If, twenty-five years ago, someone had described to you a country in which candidates threatened to lock up their rivals, political opponents accused the government of stealing the election or establishing a dictatorship, and parties used their legislative majorities to impeach presidents and steal supreme court seats, you might have thought of Ecuador or Romania. You probably would not have thought of the United States.
Steven Levitsky's book, "How Democracies Die," illustrates a troubling evolution in American politics. Twenty-five years ago, such extreme political behaviors—like candidates proposing imprisonment for rivals and rampant electoral fraud accusations—might have seemed characteristic of unstable countries like Ecuador or Romania. This depiction raises concerns about the current state of democracy in the United States, suggesting that it is no longer immune to authoritarian tendencies.
The author highlights the dangers of legislative manipulation, including the impeachment of presidents and the appropriation of judicial seats by political parties. This scenario contradicts the expected stability of American democracy and points to a worrying trend where political norms are eroding. Levitsky’s analysis serves as a cautionary tale about the fragility of democratic institutions and the importance of safeguarding them against rising authoritarianism.
