Does US represent a global model of democracy?

By Gerald Mbanda

United States capitol photo: courtesy

The U.S department of State announced recently, that President Joe Biden will host a summit for democracy on December 9 and 10. “The summit will focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and will provide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms, and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad,” a statement posted on U.S department of State reads.

The U.S so far, has extended invitation to countries perceived as its allies, and did not invite others branded as ‘undemocratic, authoritarian, dictatorship, etc. From this perspective, it becomes apparent that some countries like China have been deliberately excluded rendering the Summit a continuation of the U.S. policy of exclusion in global affairs. In such context, the US is actually using democracy as a smoke screen to serve a political agenda. 

Many times the US leaders portray their country as the champion of democracy and human rights and put in place institutions that make global rankings on the two aspects. Chinua Achebe, a prominent African novelist once said,   “There is that great proverb — that until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”   One big question today, is whether the U.S democracy today, is good for the world to emulate!  Majority Americans do not believe so, as they consider their democracy to be under serious threat.

In a poll conducted by Grinnell College in October this year on American democracy,   Fifty-two percent said American democracy was under a very serious threat,  29% said it was under a minor threat, and only 14% perceived no threat. In the May 2021 poll conducted by, Public Agenda, as part of the Daniel Yankelovich Democracy Initiative, only 14% said American democracy was doing well, 50% facing serious challenges but not in crisis, and 36% said US democracy was in crisis. The results were similar to their 2018 and 2019 polls.  

How does America then pose as a global model of democracy when the Americans themselves have no confidence in their democracy? Well, for the time being we can leave that to the Americans. The greatest problem and failure of American foreign policy is to assume that their democracy and other values are superior to those of other countries and civilizations. The U.S. equates democracy with hegemony, and to believe that it can impose its own model on other countries is simply an act of disrespect. 

There is no universal model of democracy. There is no one size fit all democracy,   as the U.S wants the world to believe.  Each country is at liberty to have its own model that responds to the needs of the people. Democracy must conform to culture, history and context in any given society.  Many countries the U.S bundles together as undemocratic, pursue people centered governance and democracy that delivers to the wellbeing of all citizens without discrimination.

It is ironical that in the richest country in the world, over 160,000 active-duty military members are having trouble feeding their families, according to recent statistics released by Feeding America, an organization that coordinates the work of more than 200 food banks around the U.S. In January 2020, an estimated 580,466 Americans were homeless, while 12.5 million children —lived in food-insecure households (2017 est.).  Democracy and human rights are not only about elections, civil liberties and freedoms. Holistically, it’s about taking good care of citizens by providing their basic needs and more. 

The US ‘Democracy’ has not brought about peace and prosperity to the world, rather turmoil and poverty. The American-Spanish war in 1898, the Korean war in 1950, Vietnam war 1954–1975, The Gulf War 1991, Somalia war 1992-93,  Iraq war 2003, Invasion of Libya in 2011, the Afghanistan war 2001–2021, are just a few examples of US invasion of sovereign states all over the world.

The US foreign policy is driven by national interests rather than democracy. It is well known that the US administration has cooperated with tyrants and terrorists like ISIS and has for decades plotted regime change of legitimate governments across the world.  

The true history of America shows that the biggest genocide in human history did not happen in Nazi Germany but on American soil where an estimated 100 million Native Americans were slaughtered in order to take away their homeland. The U.S economy was built on slavery, which represented the greatest human rights abuse. Until today, racial discrimination in the U.S is still alive.

The death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man,  drew widespread outrage in May 2020,  after a video circulated online showing Officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck on a Minneapolis street corner as he gasped for breath. Mr. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests against police brutality.

The U.S posturing itself as a champion for democracy and human rights serves an obscurantism and cover up agenda for its dark past and hypocritical present.    The U.S therefore, has no moral authority to judge other countries in the world whether they are democratic or not.  The American democracy too, is not the yardstick for democracy in the world. The U.S foreign policy should show respect and cooperation with other countries, while embracing unity in diversity for peaceful coexistence. 

Gerald Mbanda is a Researcher and publisher on China and Africa. 

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