We Must Make Sure That Democracy Doesn’t Die

Almost daily, I face the arduous task of getting through the bedtime ritual without losing my patience with my young children. Some evenings, I give in to their demands. This typically involves sitting in the dark room of my youngest while he drifts off to sleep. However, thanks to the iPhone and news apps, the quiet room and my illuminated screen afford time to catch up on the news of the day while simultaneously easing the anxieties of my nearly sleeping son. That was the setting when an article grabbed my attention with the title 'The Week Democracy Died.' The article chronicles the aftermath of the Brexit vote; the Bastille Day terrorist attack in Nice; the attempted coup in Turkey; and Donald Trump's first public appearance with his running mate, Gov. Mike Pence. And it raises some good points on how these seemingly disconnected events illustrate trends confronting liberal democratic political systems that are forcing them to fight for their survival.