The Trump Administration 2.0: Democracy under siege
The Trump Administration 2.0: Democracy under siege
Introduction
The late English musician Mark Stewart released “As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade” in 1985 – before the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, and during a wave of conservatism among major western economies that with burgeoning free trade deals saw the standard of living erode as globalization provided opportunities for the international community of foreign direct investors and exporters at the cost of domestic jobs and industrial growth. The veneer began its descent during the rise of fascism in Europe and the advent of communist China. Now, the Trump Administration embodies a hard line immigration stance and is harassing America’s allies with tariff threats, and in the case of Canada, threats to its territorial integrity. This paper explores the current political malaise engulfing the Unites States and those affected by a world that Donald Trump is desperately trying to hang onto. Stewart wrote: “As the veneer of democracy starts to fade, some say the internment camp’s already built.”
Keywords: ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) MAGA Tibet – China relations
Trump Administration 2.0 Fascism Democratization
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“The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.” 1
Franklin D Roosevelt cautioned Congress in 1938 about the effects of monopolization. Today, with the nationalist fervor spreading East to West, a cult of personality is pervading the political realm. This movement is on display in the United States with the re-election of Donald Trump as President in November 2024- Trump (49.8%) Harris (48.3%) 312 - 226 at the Electoral College for a landslide outcome for Trump despite the popular vote. With Trump 2.0 and his assault on immigration, freedom of speech at universities, and avoiding the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia imbroglio, some scholars caution that, particularly in the United States, fascism is a thing, tantamount to the war on drugs or the war on terrorism, that needs to be inculcated in our schools in today’s world.
Elections on November 4, 2025 saw a Muslim socialist - Zohran Mamdani sweep to power in New York City’s mayoral vote. This Democrat victory, along with gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia were a reflection of the growing unpopularity of Donald Trump’s policy’s that embolden the top echelon of capitalists in the Republican Party along with his hand picked acolytes: Stephen Miller (Homeland Security advisor and senior advisor to the President) and Vice President J.D. Vance. Trump’s MAGA movement, a linchpin of the evangelical Christian base, sees himself as a prophet that escaped an assassination attempt on the campaign trail in 2024, coupled with a dominant electoral victory one year ago - is operating the White House in monarchical fashion:
1) Sending navy vessels into the Caribbean to bomb independent vessels the administration feels are smuggling illicit drugs into the U.S. in extra judicial killings without due process. The U.S. has moved the carrier strike group Gerald Ford off the coast of Venezuela to threaten regime change on Nicolas Maduro. Ultimately, the U.S. may be must interested in Venezuela’s energy reserves. Trumps threats on Venezuela and Maduro are centred on the recent election that was not transparent and which Maduro lost, and Venezuelan oil. Moreover, regional partners Columbia and Brazil may send military reinforcements as America’s station in Latin America is waning, particularly, to defend their economic and territorial integrity.
2) ICE: immigration agents not providing due process to undocumented immigrants and others with legal status has cast a pall over the U.S. that historically has roots as an observer and purveyor of human rights internationally. The Republican led Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 after 50 years that eliminated a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. Some women whose own health may be in danger have had to travel to jurisdictions that are more sensitive to their situation, and where those clinics may be able to act without fear of retribution from the federal government. This has shifted the burden onto states and weakened females, and pregnant mothers control over their reproductive system. ICE officials are rounding up individuals and placing them in holding centres without due process.
3) Tariffs: In April 2025 Donald Trump imposed international tariffs on most U.S. trading partners. Ostensibly, America has the largest trade deficit with China at 270.4 billion in 2024.5 As China is the principal source of fentanyl and is ipso facto a pillar of Trump’s IEPPA tariff security raison d’état. That Trump would state that the entire international community has and is ripping off the United States is patently false as some nation states like Brazil export more to the U.S. (-6.8 B.) For instance, Canada is responsible for approx. 1% of the Fentanyl that crosses the Canada -U.S. border, yet, he has imposed tariffs on major industrial goods (autos/steel/aluminum/forestry/copper) not protected under the USMCA trilateral trade deal with Mexico.) Mexico has the second highest trade deficit with the U.S. at 157.2 billion while the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol cites almost 9,000 kg less of fentanyl seized between 2024 and 2025.6 The tariff threat tied to trade has instructed some countries to improve their management of fentanyl. The U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating on a tariff appeal that will be difficult to hold muster as it doesn’t fall into the context of IEEPA and stands to be defeated.
