I remember, while growing up in southeastern Nigeria, how we used to be serenaded by stories and commentaries about how nearly flawless the American democratic process and political system were.
Political analysts, politicians and journalists would light up television screens and take over the radio waves, lamenting the shortcomings of democracy in Nigeria and pointing to the American experience as a guidepost and a model of how democracy should be practiced.
America’s stability and political maturity was a stark contrast to what was obtainable (and is still obtainable) in the Nigerian democratic and political spheres. Disregard for the law, corruption and violence were the order of the day in a country then still reeling from decades of military dictatorship, misgovernment, and a devastating civil war in the 1960s and 1970s that has shaped modern-day Nigeria.
Sadly, the model of America is gone. Events of the last few years have demystified America in the eyes of the rest of the world. And that has given our crooked politicians in Africa enough ammunition and justification to undermine democratic ideals.
Now they can point to the American political landscape, rife with polarization and chaos, to justify their own authoritarian tendencies and abuse of democracy. “After all, it is also happening in America,” they can say.
Simmering flaws and fault lines in the American political system and democracy have been viciously exposed. We now know that something like the attack on the U.S. Capitol of Jan. 6, 2021 can happen in the U.S., just as they can happen in Mali, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We now know that visibly frail American political leaders can cling on to power, against all logic and reason, just like our octogenarian and nonagenarian leaders in Africa, whom the West loves to loathe and (rightfully) labels as dictators.
We now also know that safety and security in American politics can be porous. Assassination attempts on prominent political candidates can still happen in modern-day America. Political violence and thuggery, especially during electioneering, is not exclusive to Nigeria and Africa.
All of these chaotic events were once almost unheard of in modern-day America. What is unfolding before our eyes is truly shocking and unfortunate. America’s reputation as a beacon of democracy, along with its ability to rein in our African despots, is being eroded. America’s loss of moral authority has made it harder to advocate for democratic values on the world stage and press other nations toward democratic reforms.
Perhaps more importantly, these events have exposed a sobering truth: No nation is invincible. No country, regardless of its perceived strength and wealth of democratic experience, is immune from instability. A string of missteps by bad actors or even well-meaning reformers can send any nation spiraling towards chaos. Democracy is fragile and needs constant vigilance.
I love America and its commitment to promoting democratic ideals around the world. What it has been able to achieve as the so-called “world police” is truly remarkable. But now is the time for it to retreat for a few months, reflect on the deep-rooted challenges of the past few years, and fix itself. Like we love to say in the Nigerian parlance, the U.S. has to “go back to the drawing board.”
I can only hope that America can rebuild its political system quickly enough and become a beacon of democracy once again, living up to the near-flawless image that I had in mind growing up in southeastern Nigeria.
Chinedu George Nnawetanma is a development specialist based in Nigeria.