Political Science + Writing
Political Essays
Todays Political Landscape is increasingly characterized by political polarization, partisanship, infighting and violence, as each year more and more countries turn away from democracy and towards authoritarianism. I have spent much of my free time over the years researching these two trends and the far reaching effects they have on our society
My Writings
As it stands, the political climate of the United States is arguably the most divided, disjointed, and radicalized it has been in over a century. Since the late 1990s, extremism, domestic terrorism, and political violence have been on the rise in America; however, in just the past decade, incidents and investigations of domestic terrorism have grown by a staggering 357% (U.S. Government Accountability Office). This alarming trend, spurred by rising political polarization, shows no sign of slowing. If we do not act now to implement policies to unify our political system, uproot extremists from the government and military, educate citizens, and monitor extremist groups to prevent the spreading of radical, hateful ideologies on social media platforms, the United States will almost certainly continue down this dangerous downward spiral of violence, hate, and even civil unrest.
Extremism
23%
of Americans and 33% of Republicans claim political violence is justified - Time
357%
increase in domestic terrorism in the Untied States over the past decade
-U.S. Gov't Accountability Office
increase in searches indicating a desire to kill ethnic minorities
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
200%
47%
of Americans think a second civil war is likely in their lifetime
- Marist National Poll
Extremism Stats
In our current era of declining democracies, widespread political turmoil, and rising authoritarianism, many question how to reverse this troubling global trend. The days of dismissing foreign dictatorships as irrelevant to American democracy are gone. With the 2024 election approaching, the U.S. faces a critical moment in history: the choice between continuing as a democracy or descending into autocracy. To understand this pivotal point, it’s essential to study historical and contemporary authoritarian regimes, especially in regions like Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Authoritarianism
18 yrs
of consecutive democratic decline worldwide - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
32%
of Americans favor rule by the military or an autocrat
- Pew Research Center
decline in US democratic rating in past decade, briefly being reclassified as an anocracy in Jan 2021 - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
-11 pt
44%
of the world population is living under an electoral autocracy - Satistica