It is not simply the casting of ballots that makes a democracy. Many dictatorships have faux elections that change nothing. The real test of a nation’s political system is whether politicians respect the will of the voters — and in particular whether the most powerful leader, the one in control of the armed forces, willingly gives up power after losing an election. This is a test that countries such as Belarus and Zimbabwe have failed, and that the United States has passed, in good times and bad, for more than two centuries. Indeed, few presidents are even asked about their willingness to give up power because the answer is so obvious.
OP-ED
Max Boot: The worst threat to US democracy since the 1930s
US President Donald Trump addresses supporters during a campaign event at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on Sept. 3, 2020.
