For a long time, the United States has been the very benchmark for modern democracy. Now the country has been downgraded on the international democracy index Varieties of Democracy, and is no longer considered a liberal democracy.
- As things stand right now, all warning lights are flashing red for democracy in the US, says Tore Wig, professor of political science and democracy researcher at the University of Oslo.
He points out that liberal democracies are characterized by competitive elections, civil rights, a well-functioning rule of law, academic freedom, and freedom of expression.
- The main reason the US is no longer considered a liberal democracy is the attacks on the rule of law, on freedom of expression - particularly academic freedom - and on democratic norms tied to non-violent political competition and respect for political opponents, Wig says.
Particularly worrying, according to the democracy researcher, was the way the attack on Congress on 6 January 2021 was handled.
- Trump pardoned those who attacked as soon as he was re-elected. He effectively endorsed the idea that staging a coup against an election is legitimate. That is very frightening for a democracy, says Wig.
Full democratization only happened in the 1960s
At the same time, the democracy researcher challenges the US anniversary narrative of "250 years of democracy".
- If you have an understanding of democracy that also involves civil rights for the entire population and the right to vote for everyone, then the full democratization of the US did not take place until the 1960s. That is when Black people also gained the right to vote and a range of civil rights, he specifies.
By that measure, Norwegian democracy is older. And in addition much stronger, according to Wig.
- Norway has a more robust democratic culture and, at the same time, institutions that make it much more difficult to dismantle democracy. We maintain proportional electoral systems, which make it much harder for a single party to take power in the Parliament and dismantle democracy without other parties being able to act as a counterweight, he emphasizes.
The fact that people in Norway and Europe spend so much time following developments in the US has to do, according to Wig, with both power and culture. But he believes both the attention we pay and the dependence we have on our formerly most important ally will diminish.
- We will probably become less dependent on the US in parallel with Europe building up its defence. It also doesn't seem as though the US is particularly interested in supporting Europe in some of the security policy challenges we face, such as the war in Ukraine. That will gradually open up a rift between the US and Europe, Wig says.
This article is based on a conversation in the University of Oslo's own podcast Universitetspodden with Tore Wig, professor of political science and democracy researcher. He talks about why Norway and Europe follow developments in the US so closely, about Trump's rhetoric and about how Trump's blunders are making him more and more unpopular at home. And, not least, about the possibility of rebuilding the democracy that Trump has dismantled.
Less worried
As a democracy researcher, he has been concerned throughout both Trump's first and second term as president, but he is less worried now than he was a few months ago.
- The main reason is that Trump has made a series of foolish decisions. The war in Iran is the main example of this. It was very foolish, and it makes him very unpopular. He is now so unpopular that it will be more difficult for him to steal the midterm election coming up this autumn, Wig says, stressing that the economy also plays a role.
- It is these tariffs, in other words trade policy, that make things more expensive in the US. Trump ran for office promising to bring down inflation, and he has not succeeded in that. On the contrary, it appears to be rising. So that is probably a major and important reason why the regime there has become much more unpopular, Wig says.
According to the political science professor, high levels of support are often a characteristic of leaders who succeed in dismantling democracies.
- Erdogan in Turkey has been popular during large parts of his presidency. Putin in Russia has also been very popular. It is more difficult to go all the way and tear democracy down if, at the same time, you are so unpopular that you face counterforces. And that seems to be what is now happening with the Trump administration.
Increasingly strong counterforces
He sees these counterforces both in civil society and among politicians.
- The demonstrations against ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