4 White House - East Wing: The East Wing dates back to the Theodore Roosevelt presidency and was used primarily for the First Lady and her staff. Trump, bypassing Congress that was not in session, had this building torn down and is planning to have a ballroom built in its place. Moreover, Trump has sold investment shares to corporate and individual sponsors to finance the project, instilling the appearance of preferential treatment in policy matters that run counter to government interests in private sector concerns. 5) Prosecute political opponents: Those judges that have implicated Trump in various criminal matters: Letitia James, James Comey, and John Bolton are facing indictments brought against them by a vindictive President that has fuelled a DoJ that is supposed to be impartial. On November 24, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie has thrown out the cases against Comey and James because Trump’s appointment of interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan. Currie states: “all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment” including the indictments against Comey and James “were unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside. Donald Trump’s litigious manner is in the headwinds of Justices and may slow his advance against his opponents. WIKI notes that “Trump has been involved in more legal cases than his fellow magnates Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., Donald Bren, Stephen M. Ross, Sam Zell, and Larry Silverstein combined.)”7
6.Continued support for Israeli genocide of Palestinians. AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee.) U.S. financial aid to Israel since 1948 totals over 300 billion in economic and military aid with India receiving slightly more economic aid; Israel by far the most in military aid with over 200 billion. Afghanistan has the 2nd most n military aid, presumable because of America’s post 911 occupation. Recently, Israel has an MOU (memorandum of understanding) to receive 3.8 B each year through 2028 while historically, U.S. military comprises 20% of Israel’s defense budget. Important to note that the Trump Administration has frozen USAID, Israeli aid continues unabated military conflict or not. 8 According to PolitiFact, the U.S. has given 11 Billion since 1950 that includes 6 Billion through UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.) 9 Additionally, the UN Security Council passed a U.S resolution allowing for reconstruction of GAZA that will be managed by Trump in the role of “Board of Peace.” However, not involving Palestine in their post-war future will not heal any divisions, distrust, or long held animosity towards Israel, the U.S., or western powers. To support that notion, the resolution only mentions the possibility of a two-state solution if certain conditions are met; there is no time-line for the reconstruction and the Palestine Authority must complete a reform program, so, many conditions make this resolution difficult to see the light of day. China and Russia abstained from the vote with China, recently, finding cleavages in U.S. foreign policy such as “climate” where it can present an ambivalent approach to the international community despite their poor record on human rights.
7) Withholding funding for universities unless they limit free speech on campus. The Trump Administration has used the threat of withdrawing funding to universities as another policy plank to curtail freedom of speech on college campuses. It is reactionary to the protest movement against the genocide happening in GAZA by IDF forces supported by the United States. Trump is using the funding grants, approved by Congress, to instruct university freedom of speech across prominent university campuses in a continuation of pro U.S. support for Israel and their far- right leader: Benjamin Netanyahu. On November 14, 2025 a federal judge blocked the Trump Administration from revoking hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants targeted to the University of California.The judge noted: “The undisputed record demonstrates that defendants have engaged in coercive and retaliatory conduct in violation of the First Amendment and Tenth Amendment. It also shows that they have flouted the requirements of Title VI and IX and cancelled funding in an arbitrary and capricious manner while ignoring required procedural safeguards,” U.S. District Judge Rita Lin said.
In her 76-page order, the Joe Biden appointee noted the administration has not hidden its intention to use investigations into anti-Semitism and other civil rights violations to cut off funding for universities that don’t subscribe to the president’s ideological agenda.
8) U.S. government shut down. Republican Party unwilling to allow Affordable Health Care Act credits to be extended unless the government reopens for discussions, first this is now the longest government shut down entering its 38th day on Nov.7 passing 2018 - 2019 by two days. Both shutdowns are during a Trump Administration. The President signed a bill on Nov.12 ending the shutdown. A further temporary shutdown has been extended until January 2026. If the AHC credits remain unresolved another shutdown is imminent. The aftermath on the floor is that much mistrust has left opposition members to further polarize legislation.
While Trump robs the news cycle, an autocratic world has emerged
“While the use of brutal force within this system is effective in oppressing weaker countries, it is different for US domestic policy. The internal state of the declining American empire shows that fascist methods are inevitable for financial capitalists to save their skins. The fact that someone like Trump could come to power has little to do with the failure of the Biden administration. An important reason is the growing poverty and social instability resulting from the massive deindustrialization that was initiated in the 1980s under neoliberal policies. Trump is popular because he points out scapegoats, although they did not cause the problem.”12
Conservatism in the 1980’s under Margaret Thatcher (U.K.) Ronald Reagan (U.S.) including Brian Mulroney (Canada) favored free trade and lower tariffs, and private sector laissez faire policies away from central government domination. These neoliberal policies continue today, though fascist ham fisted leaders like the Ceausescu’s in Romania met a brutal end when protests had enough of socialist policies that mired the majority with weak social upward mobility, not to mention the fall of the Soviet Union and socialist states in Europe. No matter, leaders such as Italy’s Benito Mussolini were deemed a product of the past that needed to be avoided at the ballot box and prove that today western democracies will have little tolerance for authoritarian regimes and will outside of China, Russia and now Hungary have a short shelf life although their terms tend toward longer mandates than democratic electoral systems. When change does come calling in Beijing, Moscow, and Budapest, these regimes will inevitably face the public’s wrath. I suppose it shows the benefits of those regimes that ascribe to the rules based international order ad multilateralism, though China and Russia are making a determinant effort to form an autocratic-fascist bloc with BRICS+.
Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban has characterized his governing mode as “illiberal Christian Democracy” Orban has been consolidating power since coming into office in 2010 “has personally approved every single MP allowed to run under the Fidesz banner, and he reportedly keeps a signed resignation letter from each minister at the ready in case any misbehaves.” In addition, Orban has amended the constitution twelve times since 2010 and has rigged the vote to constrain opposition party’s ability to receive official party status to run in elections. 15
Currently, the Trump Administration is facing challenges through the court system to their heavy handed approach to governing, so much so, that a principle supporter of Trump and MAGA (Make America Great Again) was assassinated - Charlie Kirk. On November 20, 2025, six Democrats posted a video to U.S. service members suggesting they not support Illegal commands from the government.
China and Russia, the former never constrained by elections in a command economy, and the latter with a seemingly life-time Soviet- like era grip on power, are impervious to regime change with Russia being the number one inventory of nuclear weapons and China being the number two leader internationally for economy and the global leader in naval assets, although, the U.S. remains the gold standard on technology, volume and sophistication of carrier-strike groups. Trumps tariffs and immigration policies and practices are eroding America's support in the international community vis a vis, if there will be a major conflict involving America, such as an invasion of Taiwan by China, I expect allies to move more slowly to support the Trump Administration, at least those Allies not in Southeast Asia. Trump’s assault on American universities and mothballing the Department of Education speaks to the decline in American “soft - power” and his disdain for higher education.
Snyder wrote in “On Tyranny” that Aristotle warned that inequality brought instability, while Plato believed that demagogues exploited free speech to install themselves as tyrants.13 If we consider the iron fist of socialist regimes, inequality tends toward the smaller cadre of government officials versus the working class. China’s neo - socialism has created great opportunities for many to escape poverty and develop China into a global power while America caught up in neo - Liberalism sees great inequality among a few oligarchs and many struggling to compete among early generations of Americans whose families transcended the Industrial Period and either had the discipline, history and means for higher education or made up the traditional labor market. Unrest is controlled in China that may be brought about by traditional Chinese upbringing and values pertaining to respect, not to mention the central government’s role in the Tiananmen Square massacre that resulted in unofficial student deaths that opposed staunch government control and policy. During the melodrama of the Trump Administrations, particularly, in 2025, the economy continues to consolidate wealth among a narrow group at the top through tax breaks and cuts to programs for the middle class and lower income groups. Trump, utilizing megaphone diplomacy through the use of tariffs, though, as Plato instructed; Trump ever the demagogue, has exploited his social media platform - “Truth Social” - to berate his political opponents, criticize those who question his policies and firebrand approach to governing. This traditional American partisan political realm has created a bi - polar American society: those who are Democrats and Blue States versus those that are Republicans and Red States. In sum, Trump as ‘commander in chief’ is supposed to be a unifying force for good, and instead is pitting Americans against each other in a survival of the fittest - - modus operandi.
Foreign Policy: the Trump Administration has weakened NATO by not unilaterally supporting Ukraine: selling NATO American weapons that are then shipped to Ukraine. This is creating a deficit in terms of procuring those weapons in a timely manner so that Ukraine can get these weapons to their front lines, enabling them to minimize any more Russian gains in their territory. In addition, Ukraine must rely predominantly for Europe to support their wartime efforts and this has exposed as dichotomy between America’s technological prowess and the E.U.’s raising the financial commitment to Ukraine to compensate for the Trump Administration pulling support to Ukraine. The Kiel Institut chart indicates during the Russia-Ukraine conflict Europe has allocated 177 billion Euros with anticipatory aid of 96.2 billion Euros. By contrast, the United States has allocated 114.6 billion Euros during this period with a negligible amount of anticipatory aid.16
The Trump led initiative has failed to balance Ukraine territorial integrity and Russian culpability in the conflict. Trump has given Ukraine until November 27 to accept a 27-point peace plan drawn up without European input; yet, they are the major supporters of Kiev. Ukraine would have to cede the Donbas region, dissolve any claim to Crimea, forego any potential application to NATO and see amnesty for those guilty of raping, torturing and abducting Ukrainians. As the G20 is meeting in South Africa on November 22-23, this deal cannot be allowed to commence as the only although significant benefit to Ukraine is a cessation of hostilities. What Ukraine has lost during this period in loss of live, destruction to homeland and pillaging of the population is unacceptable and displays the Trump Administration’s weak foreign policy approach to global conflicts such as Israel - Palestine vast claims to ending other conflicts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is steeling the Ukraine population in a televised address of difficult times ahead. Ukraine will need even more European support and boots on the ground in Ukraine to stave off this fascist claim by the White House to end a war that Trump blames on his predecessor - Joe Biden. Other democratically functioning nation states such as Japan and South Korea should aid Ukraine’s defence in a totally unpredictable and authoritarian approach to global conflicts. European leaders said in response that the borders must not be changed by force and restricting Ukraine’s military to 600,000 troops will leave it vulnerable to future attack. Some say, the war will be decided on the battlefield first, with officials working out the details in the aftermath.
