What the Trump assault on American democracy has taught us

In a way, Donald Trump has taught us a valuable lesson. His assault on American democracy has shown how fragile and precious democratic institutions are. His contempt for our system of alliances has shown us how vulnerable we would be if that shield were to fall away. His decision to use tariffs as a club reveals how much we rely on international trade and commerce for our prosperity. All three of those pillars – democracy, alliances, trade – were already under threat. After advancing in many parts of the world in the latter part of the 20th century, democracy has been in retreat in the 21st. One recent report, by Sweden’s V-Dem Institute, said that for the first time in more than two decades the world has more autocracies than democracies.