When other countries look at U.S., do they see a democracy or a dictatorship?

[kentuck]

Many countries of the world have a lot of respect for the World Health Organization (WHO). They see them as promoting better health for people around the world. They are knowledgeable.

When Donald Trump says he is going to withdraw us from the World Health Organization, it is an affront to all the people of America. Is this what America really wants?

Yet, the Republican Party is silent...

Mitch McConnell and his Republican cohorts are waiting for the next election to be over. They hope to escape with the minimal of damage.

And people question whether America is still a democracy?

With no response from our Senators and Congressmen, many may conclude that we are now a dictatorship.

Which side are we on?

[House of Roberts]

1. We are an oligarchy.

Congress only passes laws that the oppressor class approves.

[kentuck]

2. Yep...

People don't always vote in their own best interest.

[Nay]

3. What they see is an empire, one that has no qualms about trampling anybody or anything

in its compulsion to acquire more power and money.

[Ferrets are Cool]

13. IMO, the best answer.

[malaise]

18. THIS

[Johnny2X2X]

4. They see a failing state and they are afraid

I have several Canadian friends, they're scared, they can't believe what the US is becoming and message often for reassurance, I give none. I tell them that the US is a threat to them and if Trump wins 4 more years that Canada is not safe from US aggression economically, he will try to punish them.

[C_U_L8R]

5. A lot of stupid people voting against their own well-being.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. For most of the world Democracies are flawed at best, and the U.S. is just another one.

Exceptionally well functioning democracies are rare outside of Europe, North America and a few bright spots in Asia. The Philippines is "a democracy". Russia is "a democracy. Turkey is "a democracy" and so on. It's not so much that the U.S. is no longer viewed as "a democracy", it's that we done so much under Trump to cheapen the idea of being "a democracy". Being viewed as "a democracy" is less often equated with embracing "good government". It increasingly is seen as just another way of organizing the distribution of the spoils among those who have access to power.

[kentuck]

9. Well said!

Good government cannot be taken for granted.

[Igel]

15. "Democracy" also took a hit over the last 10-15 years for another reason.

If you watched a lot of protests and quasi-revolutions, the signs and spokesfolk often seemed to point to the equivalence of democracy = (fast) prosperity.

In other words, dictatorship = poverty.

What happened is that in some cases "democracy" was put in place, whether formal and superficial or fairly thorough-going, and prosperity didn't immediately ensue.

Abductive logic got them to a false conclusion (as it often does, it's not real logic but puts on a good act). GIGO.

[lark]

7. We are a functioning oligarchy that is trying to be changed to an rw fascist dictatorship.

Of course, it is being run by oligarchs, the continuing destructive force in this country and the world.

[Hugin]

8. They see a very un-funny wanna-be banana flavored laffy-taffy republic.

But, mostly they see an ill managed fascism, stinking of organized crime with a broken down self-absorbed syphilitic cretin as a front man, a complicit and completely auto-neutered one party genuflecting government, and a few corporate interests really running things from the safety of their ensconced enclaves.

That about sums it up.

P.S. They're terrified.

[kentuck]

12. They have a reason to be terrified.

Somehow, the facts have to defeat the propaganda.

Facebook and technology is simple to use and simple people use it. Many times with no authoritative sources. Nothing more than a slogan on a colored background.

When there are no responses from the so-called 'Legislature' to the incredible comments and actions coming from this White House, we can only conclude that we are in a dictatorship.

[tazkcmo]

10. Neither

They see a once productive and desirable beacon of fairness and freedom reduced to a dysfunctional and impoverished rubble of trash.

MAGA!!!!

[Ferrets are Cool]

14. Hell, even "I" have never looked at America as a "beacon of fairness and freedom". I doubt

very much that the world has either.

[tazkcmo]

16. They did when I lived there.

1975 to 1978, W. Germany

[Ferrets are Cool]

17. They were wrong.

[tazkcmo]

19. I would agree

But this was during the Carter administration and before Raygun

[Buckeye_Democrat]

11. They probably view us as more dangerous than ever.

Even before Trump, polling of people across the world showed that the plurality viewed the USA as the MOST DANGEROUS country in the world.