Winston Churchill is often quoted as having said that "democracy is the worst form of government, except for all others." China's leaders disagree, and they doubled down last week on their authoritarian model when they announced that they would amend their nation's constitution to permit the president to remain in power beyond two terms to promote stability and order. They no doubt were reinforced in that conclusion as they watched the U.S. presidency descend into deepening dysfunction. The totalitarian temptation is not an exclusively Chinese phenomenon, however, and democrats the world over need to redouble efforts in support of democracy.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has proven to be chaotic. As his government began its second year in office, nearly two-thirds of key presidentially appointed positions were still vacant. According to a study by the Brookings Institution, more than one-third of Trump administration staff members left the White House in its first year, a number that exceeds all five of the previous five administrations. Over the past week alone, headlines reported that the president was "unglued," that "pure madness" reigned, and that the White House was a "black hole." The mood is increasingly that of a fortress besieged, with remaining staff fighting among themselves in the media, while an independent investigator comes ever closer to the inner sanctum, exposing all sorts of questionable behavior along the way.
Government is divided, policy is inconsistent, and the image of the United States is tarnished with allies, partners and friends confused and concerned. Adversaries not only see opportunities to press their own interests, but they are also discrediting the U.S. model of governance and advancing their own in its place.