A Harvard University political scientist, Steven Levitsky, has expressed concerns that the US government under President Donald Trump has severely damaged democracy in the United States. According to Levitsky, the country has crossed the threshold from a democracy to a form of authoritarianism, describing the shift as a “moderate departure from democracy that is repairable.”
Levitsky’s primary criticism is the erosion of civil rights, citing the intimidation of hundreds of thousands of Americans who are now hesitant to participate in normal civil society protests due to the risk of retribution from the government. He notes that this is a deliberate and calculated move, with the government using various means to silence dissent, including tax audits, funding cuts, lawsuits and even arrests.
In the context of the situation in Los Angeles, Levitsky accuses the government of seeking a confrontation and a militarized conflict on US soil. He draws parallels with authoritarian regimes in the past, stating that most such governments, even the most brutal, do not take pleasure in suppressing their citizens, but rather do so out of a sense of being cornered. He notes that even the most notorious South American dictators of the 1970s did not engage in such aggressive provocation with a smile.
Levitsky is the co-author of the international bestseller “How Democracies Die” published in 2018 and has also researched various South American dictatorships and autocracies. His latest book, “The Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy is on the Brink and What We Can Learn from It” was released in 2023.