For a while, in the glory days of the late 1980’s and early 90’s, we thought democracy was a given. The Soviet Union vanished. The democracies of the world appeared ascendant. Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait was repulsed by a U.S. led multi-national military force.

That was a long time ago. To those under thirty years of age, it’s not even a memory. We’re mired in Afghanistan, stymied in the Middle East, dealing with China’s rise.

On top of that, even the United States, supposedly the lynchpin of democracy, experienced an attempt to overcome an election by mob rule.

Writes Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House: “Over the past 14 years, my organization, Freedom House, has tracked a steady erosion of political rights and civil liberties around the world. The decline has affected, not just the states that were already repressive . . . but also . . . long-established democracies, including the United States. Our reports show a long-term decline in the vitality of our own democracy, a trend that has become especially pronounced in recent years and undermines our credibility as a champion of human rights globally.” (“Diplomacy and Democracy: Putting Values into Practice,” The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2021)

How do we overcome the forces that would overwhelm us, even here?

We can support responsible journalism, going beyond Facebook feeds and twitter posts.

We can curb our anger and listen to those with whom we disagree, setting up avenues of civility.

We can continue and even improve our voting presence. Unprecedented voting in the last election overwhelmed several years worth of lies and deceits and endless challenges. We can fight any attempt to limit voting that makes it harder for ordinary working people to vote.

We might even consider changes to our Constitution allowing the election of our president and vice-president by popular vote.