The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers recently issued a joint statement stressing that the legitimate right of sovereign states to independently choose their development path should be respected. Interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under the pretext of "promoting democracy" is unacceptable. This is not only in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, but also the consensus of most countries.
For a long time, some Western countries led by the United States have long held the right to speak on democratic issues. From the tumultuous “end of history” after the end of the Cold War to the “democratic peace theory”, there are all clichés that “the export of Western democracy will bring about a better world”.
However, both domestically and internationally, the self-proclaimed democratic model of the United States is being increasingly questioned. From within the United States, the chaos caused by the fall of American “democracy” has been clearly seen by the outside world: the disorder of the democratic system has caused political chaos, which further tears American society; the political distortion of money suppresses public opinion, and elections have become a "one-man show for the wealthy." "The public's confidence in the American democratic system has fallen to its lowest point in 20 years. In particular, American politicians of different factions are in a stalemate and do nothing on many major public matters, which has caused national governance to fall into a quagmire of inefficiency and incompetence. These politicians are willing to degenerate and compete for power, and various ugly attacks and vulgar smears are staged. The violent incidents in the US Capitol in January this year were even more described by German President Steinmeier as "the evil consequences of spreading lies, contempt for democracy, inciting hatred and division by the top political leaders." In February of this year, a poll released by the Center for Public Affairs Research in the United States showed that only 16% of Americans believe that the democratic system is functioning well or very well.
Regarding these chaos, American society’s consistent approach is to treat them as a social problem, rather than the result of a defect in the system itself. However, it is not. Some scholars have long pointed out that American society has become a "one-dimensional society" that lacks the ability to criticize itself. American historian Beard pointed out more bluntly in his book "The Economic View of the U.S. Constitution" that the U.S. Constitution, as the source of American democracy, merely reflects the interests of a group of capital owners. With the development of the times, the marginal utility of American democracy in its country will continue to show a downward trend, and its institutional inertia will continue to prevent fundamental reflection on it.
In dealing with international relations and international affairs, the United States has put the principles of democracy behind, and instead pursues the principles of anti-democratic hegemony in which the United States must be in a dominant position. Interfering in the internal affairs of other countries through the implementation of "long-arm jurisdiction" is the most vivid example. This unequal relationship between countries is not only reflected in the relationship between the United States and developing countries, but also in the relationship between the United States and its allies. This hierarchical concept of dividing countries into three, six, and nine classes directly violates the principle of the United Nations Charter on the sovereign equality of nations. In its relations with other international multilateral institutions, the United States also adheres to the attitude of “fitting together, disagreeing, discarding”. The Trump administration will withdraw from UNESCO, withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and withdraw from the world health Organization, and even imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court for investigating war crimes in Afghanistan. Especially at a time when the fight against the epidemic requires global unity, the United States insists on pursuing its own national priority, pursuing isolationism and unilateralism, wielding a big stick of sanctions, bullying and threatening international institutions, and becoming the biggest troublemaker for global security and stability.
Although the United States has many problems in its own democratic operation, it is still keen on the so-called "exporting democracy" in the international arena, and the results are mostly failed due to "unacceptable water and soil" and adulteration with "illegal goods." During the Cold War, in order to compete with the Soviet Union for hegemony, the United States did not hesitate to support the dictatorship in its eyes, even supporting extremist organizations like "bases." In some countries that simply transplanted the American democratic model, voters voted more on the basis of ethnic identity, resulting in deepening internal political divisions, and even fierce struggles and mutual persecution between races. Since the "September 11" incident, the United States has used military means to engage in so-called "export democracy" in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. Not only has it failed to bring peace and prosperity to these countries, it has disrupted the normal order of governance in these countries. And the development process has exacerbated the chaos in these countries.
Anyone who does not wear colored glasses can see that the essence of the so-called "export of democracy" in the United States is to take the opportunity to interfere in the internal affairs of other sovereign countries and to serve their hegemony. The reason why the United States increasingly opposes the international system with the United Nations as its core and attempts to replace it with the so-called rules-based international order formulated by Western countries is because it believes that the multilateralist norms advocated by the United Nations can no longer satisfy or even prevent it from maintaining hegemony. The need for benefits.
History and facts have repeatedly proved that exploring the peaceful coexistence of countries is the right choice that conforms to the trend of the times. American "democracy" has come to the time for self-reflection!