The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2022 61 racy or act as an example for others if it barely has a functioning democracy at home?” Ashford may have a point. Pew found that 85 percent of Americans see the need for “major changes” in our political system, and nearly half of those believe the system needs to be “completely reformed.” American pollster John Zogby found that 46 percent of us believe we might be headed for a civil war. Citing a decade of increased voting restrictions, racial injustice, the outsized influence of special interest groups, and partisan polarization, Freedom House (which receives most of its funding from U.S. government agencies) reports that American democ- racy has reached a state of “acute crisis.” An October 2022 New York Times /Siena College poll found that 71 percent of American voters agree that American democracy is endangered—but only 7 percent think it’s the most important problem of the day. America as Role Model Many blame America’s democracy dip on former President Donald Trump, whose actions and statements while in office often upended tradition and legal precedent, and who contin- ues to stoke discontent among his supporters. Schake said in our interview: “American credibility has unquestionably been diminished by the election of a populist who doesn’t respect the institutional and legal and normative restraints of democ- racy. President Trump and his enablers undertook actions to corrode democracy and prevent the peaceful transition of power that is essential in democracies. Foreigners are right to be aghast that these things could happen even in so established a democracy as ours.” However, she continued, “the legal and institutional frame- work of American democracy is holding fast. American journal- ists have been vociferous [in challenging Trump’s false claims]; courts—even those with Trump-appointed judges—have been unflinching in upholding the law; state election officials, including Republicans, have refused to falsify vote counts. And the Ameri- can people did not return Trump to the presidency.” In its “Freedom in the World 2022” report, FreedomHouse points to some longer-term, underlying issues: “The weakening of American democracy did not start with President Trump’s direct pressure on democratic institutions and rights, and his depar- ture from the White House has not ended the crisis. Disturbing problems that predated his administration—legislative dysfunc- tion, partisan gerrymandering, the excessive influence of special interests in politics, ongoing racial discrimination, and the spread of polarization and disinformation in the media environment— remain unaddressed.” So, although the United States has long been the standard by which other democracies are judged, our role model status is up for debate. America’s chaotic pullout fromAfghanistan in August 2021 left even staunch allies wondering whether the United States still had the spirit to fight for democracy. The violent Jan. 6 storm- ing of the Capitol by disgruntled Trump supporters—and their persistent denial of his defeat—present to many outsiders the image of a frail, failing democracy. The perilous state in which we find ourselves was laid bare for the world to see during the House of Representatives public hearings into the Jan. 6 attack (though the very fact that the hearings were held was in itself a sign that democracy is still with us). Meanwhile, however, ongoing race- and gender-based injus- tice and economic inequalities, and harsh new voting restrictions enacted in some states, demonstrate that America still has far to go to achieve the democratic ideal: A 2021 Pew Global Survey of advanced economies found that only 17 percent of respondents believe the U.S. provides a good model of democracy. Our Diplomatic Dilemma How do we advance democracy in a world where democracy seems to be falling out of favor, while our own nation’s commit- ment to it looks uncertain? Ambassador Munter cautions that changing times have made the job harder. “In the past, we assumed our power was supported by our domestic example,” he said in our interview. “We might be hypocritical, we might be naive, but we proudly owned up to our shortcomings because the evidence of our success at home was compelling. That’s a lot harder to achieve right now. Social polarization and a host of other factors will make it hard for us to overcome the problems at home that hinder our strength as a beacon of democracy abroad.” From overseas, Anar Bata, coordinator for the U.S. and Americas Programme at the London think tank Chatham House, Although the United States has long been the standard by which other democracies are judged, our role model status is up for debate.