Moreover, Trump hosting Putin in Alaska on August 15 2025 with red-carpet treatment sent the wrong message that America is weaker in Foreign Policy under Trump than his predecessor, Joe Biden. In addition, Russia sending drones into Poland demonstrated that Russia is pushing a redline to see how far they can go into NATO territory without reprisal; America said little to dissuade Russian aggression. We are in a precarious moment because Trump is curry - favoring to authoritarian regimes. At least, that's the perception today, and maybe Trump will change course, improving the outlook for democracy, world - wide. Europe, particularly, France, Germany, Italy and other partners must step up support to fill the void left by American indifference. Recently, Prof John Mearshimer discussed Germany's plan to expand its military to challenge Russia in Europe by 2029-2030. Mearshimer shot that notion down stating: 1) Russia has the largest stock of nuclear weapons 2) Russia has failed in two years to capture significant Ukraine territory 3) the Russian military vis a vis Vladimir Putin, is not interested in expanding war against Europe and NATO 4) Russia has Ukraine on its heels while Ukraine is short on manpower, artillery and weaponry to challenge Russia that holds the endgame with its stockpile of nukes and a Trump led American foreign policy that has deferred to Europe and NATO. As many scholars who have been following the Russia - Ukraine conflict have witnessed, even with American support providing ATACAMS, artillery, HIMARS etc. the cost to the U.S. and Ukraine has not given Ukraine a significant pushback against Russia on the battlefield. The conflict appears headed toward a Russian victory, with the question being how much territory Ukraine will have to cede to get a peace deal and not to apply for NATO membership that Russian officials will never accept. EU chief Ursula Van der Leyen has remarked that Ukraine can be fast tracked towards EU membership, though, this will provide only economic benefits. NATO membership will provide reasonable deterrence. Ukraine gave up its nuclear capabilities after the fall od the Soviet Union, and needs a small nuclear foot-print to deter Russian aggression. After all the bloodshed, Russia may end up with what it already had, more or less - The Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizia. And Crimea!
The New Autocrat (Meet the new boss; same as the old boss)
Propaganda is still dominant with authoritarian and fascist regimes. Those regimes limit freedom of speech and may attempt to shut it down as happened recently with television personalities - Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel who criticized Donald Trump in their monologues. CBS, fearful of Trump suing them canceled The Late Show effective Summer 2026 and Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended.
Autocrats use current social media technology to manipulate public opinion, threaten political opponents, and employ the use of sanctions and tariffs to influence democratically and non-democratically elected leaders. Trump targeted China who the U.S. has the largest trade deficit, to shrink trade deficits and impose limits to expansionist activities i.e. Italy cancelling a port planned by China through its Belt and Road Initiative.
The University of Gothenburg had sanctioned a report detailing the state of democracy in the world today. V Dem found “…the proportion of the world’s population living in a liberal democracy is now the lowest it has been in 50 years – less than 12% of people worldwide. In contrast, 72% of the global population – equivalent to 5.8 billion people – now live under autocratic rule. Electoral democracies account for 17% of the world’s population, with Brazil, Mexico, and Nigeria being the most prominent examples.
The Trump Administration- 2.0 despite being a democratically elected government mirrors the Presidents characteristics. Trump has shown in his private life to operate outside the constitution and the rule of law. Whether it relates to businesses that failed i.e. Trump University or his personal life i.e. E. Jean.Carrol, there is little to dissuade his fear of repercussions from law enforcement officials. His support for Vladimir Putin (Russia), Kim Jong un (North Korea), Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), and Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel) display a flaw in his approach to the rules based international order and his disrespect for what the White House represents inside America and internationally. As Mr. Trump seeks a Nobel Peace Prize, his ambitions are hypocritical. President Trump is using the Justice Department to attack his political opponents and the Democratic Party en masse in Blue states as he seeks to affect the outcome of the mid term elections in 2026. Trump’s attempt to call in the National Guard in California, Chicago and Portland citing riots that threaten peace are wholly corroborated by public officials as completely unnecessary. Indeed, a Federal Judge Karin Immergut - a Trump appointee - blocked his appeal and the court ordered against the use of ICE federal agents in a temporary restraining order. Trump has orchestrated a cease-fire in Gaza that is good for peace, although Israel has violated the ceasefire with 280 Palestinians killed since October 10 2025according to UNRWA. Trump addressed The Knesset on October 13, 2025 where he asked Israeli President Herzog to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu who was charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes and favors with political supporters, according to PBS News on November 12, 2025. The website Wikipedia offers a separate stub for Donald Trumps history of legal issues that include in 1973 “The Fair Housing Act” where as a landlord to 39 buildings, officials sent black individuals to these buildings and were refused an apartment while similar white individuals were accepted as tenants. Trump University where he was ordered to pay former students 25 million in damages. Finally, on January 6 2021 he fomented an insurrection on Capitol Hill because he felt the election result was fraudulent- this never made it to court while former President Biden did not forcefully litigate against him. Perhaps, when Trump is out of office a future Democrat President may seek action, though in his 80’s holding Trump to account may be futile.17
China and America Dominate a Multi Polar World
Fascism is due for an extended stay in the United States with its highly polarized political system; “wokeism” or Progressive policies on the left and Nationalist policies on the right spurred by then President Barrack Obama’s nascent Affordable Care Act, and government bailouts from the 2008 financial crisis. Yet, the rise of nationalism began to pick up steam in a post WW2 world: Mao’s victory over Chiang Kai-shek was a catalyst for China’s ideological shift toward socialism and total state control of the economy, civil service, and civil society. The promise of employment, state sponsored health care and education provided, theoretically, at least, the framework for a developing China despite its agrarian culture and population of 546.8 million in 1950.1 In addition, Mao sought to mollify his base by leading a Chinese revival to counter the “100 years of shame” period beginning with The Opium Wars in 1839 and reinforced by subjugation to Russia and Japan resulting in territorial losses, including Hong Kong. Conversely, Mao and his officials invaded and continue to occupy Tibet, erode Tibetan culture, and have created an apartheid state in Tibet that has resulted in Tibetan deaths that, according to the Tibetan Government in Exile (TGIE) numbers 1.2 million since the 1950’s.
