Russians Reject Democracy While Americans Embrace Authoritarianism.
Siófok, Hungary, February 20th, 2025.
Salaroche

This is “The End of History”, claimed the American Political Scientist Francis Fukuyama back in 1992, right about the time when the Russian tricolor flag first replaced the Soviet Union’s Hammer and Sickle.

Thus, Capitalist Liberal Democracy was declared the triumphant winner in the decades-long struggle between the “Communist” block led by Russia and the “Free World” led by the United States.

In Fukuyama’s debunked view, all that was left for the world to do was to emulate and refine the western socio-econo-political model, for it was the ultimate model among all others that might have ever existed.

But the Russians didn’t agree, neither did the Chinese, nor the North Koreans, the Belarussians, or any of the other minor authoritarian players. Most importantly, in the long run, not even the American people agreed. Clearly, western-style democratic “freedom” didn’t persuade the dominant classes in Russia and eventually it didn’t even persuade large, very influential numbers among the American electorate. Now the roles are switching.

In the first half of the 20th century, the United States formed an alliance of convenience with Russia to defeat European-bred authoritarianism. Now, in the first half of the 21st century, America is again poised to form an alliance of convenience with Russia (see here), but this time to defeat democratic systems of government, whether in Europe or anywhere else.

Unfortunately for the Europeans, thus far they have neglected to develop the military capabilities that could serve as deterrent for low-intensity conflicts of the kind currently taking place in Ukraine. Thus, without the military protection of the United States, they’re quite vulnerable.

In addition, there are elements inside the EU territories that are pushing in the same authoritarian direction that the US and Russia are. And this is NOT a mere theoretical observation. The ramparts defending Hungary's democratic system are still standing, but they have already been breached.

Something similar can be said of Poland and perhaps even Italy, but the warning we can glean from it all is that authoritarianism is seriously on the rise, and NOT only in the US and Europe.

There is a near-dictatorship in El Salvador, a full dictatorship in Nicaragua, and in Argentina they recently elected an authoritarian president. Democracy seems to be faltering, even failing in different parts of the world and it's failing mostly where it shouldn't be failing: In the hearts of the masses of people that used to support it. Most crucially, Democracy is failing in the hearts and minds of the American electorate.

Barely 30 years ago the general political expectations were quite the opposite of the current trend. Back then Democracy stood triumphant on top of the ideological rubble left by the fallen totalitarian Soviet empire. Today it seems to be Democracy the system at risk of crumbling and there is no one but ourselves to blame for such lamentable perspective.

In America, it is the rampant excesses of our capitalist system that have alienated the masses, but such excesses would have never taken place had there been a political party actively standing to protect and defend the rights and the wellbeing of the American working and middle classes. There isn’t any.

And it is precisely for that reason that American Democracy is failing, as the whole electoral system got corrupted and has been placed under the sway and influence of big capital, to the grave detriment of the masses.

In Fukuyama’s debunked view, Russia was supposed to fall for the marvels of an American-style socio-econo-political system, but the lure of American Democracy is obviously not bright enough for them to bite the bait. It isn't even bright enough for those tens of millions of Americans who voted Republican this past November 5th.

America is rightfully disappointed in its own corrupt, lopsided Democratic system and has opted for the immoral clarity of a Russian-style authoritarian form of government as embraced by the convicted-criminal, insurrectionist demagogue currently at the helm of the country.

Democracy didn’t persuade the Russians as their alternative political system of choice. Quite the contrary. It is authoritarianism that has persuaded the Americans as their alternative political system of preference.

To read a Commentary that elaborates on the subject of excessive capitalism in America, please click here.

Salaroche