評論
打印
The State of Democracy in the United States: 2022
2022年美國民主情況
March 2023
2023年3月
Contents
目錄
I. Preamble
一、序言
II. American democracy in chronic ills
二、美國民主沉疴難愈
1. American democracy in further decline
（一）美國民主頹勢持續加重
2. Political polarization intensified by partisan fights
（二）兩黨爭斗加劇政治極化
3. Money politics surged
（三）金錢政治愈演愈烈
4. "Freedom of speech" in name only
（四）言論自由徒有其名
5. The judicial system blind to public opinion
（五）司法系統無視民意
6. Americans increasingly disillusioned with American democracy
（六）美國民眾對美式民主日益失望
III. The United States' imposition of "democracy" has caused chaos around the world
三、美國強推民主制造全球亂局
1. Foreign policy held hostage by political polarization
（一）政治極化綁架對外政策
2. Inciting confrontation and conflict in the name of democracy
（二）借民主旗號煽動對抗沖突
3. Doubling down on unilateral sanctions
（三）單邊制裁變本加厲
4. Undermining democracy in international relations
（四）肆意破壞國際關系民主化
5. Foisting a trumped-up narrative of "democracy versus authoritarianism"
（五）炮制“民主對抗威權”虛假敘事
IV. Conclusion
四、結束語
I. Preamble
一、序言
In 2022, the vicious cycle of democratic pretensions, dysfunctional politics and a divided society continued in the United States. Problems such as money politics, identity politics, social rifts, and the gulf between the rich and poor worsened. The maladies afflicting American democracy deeply infected the cells of US politics and society, and further revealed US governance failure and institutional defects.
2022年，美國持續陷入民主失真、政治失能、社會失和的惡性循環。金錢政治、身份政治、社會撕裂、貧富分化等問題愈加嚴重。美國民主弊病已深入政治和社會肌理的方方面面，并進一步折射出其背后的治理失靈和制度缺陷。
Despite mounting problems at home, the US continued to behave with a sense of superiority, point fingers at others, usurp the role of a "lecturer of democracy", and concoct and play up the false narrative of "democracy versus authoritarianism". To serve the interests of none other than itself, the US acted to split the world into two camps of what it defined as "democracies and non-democracies", and organized another edition of the so-called "Summit for Democracy" to check how various countries had performed on meeting US standards for democracy and to issue new orders. Be it high-sounding rhetoric or maneuvers driven by hidden agenda, none can hide the real designs of the US – to maintain its hegemony by playing bloc politics and using democracy as a tool for political ends.
盡管自身問題成堆，美國卻仍居高臨下，指手畫腳，充當民主教師爺，編造和渲染“民主對抗威權”虛假敘事，圍繞美國的私利，在全世界劃分“民主和非民主陣營”，張羅舉辦第二屆“領導人民主峰會”，向各國盤點和分派“民主兌現承諾”。這些做法無論是打著“道義”的花言巧語，還是操著利益的掩飾手段，都隱藏不住將民主政治化、工具化，推行集團政治、服務維霸目標的真實意圖。
This report collects a multitude of facts, media comments and expert opinions to present a complete and real picture of American democracy over the year. What they reveal is an American democracy in chaos at home and a trail of havoc and disasters left behind as the US peddled and imposed its democracy around the globe. It helps remove the facade of American democracy for more people worldwide.
本報告通過大量列舉事實和媒體專家看法，系統梳理和呈現過去一年美國民主的真實表現，揭示美國國內民主亂象及其在全世界兜售和強加民主所制造的混亂與災難，讓世人進一步認清美國民主的真實面目。
II. American democracy in chronic ills
二、美國民主沉疴難愈
The US refuses to acknowledge the many problems and institutional crises confronting its democracy at home and stubbornly claims to be the template and beacon of democracy for the world. Such imperiousness perpetuates the ills of its democracy and causes dire consequences for other countries.
美國無視當前自身民主面臨的種種問題和制度危機，固執地認為美國民主仍然是全球樣板、民主燈塔。這種妄自尊大不僅讓美國民主弊病積重難返，也讓世界各國繼續深受其害。
1. American democracy in further decline
（一）美國民主頹勢持續加重
The functioning of American democratic institutions may look as lively as a circus, with politicians of all stripes showing off themselves one after another. But however boisterous the show is, it cannot hide the lethargy in addressing the long-standing, grave problems. Le Monde points out that 2022 is a year of doubt for US democracy. A silent civil war has taken root in the US, and repairing damaged democracy requires a sense of nation and public interest, both of which are currently lacking. This is sad for a country that has long held itself up as a model. In 2022, the Swedish think tank International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance added the US to its "list of regressive democracies".
