The Year Democracy Ran Out of Breath

Democracy—the liberal kind, based on the protection of individual rights and freedoms, free and fair elections, and democratic rule of law—is in pitiful shape at the end of 2024. It's running out of breath. Not because its condition deteriorated overnight, but because it's been wheezing like a long-time chain smoker. The lungs are nearly gone.

In this year's super-election cycle, over a billion people in more than eighty countries went to the polls. With few exceptions, the results all pointed in the same direction: the return of Donald Trump to power. But his victory wasn’t the final straw that pushed democracy into crisis. The return of Slovenia’s "son-in-law" to the White House isn’t the cause—it’s a symptom, a consequence of what so-called democrats have done to democracy over the years. The sorry state of liberal democracy is, above all, self-inflicted.

After their electoral defeat, many blame Kamala Harris and the Democrats for becoming representatives of the social elite—"limousine liberals." It's an accusation often levied by anti-liberal populists who promise to drain the elitist swamps of power. Google the definition of populism, and anti-elitism will top the list of results. Defenders of liberal democracy often wave off these accusations, arguing, "What anti-elitism? These movements are led by the ultra-rich like Donald Trump." But it's not that simple, especially from the perspective of those who are clearly not elite—the economically, socially, and politically marginalized who feel, with good reason, that they’ve drawn the short straw. Their votes are rarely based on rational, critical analysis of their hardships' causes. More often, they are emotional. On one side, they see figures promising to understand their pain and anger. On the other, they see a politics preoccupied with whether Taylor Swift will show up at their campaign rally. I might be exaggerating—but not by much.

Democracy has lost the support of the working class. Right-wing populist authoritarians are trying to build a dictatorship with the help of the proletariat. Poor Marx. Poor proletariat.

Democratic forces—not just in the U.S.—are also losing support among minorities. Despite often being the targets of populist agitation themselves, some of these communities are turning away from liberal politics. In the recent election, Trump received significantly more support from Spanish-speaking Americans and even African Americans, especially young men. Similar trends are visible in the UK, among descendants of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent and among young Black Britons. For many of them today, the role model is no longer Nelson Mandela, but Andrew Tate.

Authoritarian populists are not only gaining support from young men seeking refuge in toxic masculinity. In many recent elections, we've witnessed a marked shift to the far-right among younger voters. Democracy is losing the trust and support of the young because they feel it doesn't care about their future.

Trump's win shocked many, though it was hardly a surprise. But perhaps even more damaging than his return to the White House was the response from the political and economic establishment, which had previously championed democratic values and denounced Trump's authoritarian populism. Overnight, they began currying favour with the new boss, some in Mar-a-Lago, others in Paris. We’re witnessing pathetic grovelling for attention and favours. Loyalty to democratic values becomes a mere obstacle to a new love affair. Appeasers, as Winston Churchill called them, are people who feed the crocodile, hoping it will eat them last.

Democracy is losing dignity and credibility.

Then we come to the bloody spectacle in Gaza. The horrifying civilian death toll, especially among children, climbs: ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand, forty thousand… We seem to have grown numb to the horror. Numbers in the thousands become statistics. Except for the people of Gaza. They can't get used to it. They can only try to survive. Many don’t. The world reacts with mechanical outrage and empty platitudes about compassion. The counter keeps ticking. Indifference, numbness, political impotence. Indifference, numbness, the impotence of democracies.

What will happen in the coming year is anyone’s guess. I want to be optimistic, but it’s hard. I hope the dying will end. But the consequences will remain. For Palestinians, who are left with almost nothing but thousands of graves. For Israelis, whose "security operations" bring anything but lasting security. For Jews around the world, now facing rising antisemitism. While not every criticism of Israeli policy should be labelled antisemitism, many of the condemnations have crossed the line into outright hatred. We will all suffer the consequences. Accumulated suffering breeds accumulated hatred, which too often turns into violence—in the Middle East and beyond. The Western world's unwillingness or inability to decisively condemn Israel's actions and protect Palestinian civilians is causing immense, possibly irreparable harm to public trust in politics and democratic institutions. Liberal democracies have already lost the support of those drawn to authoritarian populism. Now they seem determined to lose the trust of everyone else, too.

It seems history is repeating itself. First as tragedy, then as tragedy again. Only our indifference and hypocrisy are farcical.

Democracy is losing its humanity. And without it, there is no democracy.