The crisis of democracy: Strongmen in U.S., world rise from failure of sociability | Opinion

The trending words about the global political scene as the 20th century closed were democracy, liberalism and globalization. As the Cold War concluded, optimism for a more open and inclusive world order was in the ascendency.

Not anymore.

The politics of the 21st century belong to the “strong men,” who are regarded as more capable of leaders than the “naïve” liberal democrats. This swift change in the landscape came as a surprise to many — but it shouldn’t have. The signs were everywhere.

As keen observers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries understood well, liberal democracy requires sociability —a goodwill toward others and a willingness to curb self-interest — to thrive, perhaps even more than checks and balances, constitutions or a free press. Sociability is critical to the success of liberal democracy because it fosters trust, friendship and coalition building without which the success and functioning of these institutions would be impossible.

Yet, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, our intellectual and political climate undermined and ultimately destroyed this prerequisite for liberal democracy by believing selfish behavior is the basis of our material wealth.

Liberal democracies are considered superior to other political systems because they expand freedoms for individuals more than other systems. But giving freedom to individuals rests on the assumption that these freedoms will not be misused to limit the freedoms of others. Unlike animals, which act primarily on instinct and self-interest, humans possess the capacity to suppress selfishness and arbitrariness for the sake of society. Alexis de Tocqueville, in “Democracy in America,” defined people who can’t limit this destructive emotion as the Achilles’ heel of democracy.

Today, liberal democracy is in crisis due to the rise of radical right-wing populism in the US and elsewhere. This threat has grown as sociability has withered and individualism has flourished in its place. Popular culture has repeatedly approved this by echoing the final words of corporate raider Gordon Gekko in the movie “Wall Street” — “Greed is good.” In the economics textbooks used in American colleges, greed is praised by another name: “rationality.” This shift confirms the validity of the warnings that political scientist Robert Putnam gave us two decades ago when he cautioned that social bonds among Americans are weakening and instead of belonging to bowling leagues they prefer to “bowl alone.”

The death of the personality of liberal democracy and the rise of greedy, asocial strongmen pose a threat not only to national political systems but also to globalization. Sociability is a prerequisite as much for globalization as it is for liberal democracy. “America first” (or its equivalent in Germany, “Deutschland zuerst”) is its antithesis.

Founding Fathers made it clear in their writings that the success of democracy depended on citizens with good character — those wise enough to govern their selfish emotions that threaten the common good. Similarly, globalization needs good world citizens and leaders with “strong character.” Promoting such human nature is crucial at a time when we face global challenges like future pandemics, climate change and economic hardships. If we fail to change course, we may pay a heavy price.