美國民主制度好似外表光鮮的舞臺，各路政客你方唱罷我登場，但無論表演多么精彩，都難掩許多長期的嚴重積弊和始終難以解決的無奈現實。法國《世界報》指出，2022年是美國民主經歷懷疑的一年，一場無聲的內戰已在美國扎根，修復受損的民主需要國家意識和公共利益意識，但目前兩者都缺乏，對美國這樣一個長期自視為典范的國家來說實屬悲哀。瑞典智庫“國際民主及選舉協助研究所”2022年將美國列入“退步的民主國家名單”。
Two years after the Capitol riots on 6 January 2021, the US system of democracy still has difficulty in learning the lessons, as political violence continued to grow and deteriorate. The Washington Post and The New Yorker observe that American democracy is in a worse state than ever before, with the congressional riots fully exposing social rifts, political divisions and rampant misinformation. The two parties, although not unaware of the age-old ills of American democracy, have neither the resolve nor the courage to pursue changes, given the increasingly polarized political atmosphere, as well as their focus on party interests.
2021年1月6日發生的美國國會暴亂已過去兩年，但美國的民主體系并未也難以真正吸取教訓，政治暴力還在發展惡化。《華盛頓郵報》《紐約客》指出，美國民主正處于前所未有的糟糕狀態，國會暴亂事件充分暴露出社會撕裂、政治分裂以及虛假信息大行其道。國會兩黨雖然都意識到美式民主的陳年弊病，但在日益極化的黨派政治氛圍中，出于各自利益，都缺乏革新決心和魄力。
In 2022, the US Congress was brought into another paralysis, not by riots, but by partisan fights. The farce of failing to elect the 118th House speaker lasted four days and a decision was only reached after 15 rounds of voting. In the last round, divisions were such that Republicans and Democrats voted strictly along party lines. The New York Times warned that Congress could see repeated chaos like this over the next two years. Brad Bannon, president of a US political consultancy, put it bluntly, "The impasse in the US House of Representatives over the election of the Speaker is another demonstration of the decline in our political institutions."
2022年，美國國會再度癱瘓，原因不是因為暴亂，而是源于黨派惡斗。第118屆國會眾議長難產鬧劇連演4天，最終歷經15輪投票才選出眾議長。在最后一輪表決中，共和黨、民主黨分化決裂，票只投給自己人。《紐約時報》稱，美國國會未來兩年還可能反復陷入這種混亂狀態。美國一家政治咨詢公司主席布拉德·班農直言：“眾議院在此次風波中鬧得一團糟，再次表明美國政治機構在衰落。”
This has aroused concerns among the general public. The Brookings Institution concludes in a 2022 report that the once proud American democracy is facing a systemic crisis and is accelerating its decline. The impact is spreading to all fronts in domestic politics, the economy and society, posing a mortal threat to the legitimacy and health of capitalism. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace warns in a report that American democracy is at a dangerous inflection point, declining faster as the inherent ills of American capitalism worsen. Multiple challenges such as voting restrictions, election fraud, and loss of trust in government are accelerating the disintegration of American democracy. Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, writes that America's dysfunctional politics raises fears that the 2024 presidential election would again provoke deadly violence in the country. A large number of hot button issues continued to provoke public anger and questions on the legitimacy of the US political establishment. Many worried about how long American democracy could continue to function.
美國各界也憂心忡忡。布魯金斯學會2022年發布報告指出，曾經引以為榮的美國民主制度面臨系統性危機，正加速走向衰敗，對國內政治、經濟、社會的影響已從局部走向整體，將對資本主義的合法性和未來發展帶來嚴重危害。卡內基國際和平基金會報告稱，美國民主制度正隨著美式資本主義固有弊病的加重而加速衰落，處于危險轉折點。投票限制、選舉舞弊、政府失信等多重挑戰將加速美國民主解體。歐亞集團總裁伊恩·布雷默撰文指出，美國民主制度功能失調使人們擔憂2024年總統大選可能再度引發暴力事件。大量社會熱點問題持續引發公眾憤怒和對美國政治機構合法性的質疑，不少民眾擔心如此下去不知美國民主制度還能正常運轉多久。
