When Democracy is Threatened...  

Barely a month ago, on January 6, the U.S. Capitol — that most sacred symbol of the world’s oldest democracy — was breached and desecrated by a White Supremacist lynch mob determined to stop the election being certified and cause harm to the Vice President, Speaker, and legislators! The world looked on agog — enemies cheering, friends commiserating — as, incited by Trump, the mob caused destruction, chaos, and death and are now being individually pursued in a nationwide manhunt by law enforcement. Despite all evidence to the contrary, and no guarantee that things would work out, they astonishingly did, and a peaceful transition of power took place in Washington, D.C. on January 20 with Joe Biden inaugurated as President in a stirring display of patriotism and, most of all, ordinary everyday normalcy! 

The U.S. was secure in the knowledge that — when push came to shove — its institutions held, if barely! Yes, indeed! Trump had called for his enemies to be locked up and senior military leaders wrote an OpEd saying the Pentagon would never allow a coup to take place. But, just the fact that it was even debated on TV, was bad enough and a reason for high anxiety! It was a close call! Only now we realize how close!  

Halfway across the world in India, tens of thousands of farmers are blockading main roads in a continuation of a protest movement lasting months against new agricultural policies that they say will empower corporations and decimate them financially. In response, the government of PM Narender Modi and his increasingly authoritarian police state are clamping down on free speech, jailing journalists, opposition leaders, even a comedian, during the ongoing protests that recently turned violent.

The Institutions Held Fast!

Despite the corrupting influence of Trump and his corrosive stacking of the courts and government departments (including Justice, State, Defense, and Homeland Security) with his followers, enough principled Americans remained — and, in the end — the courts, press, and public opinion prevailed.

The difference between a mature democracy (the U.S., the U.K., much of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand) and less mature ones (India, Poland, Hungary, South Africa, etc.) is that — in the former — reporters, opposition leaders, and comedians don’t get jailed, no one’s Internet access is ever taken away, and the courts are still free! Yes, despite four years of Trump, Brexit, neo-Nazi right wingers, conspiracy theories galore, a runaway pandemic, and other aberrations, the institutions held fast! 

Over-The-Top!

Sadly, there was no depending on righteous institutions in India where intolerance of dissent and the shutting down of the Internet have become commonplace and is often applauded by a sycophantic elite and media. Authorities are trying to keep a lid on international criticism. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has expressed concern about demonstrating farmers. British and Canadian MPs have criticized New Delhi's handling of the protests. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and the U.S. are the latest to comment.  

Independent Indian journalists including Vinod Jose, editor of Caravan, Siddharth Varadarajan, editor of TheWire.in, and opposition politician Shashi Tharoor have had criminal cases filed against them and are facing charges of sedition — with the authorities using a Colonial relic of a law, long discarded in Britain!

The over-the-top response to a tweet by pop singer Rihanna who drew attention to the farmers’ protests, was completely unhinged! Pro-Modi activists called her a “porn star,” criticized her skin color (she’s from Barbados), said she’d been paid for the tweet, and wondered if her name was “Rihanna” or “Rehana,” a pointedly Islamophobic critique! They even resurrected decade-old images showing abuse by a former boyfriend accompanied by misogynistic comments!

After Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg shared a link to register objections to the new farming laws, police in Delhi said they were investigating whether or not there was an international campaign to damage India’s reputation!

One of the signs of a mature democracy is how it reacts to criticism and concern expressed by outsiders! Dissent is not “propaganda” or a “plot to divide India” or a plan to “compromise its sovereignty” — all phrases used by Indian officials in their response to international comments! Another sign of a mature democracy is for the media to remain un-coopted and free from threats of being thrown into jail or having an Internet blackout!

Democracy is Fragile!

Democracy is both precious and fragile — that’s a lesson we’ve all learnt. A wrong turn here or there and who knows if the U.S. might not have taken a quasi-totalitarian path?  It didn’t happen but that’s not to say it won’t in the future, what with the loons and the QAnon “spirit cookers” out there! 

The unique thing about the U.S. military is that — unlike the rest of the world — they don’t take an oath to king, country or individual, but to the Constitution! That may be why a military coup is less likely here! 

Other countries might learn from this! Shore up your institutions; strengthen your courts, your NGOs, your think tanks, your civil liberties groups, your human rights organizations, your election monitoring institutions, and, yes, your media — most importantly, your media! 

Above all, cultivate a sense of humor! A Saturday Night Live type of sketch show (based on Monty Python) where all politicians are fair game and the humor is sufficiently barbed, keeps pols in check! It’s a great leveler! The freer the country the more humor it tolerates! Who locks up comics, Mr. Modi? That’s so beyond the pale!  

For now, at least, the specter of authoritarianism hovering over the U.S. has been vanquished. In repairing the damage of the past four years, it is time to reinforce existing institutions, particularly the rule of law and the ability to vote — so that, next time the fascist bogeyman comes knocking, we are better able to resist! Hope New Delhi is also taking note!

Ludi Joseph

Washington, D.C.

February 6, 2021

Capitol Hill Rioters, Wash.DC, Jan. 6, 2021

Capitol Hill Rioters, Wash.DC, Jan. 6, 2021

Farmers’ Protests, India

Protestor in Queens, New York