I just came across a very long, but very thoughtful article—nay, essay (www.slate.com/...)—on the state of democracies in the modern world by Yascha Mounk on Slate. It touches on Brexit, Turkey’s coup and Erdogan’s backlash, and of course Trump’s rise.
It explores the potential vulnerabilities of seemingly historically strong liberal democracies, and the tension between breaking down into illiberal democracies (democratic rule with subjugated minorities) and undemocratic liberalism (may retain democratic institutions, but has a strong disconnect between the people and those in power).
It contemplates how the promises of democracies are breaking down (e.g. the next generation has stopped getting richer than the previous generation).
It discusses how we’ve become accustomed to, and complacent about, our liberal democratic values and systems.
It touches on how right-wing media and intellectuals have pushed back against the institutions of liberal democracies (e.g. targeting minorities), and how some on the far left have started to voice anti-liberal views as well (e.g. government neutrality on race is itself racism), or hope that a far-right win will allow a far-left counterreaction. The danger of centrists who value liberal democracy to not seek policies to assuage the underlying concerns of the far-right and far-left in favor of the status quo.
There’s a lot that could be unpacked here.
Set aside an 30-60 minutes and give this a good read and ponder. It’s well worth it.