American democracy raises more questions than answers.

Published: December 22,2021

By Staff Writer 

The dust is still in the air with many questions on American democracy, after President Joe Biden hosted a summit on democracy on December 9-10, 2021. Having invited some countries and intentionally left out others was widely viewed as a partisan summit, rather than a learning experience for the global community on what true democracy represents. It was also viewed as meant to divide the world and a return to the cold war mentality. 

The Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of the Renmin University of China (RDCY), a think tank in Beijing, released a report a head of the summit titled, “”Ten Questions for American Democracy.” The reports urged that the U.S. should have first analyzed its own governance system and answer the following ten questions: 1. Is American democracy a democracy for the majority or democracy for the minority? 2. Does it ensure checks and balances or lead to abuse of power? 3. Does it improve people’s well-being or increase their suffering?4. Does it defend freedom or hinder it? 5. Does it protect human rights or violate them? 6. Does it promote unity or lead to division? 7. Does it help realize dreams or create nightmares? 8. Will it improve national governance or lead to system failure? 9. Will it bring development and prosperity to other countries or disaster and turmoil? 10. Will it maintain world peace and development or undermine international order? 

According to Chongyang Institute, the U.S uses democracy as an excuse to “allow human rights violations and the disintegration of its own society. Meanwhile, externally, it has used democracy as a reason to maintain hegemony, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and undermine the international order.”

There is no known universal mode of democracy, since democracy is a common value of all humanity and the people in different countries  have the liberty to choose what fits them, “rather than a single routine forced to be imposed upon others,” according to the report.

The report cites that 85 percent of Americans believe the United States’ political system needs significant changes or complete reforms. If the American people are not happy with their political system, how can it be good for export to other countries of the world?,political analysts questioned.  

The report further highlights that by the end of 2020, over 50 million Americans faced food insecurity, a nearly 50 percent increase from 2019, and over 220,000 people are homeless.  Over 38,000 deaths in U.S. are reported to be related to gun violence each year, 20 percent of which are children and adolescents aged 1-17.   The United States with only 4 percent of the world’s population, accounts for 35 percent of the world’s firearm suicides! 

As of 2017, the United States had conducted 392 foreign military interventions since 1880. The United States has also been at war over 92 percent of the time since its founding, according to the report. All the wars have not brought democracy or good life to the people of the countries affected, but complete destruction of the socio-economic and political well-being of the people around the world.

The report by Chongyang Institute concludes that in American democracy, the minority rules over the majority. “In the six presidential elections held in the United States since the 21st century alone, only on two occasions was the party with fewer popular votes elected.” To sum up all, the American democracy can be seen as responsible for increasing people’s suffering, violation of human rights, and undermininginternational order.