byLyuHui

BEIJING,April12(Xinhuanet)--Chargedwith34countsoffalsifyingbusinessrecordsinthefirstdegree,formerU.S.PresidentDonaldTrumpwasarraignedrecentlyattheManhattanCriminalCourtinNewYorkCity,becomingthefirstformerU.S.presidenttobecriminallyindicted.

(相关资料图)

ThehistoricindictmentrevealedthatpoliticalpolarizationandfiercepartisanfightareaggravatingintheUnitedStates,furthertearingapartAmericansocietyandcausingdeclineofpublicconfidenceinAmericandemocracy.

Despitefacingmountingproblemsofpoliticaldysfunctionandsocialdivisionathome,theU.S.,claimingtobethebeaconofdemocracy,hasalwayspeddledandimposeditsdemocracyaroundtheglobe,onlytocreateinstabilityandchaosforothercountries.

U.S.democracysuffers“chronicills”

ThemythofdemocracytheU.S.builtarounditselfhaslongcollapsed.IntheUnitedStates,deep-rootedproblemssuchaspoliticalpolarization,moneypolitics,racialdiscrimination,gunviolence,widenedwealthgaps,amongothers,remainentrenchedinsociety.

ThesemaladiesafflictingAmericandemocracyfurtherrevealedU.S.governancefailureandinstitutionaldefects.

TheBrookingsInstitutionconcludesina2022reportthattheonceproudAmericandemocracyisfacingasystemiccrisisandisacceleratingitsdecline.

Politicalpolarization,especiallythepolarizationofbipartisanpolitics,constitutesoneofthemostsalientfeaturesofAmericanpolitics.

TheDemocraticandRepublicanPartiesareincreasinglyatoddsinmanyaspects.Politiciansputtheinterestsoftheirpoliticalpartiesandfactionsabovethoseofthecountryandattackandpinblamesoneachother.

Minutesaftertheindictmentwasannouncedlastweek,Trump,whoisrunningfortheWhiteHouseforthethirdtime,releasedalengthystatementcallingitpartofa"witchhunt."HehasrepeatedlyassailedManhattanDistrictAttorneyAlvinBraggandeggedonsupporterstoprotestinthepastweeks.

RepublicanshaveralliedbehindTrump,criticizingthatthejusticesystemhasbeenweaponizedbytheDemocraticPartyforpoliticalpurposes.

TheunprecedentedindictmentoftheformerpresidentshowcasedthedysfunctionofAmericandemocracyamidincreasinglyextremepoliticalpolarization.

"Trump"scriminalindictmentunleashesabitternewphaseinAmericanpolitics,"wroteStephenCollinson,areporterforCNNPoliticscoveringtheWhiteHouse,inananalysis,addingthatit"createsauniquelyperilousmomentforapolarizedrepublicalreadyrepeatedlydriventothebrink."

PoliticalriskconsultancyEurasiaGrouplisted"DividedStatesofAmerica"asoneofthetoprisksfor2023inarecentreport,sayingtheUnitedStates"remainsoneofthemostpoliticallypolarizedanddysfunctionaloftheworld"sadvancedindustrialdemocracies."

The118thHousespeakerwaselectedafterfourdays’chaosand15roundsofvotingbymembersofCongress,fullyexposingthedeeppoliticalpolarizationinthecountry.

BradBannon,presidentofaU.S.politicalconsultancy,putitbluntly,"TheimpasseintheU.S.HouseofRepresentativesovertheelectionoftheSpeakerisanotherdemonstrationofthedeclineinourpoliticalinstitutions.”

Americanelectionshavebecomeagamefortherichwithmoneyinelectionssettinganewrecord.

AccordingtoananalysispublishedbyOpenSecrets,thetotalcostofthe2022stateandfederalmidtermelectionswasnearly17billiondollars,themostexpensiveelectioninhistory.

"Agovernmentofthepeople,bythepeople,forthepeople,"theidealdemocraticgovernmentoftheUnitedStatesdepictedbythenU.S.PresidentAbrahamLincolninhislandmarkGettysburgAddress,hasbecome"ofthe1percent,bythe1percent,andforthe1percent".

Americandemocracyhasincreasinglydegeneratedintoa“democracyforthefew”,whereonlythepower-holders,therich,andthepoliticalelitehaveafinalsay.Despitearighttovote,thepublicdoesnothaverealswayoverpolitics.

HeleneLandemore,apoliticaltheoristatYaleUniversity,wroteinanarticlepublishedbytheForeignPolicymagazineinDecember2021thatAmericandemocracylacks"people"spower,"andthatonlytheveryrich,averysmallpartofthepopulation,canusetheirveryhigheconomicstatustopushforasetofpolicyprioritiesthatservethemselves.

Americansareincreasinglydisillusionedwiththeirowndemocracy.

Upto67percentofAmericansthinkthenation"sdemocracyisindangerofcollapse,showedapollbyTheQuinnipiacUniversityPollonAug.31,2022.

