Democracies Are Not Perfect But They Work

The United States of America just celebrated its 249th birthday. That’s two and a half centuries. To put that in perspective, the U.S. is the second-oldest democracy in the world. The U.K. is the oldest if one assumes that it began after the English Civil War of 1642 to 1651.

We have the oldest, in force, governing document in the world, called the U.S. Constitution. It is such a remarkable document that there have been only 27 amendments. The first 10 – the Bill of Rights – were adopted in order to ensure the Constitution was ratified by the majority of the 13 original states.

In contrast, the lifespan of most dictatorships in akin in historical terms to the flame of a match, i.e., short lived. To wit, the supposed workers’ paradise called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was founded in 1922 after a bloody revolution and five-year civil war and collapsed in 1991. Why did it come apart?

Lots of reasons, but at the core, the Communist and/or socialist system of government in which bureaucrats plan and run the economy doesn’t work.

Then there was the Nazi Germany. It began in 1933 when the National Socialist Party under Adolf Hitler came to power and died in the ashes of the Second World War.

Which brings me to the three dictatorships that have been in the news lately. Let’s start with Russia.

If you are under any illusions that Putin was elected in free and open elections, forget them. He is an absolute dictator and has a ruthless FSB (son of the KGB, grandson of the NKVD, and great-grandson of the Cheka) and a small cadre of oligarchs who control the sinews of the Russian economy.

Thanks to a-3-day special military operation that is now in its fourth year, the Russian economy is beginning to totter, and Putin’s army has suffered about 1 million casualties so far. Many experts believe that unless Russia defeats Ukraine by the end of 2025, economic conditions inside Russia will lead to challenges to his power.

On the other side of the globe, there is Xi Jinping, who suddenly canceled his visit to the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China). This is a major deal because the PRC saw it as an opportunity to position itself as an alternative to the European Union, and NATO, the U.S., and Japan. Internally, Jinping is facing increasing resistance from his own military about his plans to invade Taiwan in his lifetime – Xi is 72. The PRC’s top-down, managed economy has many problems, and the government does not have the “economic tools” to solve its problems. Add in that the PRC’s economy is dependent on exports that will decline precipitously if it invades Taiwan. Xi is now facing challenges to his authority, policies, and power.

Then there is Iran. It is not a democracy, but a theocratic dictatorship. It has elections, but only those chosen by the Guardian Council (all of whom are clerics) can run for parliament. The Assembly of Experts, which advises the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is chosen by the Guardian Council. As a practical matter, one can only vote for candidates chosen by the Ayatollah and his advisors.

Iran’s foreign policy is in tatters thanks to its focus on developing nuclear weapons and being the world’s largest state sponsor or terrorism. What makes matters worse for Iran’s rulers is that its economy is in deep trouble. In a nation aswash in oil, there are shortages of gasoline and diesel fuel. So, where does Iran go from here?

What are the odds that in 2028, the next time the U.S. has a presidential election, Putin, Xi Jinping, and/or the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will still be in power?

The point of this post is that, while the U.S. has problems, our democracy is still vibrant. And the experiment in democracy that started back in 1775 along the road from Boston to Lexington and Concord, still works. So, ask yourself, would you rather be living in Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, or Washington, D.C.?

1907 John Ward Dunsmore of Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge.

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