Mao said in 1955: “There is a serious tendency towards capitalism among the well-to-do peasants. This tendency will become rampant if we in the slightest way neglect political work among the peasants during the co-operative movement and for a very long period after.” 2
Deng stated what state sponsored governments yearn: loyalty, compliance, and respect for traditions and norms. In a post Mao China where Deng’s reforms had double China’s GDP from 1978 - 1987 and tripled to 1996.3 China, under Mao was getting in its own way limiting growth. The Tiananmen Square debacle asked Chinese authorities to forge a path with economic prosperity as opposed to challenging the central government on internal disputes including its attack on individual liberties. Tiananmen was a footnote that was going to be erased with the effect of solidifying the central government as the supreme leadership that is subordinate to the Communist Party of China (CPC) without the cult of personality that Mao instilled during his reign.
Therefore, when we consider the lead up to the Tiananmen student crisis, the student movements were attempting to circumvent the central governments purpose, which officials found unacceptable. Tiananmen was as much about pride and China’s future with a localized reminder of Japanese and Russian transgressions that was humiliating and had poached Chinese territory.
Post Mao China began to flourish in 1979 when Deng Xiaoping opened the Chinese market for exports and FDI. China, as a poor agrarian economy, was unfamiliar with the spoils of their labor and the rise of modernity in Chinese society. The resulting paradox created those who favored capitalism: neo-capitalists versus traditional Chinese Confucius ingrained among the Han population. Mao believed then that Chinese would be mostly poor and developing until society emerges from a strong mercantilist - socialist economic model. The era of the industrial revolution suited the Chinese population that worked physically hard. Today, neo socialists that govern the CPC Communist Party of China seek to maintain state control of the economy despite the inherent problems associated with a competitive political system, namely, the graft.
Regarding cross strait relations with the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) in Taipei, the central government’s unwillingness to communicate with Taipei risks a unilateral quagmire where risk management is opaque. Therefore, the chance of strategic errors creates instability for all parties in the region. The U.S. must balance as some Sinologists (Christensen, Glaser, Chen Weiss) have expressed, a balance between “deterrence and reassurance” so that the cost to Beijing in a military conflict is too costly in terms of exposing China’s lack of readiness, unplanned loss of human capital, and loss of trust among economic partners in the international community. The U.S. must manage the status quo to keep this waterway open for transport of goods that maintains China’s economic position through reassurance without the concept of a Taiwan invasion to protect their interests. Moreover, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies notes that in 2022, 2.45 Trillion in goods were shipped through the strait comprising 20% of global maritime trade. At a time where the Chinese economy has softened, the risk to the mainland is significant in labor and supply chain disruptions, so, those twin pillars of “deterrence and reassurance” are paramount for global trade and mitigating against another costly global conflict.
On February 20 2025, at the U.S. – China Review Commission in Washington, clarification on China and Xi Jinping’s foreign policy position revealed Xi’s opinion that the world is in upheaval that is weakening U.S. interests and dominance not seen in one hundred years. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are the typical threats to the rules-based international order. These autocrats have a monarchical approach to expanding their sphere of influence, acting with immunity. We may have to rename these four autocrats: “The Quadrant of Evil” that supports each other in their territorial ambitions. Despite Trump’s admiration for autocrats – he is one, after all – the U.S. needs like-minded liberal democrats to support democratic values through the UN, EU, NATO, Five Eyes intelligence sharing, and through their own intelligence. Britain announced recently that it is not sharing information with the U.S. about the American claimed drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean. Britain does not want to be party to these extra judicial killings. Therefore, liberal multilateralism can only operate in select piecemeal fashion while Donald Trump serves as President. This creates cleavages in foreign policy, economic matters and security issues that require stringent focus to minimize infiltration by those state actors that want to undermine a way of life that is built around human rights since 1945, and has been foundational on western values.16
Tibet was founded on the principles of Four Noble Truths: humans are unsatisfied, humans crave attachments, and because we can never be fulfilled- humans are caught in a cycle of rebirth that can be corrected through enlightenment, less reliance on material pleasures, and following the Noble Eight Fold Paths that comprise: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. A bedrock to this path is a commitment to meditation that mitigates those desires and longing for attachments, while dissolving tension from past circumstances in this life and prior.