AccordingtoaPewCenterpoll,65percentofAmericansbelievethattheU.S.democraticsystemneedsmajorreforms,while57percentbelievetheU.S.isnolongeramodelofdemocracy.

Exportdemocracytobullytheworld

Allthosedeep-rooteddemocraticillshavemadenarrativeofAmericandemocracyevenlessconvincing.Howcantheself-proclaimed“shiningcityonahill”shinelightonotherswhenitisunabletoilluminateitsownbackyard?

Insteadofreflectingonthoseproblemsfacingitsowndemocracy,theUnitedStatescontinuestoexportAmericandemocraticvaluestoothercountries,andusedemocracyasatooltoserveitsownagenda,whichhascreateddivisionsandchaosworldwide.

Therecently-concludedsecond"SummitforDemocracy"isnothingbutaludicrousfarceexposingWashington"sattempttomaintainitsdominanceundertheguiseofpromotingdemocracy.

Thesummit,asamatteroffact,splittheworldintoso-calleddemocraticandundemocraticcampsbyU.S.standards,inablatantattempttogangup,drawideologicallinesandstokedivisionsintheworld,thuscontraveningandtramplingonthespiritofdemocracy.

HarboringColdWarmentality,ahegemoniclogicandapreferenceforblocpolitics,Washingtonistryingtospreadthefalsenarrativeof“democracyversusautocracy”,withaviewtoadvanceitsowngeostrategyunderthedisguiseofdemocracy.

TheU.S.istryingtouse"averynarrowconceptofdemocracyasatoolfordividingtheworld",whichis"averyundemocraticapproach",notedJosefGregoryMahoney,anAmericanprofessorofpoliticsandinternationalrelationsattheEastChinaNormalUniversityinShanghai.

Inthenameofdemocracy,the"SummitforDemocracy"enforceshegemonyinpractice,accordingtoShenYi,directoroftheInternationalResearchInstituteofGlobalCyberspaceGovernanceofFudanUniversity.

Inanattempttoenforceitshegemony,theU.S.hasexportedwarsandupheavalsundertheguiseof"safeguardingdemocracy,"bringingturbulenceanddestructiontoanumberofothercountries.

SovereigncountrieslikeAfghanistan,Iraq,SyriaandLibyahavesufferednumerousdisastersduetoU.S.invasionanditsproxywars.

UndertheBidenadministration,theU.S.ended20yearsofwarinAfghanistanwithahastywithdrawaloftroopsaftershatteringthewholecountryanddestroyingthefutureofseveralgenerations.

DatareleasedbytheUK-basedmonitorgroupAirwarsshowedthatU.S.airstrikesalonehavekilledasmanyas48,000civiliansinnearly100,000bombingsinAfghanistan,Iraq,Libya,Pakistan,Somalia,Syria,andYemensince2001.

Worsestill,theU.S.hasincreasinglyresortedtounilateralsanctionsand“long-armjurisdiction”againstothercountriessuchasCubaandIran,whichhaveseriouslydamagedtheireconomicdevelopmentandpeople"slivelihoodinasystematicandmassiveviolationofhumanrights.

AsWilliamBlum,awriteronU.S.foreignpolicy,pointedoutinhisbookAmerica"sDeadliestExport:Democracy,"Washington"sambitionforworlddominationisdrivennotbythecauseofadeeperdemocracyorfreedom,amorejustworld,endingpovertyorviolence,oramoreliveableplanet,butratherbyeconomicsandideology."

Noone-size-fits-allmodelofdemocracy

Democracyishumanity"scommonvalueandshouldnotbecomeatooltoadvancehegemonicagendaoftheprivilegedfew.

Theessenceofdemocracyshouldensurethatthepeoplearethemastersoftheircountry.Therefore,whetheracountryisdemocraticornotandhowtobetterpromotedemocracyshouldbejudgedbythepeopleofacountry,nottobedictatedbyfewself-righteousnations.

Ashumancivilizationisdiversified,itisnaturalthatdemocracytakesdifferentformsanddevelopsalongvariedpathwaysinvariouscountries.

Thereisnoone-size-fits-allmodelofdemocracyforallcountriesintheworldandeachcountryhastherighttochooseapathofdemocraticdevelopmentthatsuitsitsownnationalconditions.

"Thebasicprincipleofdemocracyisnottoimposeyourmodelandyoursocialvaluesonothers,"saidMarinkoOgorec,aCroatianpoliticalanalyst,addingthatdifferentformsofdemocracyshouldberespectedjustlikedifferentvaluesandtraditions.

"Onlywhenwerespectthosedifferencescanwetalkaboutdemocracy,"Ogorecnoted.

Atthetimewhentheworldneedsunitytosolvecommonchallenges,theU.S.shouldstoppeddlingitsowndemocraticvalue,reflectonitsownproblemsandrespondwithpracticalactiontotheglobalaspirationforpeaceandprosperity.