(MENAFN- Gulf Times) For the first time since the 1940s, Americans have been asking: Can it happen here?
The
question, which has been debated in the US for months, is meant to draw
attention to the potential fragility of democratic self-government
and to emphasise that in some periods, democracies are especially likely
to turn in authoritarian directions.
It would be fair to pose that
question in any case in light of China's continued rise, Russia's
resurgent aggression, and the disturbing developments in Turkey, Poland,
Hungary and the Philippines. To his most severe critics, some of the
words and deeds of President Donald Trump make it seem as if democratic
principles might not be entirely secure in the US itself.
But there's
good news. If 'it means genuine authoritarianism, Americans probably
don't have much to worry about. The American system of checks and
balances, adopted after a war against monarchy, was specifically
designed to limit the power of any would-be authoritarian.
For well over 200 years, the system has held firm. It continues to do so.
In
most domains, the president cannot act on his own. He needs explicit
congressional permission. Independent courts are available to strike
down presidential actions that violate the law. The Bill of Rights
stands as a safeguard against abridgments of freedom of speech, freedom
of religion, and unreasonable searches and seizures.
At multiple
turns, the Trump administration, no less than its predecessors, has been
stymied by these obstacles. Repeated losses in court, on issues large
and small, have been a defining feature of its first 14 months.
Even if Americans need not worry about authoritarianism as such, however, the current period does justify serious concern.
1)
History teaches that even in the United States, serious abridgments of
civil rights and civil liberties are possible, at least when national
security is threatened.
During World War I, Congress made it a crime
for anyone to 'cause or attempt to cause insubordination, disloyalty, or
refusal of duty in the military forces of the United States.
Prosecutors seized on those words as a basis for bringing criminal
proceedings against dissenters. During World War II, more than 100,000
Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps on the West Coast. In
the 1950s and 1960s, the executive branch directed a range of actions
against 'subversive people and organizations, including suppression of
speech and violations of privacy.
Such events may seem like ancient
history. But let's not be complacent. If there is a successful attack on
the country or a novel threat, liberty will face serious challenges.
2)
Russia has reportedly obtained the capacity to interfere with our
electoral processes not only through the use of social media to
intensify social divisions and to promote its favoured candidates, but
also by targeting voting machinery. In addition, Russian hackers are
even attacking our sources of power and water.
To date, the White
House's response to these threats has been unaccountably tepid which
is worse than alarming. Russia's actions do not mean that
authoritarianism is a serious danger in the United States. But they do
mean that authoritarianism may be a serious danger to the United States.
If we do not response to that danger, it will grow.
3) One of the
most striking lessons of the rise of fascism in the 1930s is that many
citizens were simply living their lives focusing on their families,
their friends, their jobs.
They liked the fact that the economy was
improving. They did not embrace authoritarianism as such. But they did
not do anything to stop it.
In 1927, Justice Louis Brandeis warned,
'the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people. The US has a robust
culture of freedom. But in the face of challenges to democratic norms,
it is not illegitimate to ask whether Americans will be sufficiently
resistant at least if the challenges come from a president whose
policies they like.
4) President Trump has successively attacked
institutions, both public and private, that do not bend to his will. So
far, the attacks have generally taken the form of words rather than
deeds. But delegitimation of independent institutions can weaken
structural constraints on leaders and ultimately compromise democratic
values.
5) The Trump administration has been intensifying partisan
divisions, with the president himself calling for criminal prosecution
of political adversaries and demonising those who disagree with him on
matters of policy.
That's bad enough. But in politics as well as
life, brutality breeds more of the same. There is a real risk that
Democrats will not only lurch to the left but also engage in Trump-like
rhetorical strategies and thus fail to treat Republicans and Trump
supporters with grace, or the respect that they deserve.
That would
be a disaster, because it would aggravate a situation in which people
are finding it increasingly hard to engage with one another across
partisan lines or to learn that on numerous questions, they do not
much disagree, and thus can find good paths forward.
Authoritarianism
almost certainly can't happen here. But a damaged and polarised
society, incapable of solving shared problems? That's a clear and
present danger. Tribune News Service
* Cass R Sunstein is a
Bloomberg View columnist. He is the editor of Can It Happen Here?
Authoritarianism in America and a co-author of Nudge: Improving
Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness.
Last updated: April 03 2018 11:51 PM
MENAFN0504201800670000ID1096696645
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.