From a historical perspective, China accused Tibet of being a feudal society and one that was backward in their development and lifestyle. While true in some respects, Tibetans understand their lay of the land and promote an agrarian peaceful existence at the rooftop of the world. China, under pressure of scarcity due a large population, saw Tibet as conquerable and malleable to the central governments interest in territorial expansion after the “10 years of shame” following the Opium Wars. In 1951, at the onset of a peaceful occupation, Chinese and Tibetan officials created a Draft: the ”17 Point Agreement” that ensured the maintenance of Tibetan culture, yet, allowed Chinese forces to simultaneously occupy Tibet in a quasi sort of power sharing agreement. As the 1950’s evolved in Tibet, Chinese officials showed disdain for Tibetans and can best be described as a period of apartheid beginning with the dismantling of Buddhist culture and monasteries. Point # 7 clearly states, “…the policy of freedom of religious belief as laid down in the common program shall be carried out. The religious beliefs, customs and practices of the Tibetan people shall be respected, and lama monasteries shall be protected. The central authorities will not influence or change the income of the monasteries.” Point # 11 is in violation of the agreement: “In matters related to various reforms in Tibet, there will be no compulsion on the part of the central authorities. The local government of Tibet shall carry out reforms of its own accord, and, when the people raise demands for reform, they shall be settled through consultation with the leading personnel of Tibet.” Finally, in 1959 with Chinese officials not fulfilling the agreement and after a failed coup by Tibetans against their Chinese occupiers, the Dalai Lama fled to India to establish a government – in – exile. Without a strong central figure in Tibet to mitigate against increasingly oppressive conditions, Warren Smith best sums up the situation that "... during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1971), there was not even the pretense of respect for Tibetan autonomy." 20
Anatomy of an Autocrat
Ethnic cleansing is the vehicle that autocrats engage in to build their burgeoning ideological model of statehood. This would be the extreme version of an autocrat, while moderate autocracies seek control over the levers of the legal system, the media, and internal division through the control of economic and foreign policy levers, to influence other autocrats and democracy’s, to gain economic leverage and acceptance as legitimate leaders who may or may not ascribe to the rules based international order.
Autocrats are motivated by expansionism for historical reasons and personal gain.
Is the hallmark of an autocrat a leader who is interested in personal gain at the core with policies that surround that desire in which their cadre of leaders enable that individual or group to fulfill their monetary goals on an individual level and at the state level. With that in mind, it would seem that there are different levels of autocracies and the extreme versions involve people like Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, the now deposed Asad family (Bashar is in exile in Moscow) of Syria and others who have a malignant interest in changing the status quo of their electorate into one that conform to their belief system. These autocrats are interested in changing the dynamics of their country and instilling policies that are detrimental to the well being of their constituents such as Mao and his Great Leap Forward (1959-1961) where millions of Chinese lost their lives because of the lack of food and starvation. Currently, we can consider the president of the United States as an indulgent autocrat, whose desire to impact the mid term elections in 2026 through deportations and his cabinet such as Stephen Miller, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem who is portraying the administrations criticism of Democratic states as in chaos from crime even though statistics show crime declining. Broligarchs Mark Zuckerberg has taken Facebook “left,” Elon Musk has moved X “right” as has Jeff Bezos with the Washington Post editorials to reinforce this goal. In a recent Reuters article, University of Maryland professor Sarah Oates stated that “There’s an argument to be made that they’re not influencers, they’re propagandists.” Oates has studied Russian propaganda for thirty years. Larry Ellison could become an investor in TikTok while his son David took over operations of Paramount and its CBS partner.17 Trump has surrounded himself with acolytes that march to the beat of his MAGA base and that support those policies that it feeds off of: immigration, trade, criminal justice and extra judicial law enforcement on drugs. Notably, those individuals and groups considered enemies of the state are singled out for persecution, although the courts are ruling against Trump with the administration seeking recourse through appeal and ultimately the Supreme Court.
Separately, Donald Trump talks about solving wars in the international community, however, he is instilling economic and personal pain among the electorate in the United States through tariffs that are driving up the cost of goods for everyone. To be a citizen of the United States and living under fear of deportation and the reduction in your healthcare coverage will not be considered a moderate authoritarian policy. If Mr. Trump and his cabinet pursue policies that lead to a direct effect on peoples lives that lead to fatalities, then we have to shift him up in status. And then, of course we have to look at how the international criminal court (ICC) and United Nations can deal with a leader who is supposed to be championing human rights, the world throughout. Conversely, Trump holds disdain for these levers of collective security because they inhibit his decision-making ability while simultaneously creating a massive expense to the government and taxpayer, as the U.S. is the primary donor in terms of monetary value. The U.S. contributes 31% of all UN funding according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
JDEM findings for 2024: Table 1
Notable Electoral Democracies that are dropping:
1) Greece 2) South Korea 3) Argentina 4) Armenia 5) Peru 6)Romania
7) Senegal 8) Mexico 9) Moldova
Notable Electoral Autocracies that are improving:
1) Benin 2) Thailand 3) Tunisia
Note: 23 states have dropped including- Bangladesh/Georgia/Hungary/India/ Kyrgyzstan/Pakistan/ Philippines/ Serbia/ and Ukraine. Consider leaders such as Modi (India), Orban (Hungary), & Putin (Russia) are regional powers and are consolidating control and influence. Zelenskyy has Ukraine under martial law during wartime.
