The state of US democracy looks shaky as we head towards next years election - with experts warning about rising political violence thats hitting both sides of the political divide
The current situation seems far from normal: after the jan-6 capitol riot and multiple attempts on Donald Trumps life (including a shooting at his rally last summer) Americans cant take peaceful power transfers for granted anymore
According to Barbara F Walter‚ a civil war expert at UC San Diego; countries that face political violence share two key traits: theyre partial democracies with some autocratic features‚ and they organize mainly around race ethnicity or religion rather than ideas. The US shows concerning signs of both
University of Chicago professor Robert Pape points to disturbing data: support for political force has grown sharply since 2017 (when threats to Congress members jumped five-fold) The targets include:
- Republican leaders and events
- Democratic politicians homes
- Supreme Court justices
- Government buildings
- Minority communities
Political violence is now squarely in the mainstream of Americans thinking
Recent studies show both right and left-wing groups back using force at “high and stable levels“ Public trust in elections has dropped while belief in conspiracy theories about government corruption grows - a mix that creates real risks
The rising threats dont just target politicians: since 18ʼ thereʼve been several mass-shootings aimed at ethnic groups (like attacks on synagogues and markets) Many were linked to extreme theories about population replacement
Domestic terrorism stats paint an alarming picture: FBI data shows incidents went up 357% between 13ʼ and 21ʼ with violence coming from across the political spectrum Anti-government militia attacks made up 49% of cases while anarchist incidents rose to 40%
Law enforcement faces a tough job dealing with these trends but theres some hope: about 75% of Americans still reject political violence. The key is getting this majority to speak up and redirect political anger towards voting instead of force