Donald Trump horrifies even the vast majority of leaders of his own party. Circumstances in the US – brought about in large part by major errors committed by the Republican Party itself – have caused large numbers of enraged citizens to vote for this man in a number of primary elections. If the trend continues, Trump will be the Republican Party’s candidate. He will probably then compete against Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party for the presidency, though he is judged unlikely to win that race.
The political establishment in the US, and most individuals, are wringing their hands and wondering what has gone wrong. Is it a sign of America’s decline?
Democracies are fragile things. They work well only when their processes, principles and ethics are well-designed, well-understood and well-established. Democracy can easily succumb to a tyranny of the majority if it is not part of the understanding – as it is through the Bill of Rights, for example, in the US – that minority rights are a central tenet. Even so, with the Trump incursion, the most basic minority rights are under threat. Many democracies have failed in history, and some are failing now.
3 thoughts on “Donald Trump’s rise in America is a cautionary tale for democracy seekers in Hong Kong to go slow — and get things right | South China Morning Post”
Comments are closed.
I’d like to say something snide about this post, but in truth, it’s no more self-serving than almost all of the Trump coverage in the U.S. media.
I will say this: the whole idea that liberal democracy is a hothouse flower is bullshit.Report
YupReport
YawnReport