When Democracy is the Problem

To the people of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and all others yearning to breathe the free air of democratic government, a word of advice: proceed with caution. Despite what you may have heard, democracy is not a cure-all for your ills. Ask Iraq. In some instances, the very characteristics that make democracy such a brilliant, enduring form of government are also the ones that slowly undermine it. Ask the United States. As the globe embarks on the second decade of a new century, the ugly fact is the American democracy has become a major liability.As an American, saying this feels nigh treasonous. After all, our biggest export for years has been, well, us—or at least the idea of us. And it is true democracy has many, many virtues, more than those of your Mubarak, Ali and Qaddafi. Over the course of its 235-year history the United States has become quite good at extolling the virtues of democracy. It has been good to us, guaranteeing the freedoms of expression, dissention, and representation in government. Unfettered by any Big Brother, democracy has encouraged the entrepreneurship and innovation for which America is still applauded.If people living in a democracy want to be collectively strong and influential—a true power—they elect pragmatic leaders, not only to speak for them but to ensure in the long run every boat rises. This made America what it is today.Or what is was…Over time, American-style democracy has been hollowing out the nation. There are several reasons for this, but chief among them are an insecure press, interest groups with too much power, and a political body lacking the will to lead.Today we find ourselves enmeshed in the 24-hour news cycle, when media outlets will cover just about anything to keep us engaged. Meaningless trifles are reported (and go viral) at such a rate that politicians are rarely out of “character”. Voters, as if they were watching a primetime reality TV show, now maintain unrealistic, superficial expectations of their all-too-human representatives. Freedom of the press—vital to any legitimate democracy—has moved beyond the substantive reporting of issues to a desperate grab for ratings and readership.The result is a deficit of leadership, as more elected officials quail before their constituencies. America has a problem when, in a world where power is increasingly determined by GDP not military might, the Defense Department’s bloated budget continues to swell relative to education. America has a problem when its leaders cannot solve critical, budget-draining issues such as immigration, healthcare and Social Security because they fear the consequences at the voting booth. And on the global stage, America really has a problem when, in this age of increased economic competition, the Chinese economy thrives while the U.S. economy struggles.Critics may argue that China’s model is unsustainable, that its undemocratic regime is incompatible with its hopes for long-term domestic growth. Maybe, but Western critics have been heralding the collapse of China’s one-party system since the reforms of the late 1970s. The People’s Republic keeps proving them wrong. As America’s democratic institutions increasingly fail to deliver results, China has been tweaking its governing formula to address its domestic shortcomings and project its power abroad. So far, China’s formula has not boiled over; America’s appears to be stagnating. In the globalized world, it is America’s model that is unsustainable.So what’s the solution, a one-party authoritarian system like China’s? No, such government is anathema to the history and values of the West. But there is a middle ground for democracy, where the news media reexamines its mission to keep government accountable on real issues; where interests groups take a more circumspect look at their society and place their issues in the context of a greater good; where elected officials represent their constituents by truly leading instead of acting like the attack dogs of competing gangs.Today, as Fareed Zakaria put it, what passes for government is a “ceaseless, virulent debate about trivia—politics as theater—and very little substance, compromise or action. A can-do country is now saddles with a do-nothing political process, designed for partisan battle rather than problem solving.”Reform will require factions, particularly Republicans and Democrats, to agree on a plan for sensible leadership. But like a prisoner’s dilemma, it also requires each group making some personal sacrifice. The temptation is strong to sell out and reap benefits at the others’ expense. That zero-sum game is now the norm in Washington, and the United States is a weaker country for it.Democracy is a messy business, but the West has shown it can be a powerful force with compromise and pragmatic leadership. Without those two things, democracy is no better than an unruly mob, institutionalized. The author is a student at the Elliott School of International Affairs, who wishes to remain anonymous. This image is being used under Creative Commons licensing. The original source can be found here .