Renewal of democracy

Democracy is not a monument but an ongoing process requiring engagement, compromise, and resistance to authoritarian impulses. The challenges Snyder highlights—inequality, disinformation, and the concentration of power—are real and demand attention. However, framing of the 'struggle for freedom' should inspire hope rather than despair, encouraging Americans to see themselves as agents of democratic renewal rather than passive observers of decline. America is not declining

- Narain Batra

In his latest book On Freedom, Yale historian Timothy Snyder provocatively asserts that "some Americans want to be tyrants." The statement, while challenging, invites strict scrutiny regarding its implications for American society and its ongoing democratic challenge in the age of Donald Trump.

Snyder's work often draws on lessons from 20th-century authoritarian regimes, particularly Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The immediate backdrop of the book is Ukraine's heroic struggle against Russia's naked aggression. However, Snyder explores with engaging personal stories and encounters with diverse thinkers including students and prisoners, various facets of freedom especially focusing on American society.

He argues that the seeds of tyranny are not just external threats but also internal tendencies—elements of society or political leadership that exploit crises to erode freedoms. His assertion highlights a paradox: in a nation founded on liberty, some may actively or passively enable its dismantling.

Snyder's analysis is rooted in real examples of democratic backsliding worldwide and the fragility of democratic norms. On Tuesday, 3 December, for example, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, which was however withdrawn due to massive public protests and the National Assembly's unanimous vote against it. David French, a New York Times columnist, was quick to ask whether martial law could happen in America.

However, Snyder's argument, while poignant, can be critiqued for its broad strokes and occasional overgeneralization. His phrase "some Americans want to be tyrants" may be true, but it is a sweeping indictment of political opponents rather than a nuanced diagnosis.