The State of American Democracy

Editor’s Note

Jonathan Tepperman

Interview A correction is coming: A conversation with President George W. Bush

President George W. Bush

The former president weighs in on the state of American democracy, why he’s still an optimist, and how to fix the country’s politics.

How we got here

Ryan Streeter

None of the flaws in the U.S. political system are especially new. So why do things seem to be breaking down now?

The winding road to justice

Jane Dailey

People’s fears about the state of the country are intensified by the tendency to see history as linear. But the fight for racial justice shows that bad times sometimes lead to breakthroughs.

Rebuilding trust in government

Laura Kelly

The Democratic governor of Kansas on how to govern for all your constituents – no matter who they voted for.

Commonsense solutions

Glenn Youngkin

The Republican governor of Virginia on the path to progress in a politically divided state.

Interview Still in the fight: A conversation with Sen. Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

The Utah Senator explains why he thinks he can get more done outside Congress than inside it.

Point/Counterpoint Do America’s institutions still work?

Jay Cost, Jesse Wegman

Debates over the state of U.S. democracy eventually lead to the question of whether our government structures still function as intended. So we asked experts from both sides of the argument to weigh in.

Minority parties

Will Hurd

By focusing on the most extreme primary voters, the Republicans and the Democrats have lost touch with the majority of Americans. To fix themselves, and the country, both parties must broaden their appeal.

How to fix U.S. elections

Todd Connor

Americans aren’t as polarized as we seem, but our system gives politicians no incentive to compromise. Adopting ranked choice voting and the Alaska Model can change that.

Protecting those who protect us

Audrey Adams

Disinformation campaigns often target U.S. military veterans, increasing the threat of violent extremism. Here’s how to keep them – and the rest of us – safe.

Truth, trust, and the art of conversation

David F. Bristol, Jason J. Galui, Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Ret.)

How one small town in Texas is helping people talk, and listen, to one another again.

Interview Striving for democratic freedom around the world

Berta Valle, Evan Mawarire, Daryna Onyshko

What a strong American democracy means for the rest of the world.

Review Rebuilding respect

William McKenzie

Two friends – one Democrat and one Republican – offer strategies for bringing Americans back together. Ed Goeas and Celinda Lake, A Question of Respect: Bringing Us Together in a Deeply Divided Nation. Morgan James Publishing, November 2023, 191 pp.

Review Putin’s dangerous game

Igor Khrestin

Russia’s president has built his power on a dark form of nationalism he may struggle to control – especially if he seems to be losing the war in Ukraine Leon Aron, Riding the Tiger: Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Uses of War. AEI Press, October 2023, 232 pp.