USA Is No Longer a “Liberal Democracy” According to New Report from International Research Group
Summary
The international research group Varieties of Democracy, or “V-Dem”, has downgraded the US in their latest report on democracies around the world, citing “suppression and intimidation of media and dissenting voices” as a key reason for the “derailment of democracy” in the United States.
The Sweden based research group Varieties of Democracy has released their new report on democracies worldwide. In their section dealing with the USA, V-Dem states:
The speed with which American democracy is currently dismantled is unprecedented in modern history. . . .
The US is now ranked 51st on the group’s index of democracies—a 24% drop from the previous ranking of 20th.
The report, entitled Unraveling The Democratic Era, says that 4 of the 5 largest nations on the planet are governed by authoritarian regimes: China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. The 5th largest country, the U.S.A., is quickly moving towards authoritarianism under the Trump administration.
V-Dem, located at Gothenburg University, cited “suppression and intimidation of media and dissenting voices” leading to “derailment of democracy” in the U.S.
They claim that the U.S. can no longer be considered a liberal democracy, citing “suppression and intimidation of media and dissenting voices” as a key reason.
The trend towards authoritarianism is worldwide, with 44 nations headed in that direction, whereas only 12 have become more democratic.
The research group is funded by several Swedish institutions; the European Commission; World Bank; U.S. National Science Foundation; and the Open Society Foundation, founded by George Soros.
World Press Freedom Day is coming up on May 3rd with major international journalism conferences. The U.S. is currently ranked 57th on the World Press Freedom Index and our ranking is sure to drop when the new index is released by Reporters Without Borders on May 3rd. The fact that no major corporate U.S. media network has reported on this in the past reveals another reason for the loss of press freedom: self-censorship.
Although they have blatantly ignored the current U.S. ranking on the World Press Freedom Index, some corporate media are reporting on V-Dem’s findings that the United States and other nations are losing their democratic institutions, including freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
CNN reported:
This year’s report describes what the researchers call a ‘bleak reality’ for citizens: The ‘center of gravity’ for human experience and global governance has shifted heavily toward authoritarianism.
In the US, V-Dem found that the loss of federal civil-rights protections, Trump’s attempts to suppress protesters and activist groups, and refusals by Congress to hold him accountable have all contributed to the loss of democracy.
Even the Supreme Court and the Justice Department have acquiesced to Trump’s tantrums and right-wing diatribes, protecting him from any legal threats during his term of office. The system of checks and balances is no longer functional.
But one of the key takeaways from the Varieties of Democracy report is that researchers have documented countries “making U-turns” away from autocracy and they found that “elections were often pivotal windows of opportunity, and the first electoral cycle after was often decisive.”
As the country heads towards midterm national elections in November, the U.S. could make that kind of historic turn around, but only if the majority of citizens who are qualified to vote actually participate in the election.
Apathy among voters has helped to allow corrupt politicians gain control of the government. If democracy is to survive, the electorate must regain that control by showing up at the ballot boxes and exerting their power as the majority. The upcoming election could be the most important one in the history of the nation.
After 250 years will residents of the United States truly be free to pursue the more egalitarian goals of the founding fathers, or will we succumb to the whims of an elite self-serving oligarchy?
Video of my report for Thom Hartmann show:
Links:
https://www.v-dem.net/publications/democracy-reports
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/18/media/trump-vdem-democracy-media-report
World Press Freedom Index:
