What America doesn’t seem to understand

As the United States reacts in dismay to the deadly riots on Capitol Hill last week, it’s time for the country to accept certain truths.

A counter-protester stands off with demonstrators while separated by a police skirmish line at a "Patriot March" in support of US President Donald Trump on Saturday in San Diego, California. Picture: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

ANALYSIS

The deadly riot at the US Capitol was met with despair and anger from American politicians, pundits and the public.

Many were appalled at the violent attack on democracy in the very country considered the foremost example of fairness, freedom and equality for all.

Yet in fact, there is little reason to be surprised. The extraordinary collapse of democratic norms goes beyond President Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine fundamental principles of democracy and human rights during his time in power.

Mr Trump’s refusal to accept the presidential election result and incitement of his supporters to attempt a coup was straight out of an autocrat’s playbook. He has spent four years refusing to reveal his tax and financial records, giving family members lucrative senior positions and attacking the media and scientists in a global pandemic.

A man walks past protective fencing erected around the US Supreme Court, on January 10, 2021 in Washington, DC. Picture: Al Drago/Getty Images/AFP

But in all of this he has been assisted by a system that does not have the check and balances needed to be able to control a populist leader or prevent egregious human rights abuses. These are problems the US urgently needs to address to avoid a repeat of the anarchy seen last week, and to claw back some of its legitimacy in promoting democratic values worldwide.

THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

A 2018 piece in The Atlantic observed that public policy in the US does not reflect the preferences of the majority of Americans. If it did, abortions would be more accessible, minimum wage would be higher and paid parental leave would be standard.

Instead, research indicates that public policy is mainly shaped by economic elites and narrow interest groups.

The US was founded as a republic and not a democracy — the views of the people must be filtered through elected officials. Over the years, reforms gave the vote to women and African-Americans, increasing the country’s claims of equal representation. Yet many still feel unheard, a fact that played into Mr Trump’s hands and disenfranchised and angry individuals turned to him as their saviour.

The riots at the US Capitol reveal that democracy is not a given in the United States. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP

The virtually unchecked growth of social media has something to do with this, as does a gigantic and expanding wealth divide; both of these are fuelled by the prioritisation of the interests of the wealthy.

There are also obvious problems with the US voting system. The Electoral College assigns each state a certain number of votes based only roughly on size — so Wyoming, for example, gets one Electoral College vote per 180,000 citizens while California has one per 670,000. And gerrymandering has seen district borders frequently redrawn to suit the party in power.

The US has also witnessed the legal and regular practice of voter suppression, in which voters are denied the right to vote for spurious reasons such as a changed address, lacking government-issued ID or failing a literacy test. This disproportionately affects African-Americans.

UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY

The systematic undermining of democracy and equal rights in the US was only underscored during the Black Lives Matters protests of last year, sparked by the repeated murder of African Americans including George Floyd by members of the police force, often without consequences.

The problems faced by America extend beyond President Donald Trump and his tweets.

In contrast, police officers were seen last week assisting pro-Trump rioters, moving barriers and taking selfies with members of the mob. The insurrectionists even had the support of several members of Congress, who played along with Mr Trump’s false claims of voter fraud.

Leaders in countries such as Russia, China and Iran seized the opportunity to make it clear they will no longer be lectured by the US over their anti-democratic behaviour.

“How can the United States spread democracy or act as an example for others if it barely has a functioning democracy at home?” Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council wrote in Foreign Policy.

Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted that “it will be a long time before we can credibly advocate for the rule of law ... persuade allies to rely on us or lecture others they are not stable enough to have nuclear weapons.”

The United States is having to take a long, hard look at how its policies may enable the undermining of democracy. Pictured, people line up to buy guns and ammunition in Utah as weapons sales spiked in the days after the violence in Washington, DC. Picture: George Frey / AFP

It is clearly true that the US faces many of the same problems as the countries where it seeks to establish order, from populism to disinformation to corruption.

However, several have argued that despite its problems, influential America needs more than ever to offer leadership and call out global oppression and abuses.

US ambassador to Uganda Natalie Brown said in a statement last week: “As we know well, America’s democracy is not perfect, and the United States is not without fault.”

But she said the US should still speak out for press freedom and judicial independence and against abuse “because our history has taught us that democracy must be defended if it is to endure.”

Joe Biden has signalled that he is willing to take a stand on global human rights issues including equality for women and minorities. And in the fight to stop powerful interests that seek to undermine democracy globally, that is something the world still needs from America.