Leading by Example
America's Role in Global Democracy
“The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation”
Countries, like impressionable youth, learn best from observing and copying the actions of others. On the global stage, the United States has proclaimed itself a self-proclaimed teacher of democracy.
The recent presidential election in the U.S. sparked conversations concerning what a second Donald Trump presidency means for democracy within and beyond the nation’s borders.
“He tried to overthrow the constitutional order with violence,” reports MSNBC anchor, Chris Hayes.
“...admirers of the long arc of the United States’ democratic journey, if not necessarily all its global policies, now fear what might come next for the country and, by extension, democracies across the world,” says American political sociologist, Larry Diamond.
What role model does the United States then serve as for the rest of the world? When the U.S., a long-term symbol of democracy, faces disruption in its own practices, it sends waves of distrust across the globe.
The international influence of American democracy rests on the belief that it can uphold its standard; an ideal that is watched closely by allies, emerging democracies, and even authoritarian nations around the world.
The world’s democracy is already under attack—a term known as ‘democratic backsliding’. Democratic backsliding attacks the principles of transparency and accountability, threatening the foundations that uphold democratic societies. As authoritarian rule rises, citizens and leaders have to remain watchful, holding their governments accountable to protect democratic ideals from further erosion.
To protect global democracy, the U.S. must embody its own ideals at home, reinforcing that its system is worth emulating and preserving against forces that threaten democratic integrity.