By Zhang ZhouIn spite of all the problems facing its own democracy, the United States refuses to？reflect on itself, but instead continues to export American democratic values to other countries,？and use the pretext of democracy to oppress other countries and serve its own agenda. What the US has done is exacerbating division in the international community and bloc-based confrontation.

　　-- Foreign policy held hostage by political polarizationWith the intensification of political polarization, Democrats and Republicans are increasingly divided on major foreign affairs？issues, and America’s？foreign policy has become more and more “extreme”. “Politics crossing the water’s edge” has become the norm. It is not only harmful to many developing countries, but also poses a threat to America’s own allies.

　　-- Inciting confrontation and conflict？in the name of democracyIn order to maintain its hegemony, the US？has long been monopolizing the definition of “democracy”,？instigating division and confrontation？in the name of democracy, and undermining the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law.

　　-- Doubling down on unilateral sanctionsIn recent years, US unilateral sanctions？have been increasing and its “long arm” has been extending？further. In order to preserve its hegemony, the US has wilfully？harmed the interests of other countries, especially the legitimate and lawful interests of developing countries, in disregard of international law and the basic norms of international relations.

　　-- Undermining democracy in international relationsUnder the pretext of “multilateralism”？and “international rules”,？and clinging to the？Cold War mentality, the US？has exercised fake multilateralism and bloc politics, instigated？division and antagonism, created？bloc confrontation, and practiced unilateralism in the name of multilateralism. Its hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts seriously impede the development of true multilateralism.

　　-- Foisting a trumped-up narrative of “democracy versus authoritarianism”？Harboring the Cold War mentality, a hegemonic logic and a preference for bloc politics, the US administration has framed a narrative of “democracy versus authoritarianism”, and labeled countries as “autocracies”, with a view to using ideology and values as a tool to suppress other countries and advance its own geostrategy？under the disguise of democracy.

　　Democracy is humanity’s？common value; however, there is no single model of political system that is applicable to all countries in the world. Human civilization, if compared to a garden, should be a diverse place in which democracy in different countries blooms like a hundred flowers.？Source: The State of Democracy in the United States: 2022Background images are created by AI creator.Editor: Liu Jiaming

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