Liberal Democracy Faces Doubts. But Collapse? Not Likely

Democracy, it is often heard these days, is in crisis.

- Serge Schmemann

The election of Donald Trump and news of political turmoil in many other democracies have created the impression that liberal democracy is everywhere in retreat in the face of authoritarians feeding on discontent over economic woes, rapid social change, mass migration, disinformation and general malaise.

Austria could get its first far-right chancellor since World War II. France is on its fifth prime minister in three years, Germany is headed for elections that the chancellor is sure to lose, deeply unpopular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada quit under pressure from his own party, a post-fascist government runs Italy, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary continues to proudly stomp on democracy, and populist parties seem to be making inroads in every corner of Europe. Elsewhere, there's always more troubling news from Israel, India, South Korea.

It's easy to perceive a global trend: workers of the world losing faith in the established order and dismayed by globalization, rushing for the extremes and rallying behind populists.

"It is hard to travel in Europe these days, or even to live in Washington, without recognizing that liberal democracy is now in serious trouble in the world," a New York Times columnist once wrote. "We are living in a time of widespread doubt about the capacity of free societies to deal with the economic, political and philosophical problems of the age."

Many readers would agree. In fact, many did in June 1975, almost a half-century ago, when James Reston wrote those words. But democracy did not founder then, and while there is no question that it is facing serious challenges today, it is another question whether they amount to a universal democratic backsliding or worse: liberal democracy in danger of collapse.