Notable Closed Autocracies show no improvement and include:
1) Afghanistan 2) Belarus 3) Hong Kong 4) Lebanon 5) Libya
6) Myanmar 7) Sudan
Note: Hong Kong is now under stringent control from the central government in Beijing. Israeli forces have attacked Lebanon during the Gaza conflict. Myanmar has been under a military coup since May 5 2021. Opposition overthrew democratically elected Nobel Prize winner- Aung San Suu Kyi. Opposition cited election fraud, while the war pits democratic factions against the military led by Min Aung Hlaing. Many states including China, Cuba, Palestine-Gaza, Saudi Arabia and Syria show no change and probably reflect the lack of information that is available to analyze effectively, if available. Electoral Democracies that improved include: Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Poland and Sri Lanka. Leadership plays a major factor and where a cult of personality exists, a marginalization of democratic values diminishes. For Brazil, the ouster of Jair Bolsonaro in an election result he disputed in 2022 that led to a failed coup to stay in power. President Lula has inherited high interest rates and inflation, while exports have weakened internationally due to recessionary global fears. In Latin America politics and with Trumpian influence, a faltering Brazilian economy may see Bolsonaro re-emerge.
Mark Stewart, the late English singer, composer, keyboard extraordinaire and member of British Dub/Funk/Techno stalwart – Tackhead, had a bone to pick with an unforgiving global conservative movement that was all brawn and small on diplomacy. In 2025 America, history is repeating itself with the Trump Administration eschewing long established global relationships in a hyper-nationalist environment in the hopes of turning back the clock to a period long passed. Stewart proclaims ”Protest groups encouraged and tolerated (And infiltrated)” … sounds like a diversion from the Epstein files, poor polling numbers, and an assault on America with the National Guard that is losing in the court-room.
“Paramilitary
police acting as a private army for the bosses
“Trying to break the back of organized labor
To get a cheap, strike-free workforce
As a means of diversion.”
“As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade” is the fifth track on the record. The opening salvo is reminiscent of Apocalypse Now or a Stanley Kubrick movie. Dystopian in 1985, it resembles a war zone, shots being fired across the bow, and because this is 1985, the Russian shots might be the Chernobyl nuclear disaster; they might be the American assault on Iraq in 1993, China’s complicity in the COVID debacle, and now the Trump Administrations extra judicial killings off the coast of Venezuela. One thing is certain now; Stewart wouldn’t be singing, “Let’s privatize the air” as his Tackhead cronies did in 1990. Critics of democracy might say that the veneer has always been paper-thin; those critics of socialism would say fine, but we’ll gladly accept constitutionally guaranteed human rights and freedoms that are defensible in a well-established judicial system. Otherwise, democracy is a rotisserie that changes within an election cycle that ushers in a new party and a promise of change. The veneer of democracy appeared strongest in the United States with the separation of powers between Congress, the Executive Branch and the House of Representatives. The entire veneer has been stripped down by Donald Trump’s attempt to use his presidency as a power grab that, some say, is to insulate him from the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia debacle and recuse himself from past legal issues via pardons to past and present associates, instructing the Justice Department to investigate and indict political opponents and shield himself with the presidential seal of the United States. Trump was granted presidential immunity related to the January 6 2021 attacks on the state capital as he opposed the election results and loss to then President-elect Joe Biden. Trump should have been arrested for the insurrection on Congress that resulted in according to Wikipedia:
“According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a plan by Trump to overturn the election. Within 36 hours, five people died: one was shot by the Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes, including a police officer who died of a stroke a day after being assaulted by rioters and collapsing at the Capitol. Many people were injured, including 174 police officers.[9] Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.[30] Damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.” Trump has appealed to the top 10% and bottom 40% wage earners while hurting the middle class with tariffs, health care claw-backs, and inflationary policies that limit growth in the economy. As in Canada, part time employment hours and the gig economy are growing. Canada is pivoting away from the U.S. because of American tariffs and focusing on internal growth through energy, the Green economy and housing affordability issues, all policies that are anathematic to the Trump administration, that value a strong stock market and tariffs to prop up the Treasury in order to support Trump’s tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. If Trump loses the pending tariff case at the Supreme Court, (Costco and Kawasaki motorcycles are now suing the government for tariff rebates) he will need to find new tariff money (like a gambler at one of his casino’s) or rescind some of his tax breaks to the wealthiest. Recently, Trump has reduced some tariffs on food items recognizing blithely, that “it’s the economy stupid” matters with any generation. In any case, President Trump has boxed himself in with his base getting short shrift on making success in the 2026 mid terms problematic. Moreover, with the militarization of American cities, Trump’s disdain for following rules and his authoritarian policies, it may be difficult for him to finish his four year term as his polling numbers have fallen to 37% and will surely drop more as people continue to be impacted by food inflation, negative job growth and health care costs that are spiking as the Republican Party is trying to cap the Affordable Care Act subsidies. The recent government shutdown has ended, which will create a bounce in the economy but only extends funding until the end of January 2026. Failure to extend the Affordable Health Care credits may see the government shut down again sending shock waves through the international community as a warning to curtail investment in the U.S. until a new stable government is elected.
