U.S. democracy erodes as the American dream fades

While the U.S democracy is eroding, the American Dream is suffocating, and the U.S is not the leader of the free world anymore

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The political conflicts in the U.S and its illegitimate interests across the world have pushed back “ The American Dream” or the belief that, “ America is the leader of the free world”. Apparently, the two major political Parties, the Democratic and the Republican, and the domestic and foreign policy during each administration has contributed to a certain crisis in America and the world.

According to Pew Research Center in 2024, 73% of the Americans supporting the two recent administrations, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, disapprove of the U.S economic system and its corporations.

The Democratic and Republican are monopolizing the system in the U.S and maneuvering to keep the power in a direction that mostly serves their political interests. Also, the two Parties have been driven by the large corporations in forms of lobbying, funding, and donating to their strong candidates to keep their interests protected under the law. Seemingly, the U.S democracy is eroding and most Americans are concerned about the function of the U.S democratic system.

The AP-NORC at the University of Chicago conducted a poll in 2024, and revealed that 69% of Americans believe that democracy is a good system but has problems as they are concerned about its functioning. And 53% of Americans believe that democracy in America is poorly functioning.

The U.S political system is similar to a rotten apple from inside and beautiful from outside. The Democratic and Republican Party are simply altering the policies and shifting the direction based on their interests which can be economic or political. Evidently, it is a political game that the public is paying the price while the powerful politicians are gaining.

Americans are trapped in a political hurricane which is a conflict in the Capitol Hill between the two Parties that caused the U.S federal government shutdown and left thousands of the federal workers without pay.

According to Reuters, about 750.000 federal employees have been furloughed since October as an effect of the government shutdown. Also according to the Congressional Budget Office, the U.S economy could lose up to $14 billion dollars due to the shutdown.

In many ways, American people have been misguided by their representatives and manipulated in the political process as each political Party construes every circumstance, including the federal government shutdown, to benefit a particular purpose. For example, American people are misguided in addressing immigration issues, enhanced tax credits to people to purchase affordable healthcare, social justice, and etc…

The political tension in the past years especially when Donald Trump entered the political era in 2016, has inclined in America. The rise of the extreme left-wing and extreme right-wing in America has contributed to more violence and political assassinations that have not been seen since the 1960’s and 1970’s.

With the increase of politicians’ violent language and hate speech, political violence increases. The American politicians have normalized the violence through their speech and comments in the public without any legal consequences, and conversely, they have been supported by their fellow politicians.

For example, in 2018, Representative Maxine Water (D-CA) spoke against President Trump and told her supporters, “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store…you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.” Such speech would indeed incite violence in the public.

Furthermore, the 2025 Virginia Democratic Candidate for Attorney General Jay Jones has sent a text message in 2022 stating that he is willing to shoot Delegate Todd Gilbert (R.VA) . “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” Jones said in the message.

The violent speech is not limited to one political Party, it is similar to a contagious period that spreads to American politicians. In 2024, the Republican-then Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, at a Church said, “ Some folks need killing.” As he referred to American Socialists. And obviously, President Trump’s continuous harsh speeches often exacerbate the public situation. Obviously, American politics is lacking in tolerance.

Despite the American economy not suffering as it was under former President Joe Biden but with President Trump’s surprise policies, including tariffs that were imposed on the U.S trading partners, it will encounter many hurdles as it creates difficulties for the experts to see a clear horizon. However, President Trump is seeing a sun rise behind his tariff policy and his trade war against the U.S trading partners.

According to Tax Foundation, Trump tariffs will increase an average U.S household tax from $1.300 to $2.000 in 2026, which is a higher tax increase since 1993. Therefore, such a tariff policy will impact the average Americans while the high income and the major corporations and businesses find different routes and tax loopholes to survive.

Now, as the market prices are rising with political violence inclining, and to the higher degree the Americans are divided, the question will be: Is the American Dream still alive?
The American Dream is not dead yet, but it is suffocating and there is a time limit to either be saved or dead.

The U.S between policing the world and failed strategy

Policing the world has been a part of the U.S foreign policy disguised in different forms, such as defending democracy and protecting the U.S interests across the world. Also, the U.S strategy of destruction and construction in the world has been playing a significant role in shifting many nations’ political directions and establishing new regimes to benefit the U.S.

Generally, the Middle Eastern and some Asian nations are mostly impacted negatively by the U.S foreign policy as there are various interests for the U.S in those regions. However, the American politicians have failed the U.S and created a major crises through their miscalculation regarding Russia which became the rival powerful country that defiantly invaded Ukraine and caused the NATO, including the U.S, billions of dollars.

Apparently, former President Barack Obama contributed to the U.S foreign policy’s failure regarding Ukraine’s situation, as he did not only ignore the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2014 but also refused the intervention, and indeed, underestimated the situation.

“…if we defined our interests narrowly, if we applied a cold-hearted calculus, we might decide to look the other way. Our economy is not deeply integrated with Ukraine’s. Our people and our homeland face no direct threat from the invasion of Crimea. Our own borders are not threatened by Russia’s annexation.” Obama said in a remark to European youth in Brussels in 2014.

The advisor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, Mykhailo Podolyak (left) in an TV interview, November 2, 2025. Photo: Video/Podolyak’s TY channel.

However, the advisor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, Mykhailo Podolyak has not forgotten the U.S’s response to Russian invasion to Crimea as he commented on the latest former Obama’s interview speaking on Ukraine. Podolyak said, “Maybe it’s time to start admitting critical mistakes instead of coming up with new excuses?”

During the election campaigns, President Donald Trump sent a message of peace with a different vision connecting with the nations’ world. Although Trump is steering his strategy through peace to build businesses across the world, the challenge from Russia has changed his dream to a nightmare.

Evidently, NATO is struggling to counter Russian aggression and so is the U.S also as it is not representing a unilateral power in the world. The U.S has lost the ability to stand against Russian aggression as the latter is considered a major nuclear nation in the world.

Also, the latest Trump’s decision to restart nuclear weapon testing will not send a message of peace, and indeed, it will not intimidate neither Russia nor North Korea. The Democrats and the Republicans expressed different opinions and concerns regarding such a test, however, the American politicians, including Trump, should realize that the U.S strategy to stop the Russia-Ukraine war has failed and the U.S is not the leader of the free world.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.