I first drafted this piece at the end of 2025. Since then, it has felt less like a warning and more like a live question. Many Americans sense that we are moving backward instead of forward. Trust in our political system is low, tempers are high, and the rules of fair play seem less secure than they once did. That does not mean American democracy is doomed. But it does mean we should pay close attention.
What does “democratic backsliding” mean?
Democratic backsliding is when a country keeps the appearance of democracy—elections, courts, a constitution—but the system becomes less free and less fair over time. It usually does not happen all at once. More often, it happens step by step. Leaders use legal powers in aggressive ways, pressure judges, attack the press, punish critics, or rewrite rules so they are harder to remove. Experts who study democracy often warn that the danger is not always a sudden collapse. It is the slow weakening of guardrails that people once assumed would always hold. Recent reports from groups like Freedom House and V-Dem have noted declines in democratic health around the world, including concerns about the United States.
What can other countries teach us?
Countries like Venezuela, Turkey, and Hungary did not lose democratic strength in exactly the same way, but they followed a similar pattern. Elected leaders used real public support to gather more power. They weakened independent courts, squeezed the media, changed election rules, and treated opponents as enemies of the nation instead of fellow citizens with different ideas. In some cases, legislatures and political parties went along with it. In others, the opposition made serious mistakes and failed to use the democratic tools it still had. The lesson is simple: democracies often erode from the inside, using the law itself as a weapon.
Why the United States is different—but not immune
America has real strengths. It has a long constitutional tradition, federalism, many centers of power, independent courts, regular elections, and a large civil society. Those are serious protections. But even strong systems depend on human behavior. Written laws matter, yet democracy also relies on unwritten habits: accepting election results, treating rivals as legitimate, respecting the limits of power, and not using every legal loophole to crush the other side. For much of modern American history, those habits helped keep politics from becoming total war. When those habits fade, even a strong system becomes more vulnerable.
Warning signs Americans should not ignore
- Leaders or media figures who suggest opponents are not legitimate and should be treated as enemies.
- Efforts to weaken courts, election officials, inspectors general, or other independent watchdogs.
- Pressure on the press, universities, or civic groups that criticize those in power.
- Changing rules in ways that make competition less fair while still claiming the system is democratic.
- Political parties putting short-term wins ahead of democratic rules and basic restraint.
- A public so polarized that many people would rather defeat the other side at any cost than protect the system itself.
None of these signs alone proves that democracy has failed. But together they can point to real danger. Recent democracy assessments have continued to rate the United States as free, while also warning about erosion tied to polarization, extremism, pressure on elections, and declining trust in institutions. In other words, America is not Venezuela, Turkey, or Hungary—but that does not mean it is automatically safe from the same kinds of pressures.
What can ordinary citizens do?
- Support fair elections and respect the results, even when your side loses.
- Defend the independence of courts, journalists, local election workers, and watchdog agencies.
- Reject political violence and refuse language that turns fellow citizens into enemies.
- Pay attention to small rule changes, not just big dramatic moments.
- Reward leaders who show restraint, honesty, and respect for democratic norms.
- Build relationships across political differences where possible, because democracy works better when opponents are not seen as monsters.
A final thought
American democracy still has deep roots. But strong roots do not mean permanent safety. The experience of other countries shows that democratic decline can be gradual, legal-looking, and easy to miss until the damage is severe. If we want to protect our democracy, we need more than outrage. We need vigilance, humility, courage, and a willingness to put the country ahead of the next political victory. The good news is that backsliding is not inevitable. People can see it, name it, and stop it—but only if they take the warning signs seriously while there is still time.
Minister A Francine Green, May 2026
Bibliography
Freedom House. Freedom in the World 2025: The Uphill Battle to Safeguard Rights. Washington, DC: Freedom House, 2025.
Gamboa, Laura. “Plebiscitary Override in Venezuela: Erosion of Democracy and Deepening Authoritarianism.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 712, no. 1 (2024): 124–136.
Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. How Democracies Die. New York: Crown, 2018.
Nord, Marina, David Altman, Fabio Angiolillo, Tiago Fernandes, Ana Good God, and Staffan I. Lindberg. Democracy Report 2025: 25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped? Gothenburg: V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025.
Somer, Murat. “A Long Battle: Turkey’s Backsliding and Resistance Through Trench Warfare.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 712, no. 1 (2024): 77–92.
Bernhard, Michael. “Democratic Backsliding in Poland and Hungary.” Slavic Review 80, no. 3 (2021): 585–607.