Conclusion
If freely elected executives (no matter what the magnitude of their majority) infringe the constitution, violate the rights of individuals and minorities, impinge upon the legitimate functions of the legislature, and thus fail to rule within the bounds of a state of law, their regimes are not democracies.18
Linz and Stepan made three conditions for a democracy being in the position to consolidate power. The United States is a well-established and functioning democracy since the constitution was enacted in 177. The U.S. has never had an individual flout the constitution for political and econ0mc gain as it has during both Trump administrations. Donald Trump is using the Office of the Presidency to quash his political opponents, extend te graft to his family ad business associates, and most jarring, to evade the long arm of the law for legal malfeasance for personal legal and financial issues issues that took place before and during his presidency’s. That he has not been removed from office is a failure of the constitution and balance of power mechanisms to mitigate against such an abuse of power that Mr. Trump embodies in a scurrilous manner against tradition and precedent in the Off ice of the United States. There is a lot to be said about allowing an individual to run for public office with little to no political experience and one who has a chequered past. While Trump was impeached during his first term that failed to temper his flagrant abuse of power while in office.
Works Cited
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2 Wikipedia. "Demographics of China." 13 September 2025. 16 September 2025. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_China>.
3 Quotations from Mao Tse Tung.”Communism and Socialism.” MARXIST.ORG.
\ Introductory note to "A Resolute Struggle Must Be Waged Against the Tendency Towards Capitalism" (1955), The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside, Chinese ed., Vol. I.
4 Lieberthal, Kenneth. “Governing China”.
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6”Drug Seizure Statistics.” US Customs and Border Protection. 24 October 2025. 10 November 2025. <https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/drug-seizure-statistics>.
7 Wikipedia. “Personal and business legal affairs of Donald Trump.” 14 November 2025. 17 November 2025. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki Personal_and_business_legal_affairs_of_Donald_Trump>.
8 “U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts.” Council on Foreign Relations. 7 October 2025. 17 November 2025. <https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts>.
9 “How much Financial Assistance has the US Given the Palestinian Territories?” The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 20 October 2023. 17 November 2025. <https://globalaffairs.org/commentary/blogs/how-much-financial-assistance-has-us-given-palestinian-territories>.
10 Attridge, Margaret. ”Judge blocks Trump bid to strip UC research funds over unfavorable viewpoints.” Courthouse News Service. 14 November 2025. 18 November 2025. https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-blocks-trump-bid-to-strip-uc-research-funds-over-unfavorable-viewpoints/>.
11”Autocracies outnumber democracies for the first time in 20 years: V-Dem.” Democracy Without Borders. 27 March 2025. 19 November 2025. <https:www.democracywithoutborders.org/36317/autocracies-outnumber-democracies-for-the-first-time-in-20-years-v-dem/>.
12 Pasandideh, Hamed. ”How Financial Capitalism is Rooted in War and Fascism”. Media-Mondo. 12 February 2025. 20 November 2025. <https://media-mondo.com/en/articles/analysis/financial-capitalism-rooted-in-war-and-fascism/>.
13 Snyder, Timothy. “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century”. 2017. 21 November 2025. Tim Duggan Books: New York. 9.
14 Stewart, Mark. “As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade.” YouTube.com. 1986. 3 December 2025.< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FimK368rwZg>.
15 Scheppele, Kim Lane. “How Viktor Orban Wins”. Journal of Democracy. July 2022. 21 November 2025. < https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/how-viktor-orban-wins/>.
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17. Helen Coster, John Shiffman, Christine Soares, Alexandra Ulmer, Linda So. Reuters. “In Trump 2.0, MAGA-aligned influencers and media emerge as the new mainstream”. 8 November 2025. 28 November 2025. https://www.reuters.com/investigations/trump-20-maga-aligned-influencers-media-emerge-new-mainstream-2025-11-08/>.
18 Linz, Juan J. (Juan José) and Alfred C Stepan. "Toward Consolidated Democracies." Journal of Democracy, vol. 7 no. 2, 1996, p. 14-33. Project MUSE, <https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jod.1996.0031>.
19 Kieswetter, Kevin. “Chariots of Fire: A Tibetan Historical Perspective”. 2014. 3 December 2025. CreateSpace: 2014.
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