The State of Democracy in the United States: 2022

Editor's note: China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday released a report on its website titled "The State of Democracy in the United States: 2022". The following is the full text:

Contents

I. Preamble

II. American democracy in chronic ills

1. American democracy in further decline

2. Political polarization intensified by partisan fights

3. Money politics surged

4. "Freedom of speech" in name only

5. The judicial system blind to public opinion

6. Americans increasingly disillusioned with American democracy

III. The United States' imposition of "democracy" has caused chaos around the world

1. Foreign policy held hostage by political polarization

2. Inciting confrontation and conflict in the name of democracy

3. Doubling down on unilateral sanctions

4. Undermining democracy in international relations

5. Foisting a trumped-up narrative of "democracy versus authoritarianism"

IV. Conclusion

I. Preamble

In 2022, the vicious cycle of democratic pretensions, dysfunctional politics and a divided society continued in the United States. Problems such as money politics, identity politics, social rifts, and the gulf between the rich and poor worsened. The maladies afflicting American democracy deeply infected the cells of US politics and society, and further revealed US governance failure and institutional defects.

Despite mounting problems at home, the US continued to behave with a sense of superiority, point fingers at others, usurp the role of a "lecturer of democracy", and concoct and play up the false narrative of "democracy versus authoritarianism". To serve the interests of none other than itself, the US acted to split the world into two camps of what it defined as "democracies and non-democracies", and organized another edition of the so-called Summit for Democracy to check how various countries had performed on meeting US standards for democracy and to issue new orders. Be it high-sounding rhetoric or maneuvers driven by hidden agenda, none can hide the real designs of the US — to maintain its hegemony by playing bloc politics and using democracy as a tool for political ends.

This report collects a multitude of facts, media comments and expert opinions to present a complete and real picture of American democracy over the year. What they reveal is an American democracy in chaos at home and a trail of havoc and disasters left behind as the US peddled and imposed its democracy around the globe. It helps remove the facade of American democracy for more people worldwide.