behind in a broader global shift to authoritarianism, which the authors say has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
It shows that more countries are inclined to authoritarianism in 2020 than are more democratic, and that Trump’s accusations in the 2020 election have had a “pervasive effect” on elections in the United States. Brazil, Mexico, Myanmar and Peru.
The report also shows that more than a quarter of the world’s population now live in democratically backward countries, with those living in completely undemocratic regimes making up more than two-thirds of the total population.
US can still help combat global slide, expert says
Susan Hyde is a professor of political science at the University of California Berkeley.
She agrees with the finding that Trump’s refusal to accept election results is a pivotal moment, along with “the extent to which his followers are willing to go along with that assessment, regardless of the evidence provided.” vice versa and use violence to support it.”
Donald Trump was selected to appear in the report of the think tank on democracy.
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Donald Trump was selected to appear in the report of the think tank on democracy.
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Hyde says the United States can help combat the global slide by continuing to promote democracy abroad.
“What the US does in promoting democracy is really powerful in creating an alternative to other powerful nations like China, and to some extent Russia, who The country is becoming increasingly hostile to the United States and other democracies.
Hyde says the United States is most effective at promoting democracy when it acknowledges that democracy needs to be maintained and is an ongoing struggle.
“I think being open about the struggle and what we’re doing about it is something that can be as effective as framing the promotion of democracy in other countries. I don’t think ever. Now comes the case where you have to have her speak.
All is not bad for American democracy, however, according to Silva-Leander.
“We have seen increased electoral participation in the US, especially in the past elections,” she said.
“And we’ve seen turnout increase by 7%, marking the highest turnout of any federal election in the United States since at least 1980. So it’s a very positive development – that there is more political engagement and more participation in elections.”
There are also more women appointed to Congress than ever before.
“We’ve seen a 50 percent increase in women’s representation from a decade ago, the highest percentage in US history today with 27 percent of members of Congress being women,” said Silva-Leander. ‘ said Silva-Leander.
“It’s still low compared to many other countries, but it’s up compared to the US a decade ago.”
