Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an author and scholar, asserts that the United States' enduring democratic success stems from its inherently adversarial and decentralized political system, contrasting it with what she describes as the "dying democracies" of Europe. In her analysis, the true secret to America's resilience lies in its ability to keep power contested and responsive to the will of the people.
Upon arriving in the Netherlands in 1992, Hirsi Ali observed a society characterized by prosperity and trust in its democratic institutions. She characterized 1990s European politics as a "remarkably dull affair" where elections were orderly civic routines, and consensus-building was paramount. However, over time, she noted a subtle shift where crucial decisions became increasingly detached from public will. The Netherlands' integration into the European Union, through a series of incremental concessions like adopting the euro and the Schengen Agreement, gradually transferred sovereignty to a distant bureaucracy, insulated from citizen input.
"Sovereignty was not surrendered in a single moment, but in increments," Hirsi Ali wrote. "Power was transferred to a distant, impenetrable bureaucracy, insulated from the public and justified by a cold logic that no ordinary citizen could challenge."
Her perspective shifted dramatically upon moving to the United States in 2006. She found a political culture that was "loud, intensely adversarial and driven by a fierce clash of opposing interests." The American model, she noted, extends political participation across every layer of public life, from school boards to judicial appointments, making politics a continuous, decentralized force.
Hirsi Ali points to pivotal moments in 2016 as illustrative of this difference. In Britain, a referendum vote led to a "bureaucratic nightmare" where the outcome was ultimately diluted and renegotiated by established systems. In contrast, the American presidential election that same year handed insurgents a presidency. She argues that by re-electing Donald Trump in 2024, American voters gave permanence to a movement that had previously been dismissed as a protest, resulting in tighter borders, lighter regulation, and renewed growth – the very outcomes that eluded Britain.
"The contrast captures my central point," Hirsi Ali stated. "Britain's revolt was absorbed, while America's was sustained. The republic offers no guarantee that voters will win on the first try, but it firmly ensures their verdict can never be buried or ignored."
She attributes the American system's strength to the foresight of its founders, who understood human fallibility and designed a system to channel conflict rather than suppress it. This pragmatism, she argues, keeps the American experiment "responsive, turbulent and remarkably adaptable."
While acknowledging the dangers inherent in the American system's openness, Hirsi Ali maintains that its willingness to tolerate deep disagreement is precisely what safeguards its capacity for renewal and self-correction. Over 250 years, the republic has evolved by expanding suffrage, confronting injustices, and navigating economic transformations while preserving constitutional rule and popular sovereignty. To endure, she concludes, America must preserve the freedom to revisit decisions, rather than entrenching any single outcome.
