IS THE U.S. STILL A ROBUST DEMOCRACY?

Well, let's define “robust.” - Strong and healthy, vigorous. Mmm… 🤔🤔🤔

Endless money in politics? Are corporations and billionaires buying influence like it’s an Amazon sale? (By the way, Trump is a billionaire too.) Check. ✔️

Trump, Musk and X

Gerrymandering and voter suppression? Where politicians choose their voters, not the other way around?

Check. ✔️✔️

Two-party system locked in a toxic marriage? Divorce not allowed. Just screaming, gridlock, and government shutdowns.

Double check. ✔️✔️✔️

What about the media? Fragmented echo chambers where you either live in fear of immigrants or fear of billionaires. That’s a whole separate horror genre. Ok so… check. ✔️✔️

So… is it still a democracy?

Technically, yes. But “robust”? That battery’s flashing red, my friend.

What Happens When It’s Not?

This is the juicy part, and honestly, it might already be happening in slow motion:

1. Legitimacy Erodes

People stop believing in elections. “Why vote? It’s rigged anyway.” Once that spreads? Boom. Core meltdown.

2. Institutional Paralysis

Congress becomes a televised warzone. Courts lose respect. The executive just… rules by decree or emergency orders.

3. Rise of the Strongman 2.0

A populist returns (cough) or a new one rises. Promises to “fix everything” fast. Price of eggs - Bam! Down! Day 1! War in Ukraine? Bam! Stopped! Day 1! Ah… ok. 😕😕😕

If someone asks the populist about this, the answer he gets is blah, blah, blah, blames everyone else. Next day; he centralizes more power. And half the country cheers.

4. Social Fragmentation

Cities vs. rural, states vs. federal, rich vs. poor, neighbors vs. neighbors.

The U.S. has cultural civil war vibes already. It wouldn’t take much for it to escalate beyond tweets and flags.

5. Currency Panic

If trust in democracy falls enough, trust in the dollar follows. That’s when things go nuclear, financially speaking. For example, inflation, capital flight, new global alliances and calls for a new global reserve system. Cough, cough… hello BRICS+.

But the World Still Needs the U.S., Right?

Sure. Just like everyone “needed” Rome right before it collapsed. People still traveled Roman roads long after the empire fell. But they weren’t trading with the Emperor. They found somebody else to trade with.

So... Are We Already There?

Maybe not all the way, but: The U.S. is running on institutional fumes. Its credibility is becoming nostalgic, not functional. Everyone wonders, what the hell happened? Like you don´t know. Anyway, the phrase “robust democracy” is now a marketing slogan, not a statement of health.

It's like saying Blockbuster is still a leader in home entertainment because they once ruled in the '90s.

Personal note: Once, a long time ago, I was a Blockbuster Assistant Manager at one of their stores in NY. 🤣😂🤣

My goodness. I think we might be watching the end of another superpower. Oh well. Sometimes people deserve the leaders they voted for. It´s not like he didn´t tell you what he was going to do, right?

Thanks for reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas