The U.S. Can Still Promote Democracy in Africa

The U.S. Can Still Promote Democracy in Africa
Then-Vice President Joe Biden at the U.S. Africa Summit in Washington, Aug. 4, 2014 (AP photo by Susan Walsh).

America’s democracy, once seen as a shining light and inspiration to democrats across the world, was pushed to the brink by Donald Trump’s presidency. In the aftermath of last month’s storming of the Capitol by right-wing extremists, some commentators declared that the United States’ own troubles mean it must now back away from promoting liberal values in the rest of the world. But in fact, the opposite is true: Having repelled a major challenge to its own democracy, America is now better positioned to promote democratic norms and values abroad.

Recent events in the U.S. are a powerful reminder that American democracy is highly imperfect and a work in progress. The voices of too many citizens are being stifled by voter suppression and gerrymandering. Violent right-wing militias are an increasing danger to public safety. Misinformation, often peddled by Trump himself, remains rife. It is a sad but indisputable fact that the U.S. does not always live up to its lofty ideals.

The insurrection of Jan. 6, in particular, was met with glee by autocrats and their enablers around the world, especially in Africa. “Yesterday’s events showed that the U.S. has no moral right to punish another nation under the guise of upholding democracy,” tweeted Emmerson Mnangagwa, the authoritarian president of Zimbabwe who cheated to win an election in 2018. Since then, Mnangagwa has locked up many of his political opponents and media critics, or else subjected them to intimidation and harassment at the hands of his security forces.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.