Democracy and State: Analysis of US Practices and Protectionism

This essay examines the concepts of democracy and the state, focusing on the United States as a case study. It addresses the rise of protectionism and its implications for the US, considering its impact on international relations and the standard of living. Furthermore, the essay delves into the issue of racial discrimination in America, highlighting its contradiction with democratic principles. The author discusses the historical context of racial discrimination, its ongoing presence, and its effects on equality within the US society. The essay draws upon scholarly sources to support its arguments, providing a comprehensive analysis of these critical issues and their implications for the functioning of democracy in the United States. It concludes by emphasizing the need for interconnectedness among nations and the importance of upholding democratic values to overcome challenges such as racial discrimination.

Running head: DEMOCRACY AND STATE
Democracy and State
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Response to Question 1:
The age of globalization began to take a hold gradually over the world towards the latter
half of the twentieth century. This was necessitated by the fact that nearly all the economies of
the world are interconnected to one another due to their economic interdependence (Findlay,
2017). As a result, countries could no longer stay in isolation and had to interact with one
another by following several diplomatic policies. This essay seeks to discuss the issue of
protectionism that is recently favored by the United States of America.
The United States of America is the leading hegemon of the world. It is considered to be
the most powerful economy in terms of standard of living and military resources (Felbermayr,
Steininger & Yalcin, 2017). However, with the change in administration in the recent times,
there is a change in the stance of the country. The government under the aegis of President
Donald Trump is leaning towards the policy of protectionism which implies that the country will
now focus on the achievement of its national interest and the welfare of its people rather than the
welfare of the entire world.
This policy of protectionism has several important repercussions. For instance,
withdrawal from the international forums would mean negligible economic trade with other
countries. This would result in the lowering of the standard of living of the US citizens (Petersen
et al., 2017). Moreover, the country would not receive any military aid from the other countries
in times of crisis, further weakening its chances at victory.
In conclusion it is observed that although protectionism is a favorable policy for many
state leaders for the protection of its national interests, the drawbacks associated with it are too

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significant to overcome. There is thus a need for the different nation-states to form alliances with
one another and stay interconnected. This would ensure the preponderance of peace in the world.

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References:
Felbermayr, G., Steininger, M., & Yalcin, E. (2017). Global Impact of a Protectionist US Trade
Policy. ifo Forschungsberichte.
Findlay, R. M. (2017). Britain Under Protection: An Examination of the Government's
Protectionist Policy. Routledge.
Petersen, T., Schoof, U., Yalcin, E., Felbermayr, G., & Steininger, M. (2017). Global impact of a
protectionist US trade policy. GED Focus Paper, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh.
[Google Scholar].

4DEMOCRACY AND STATE
Response to Question 2:
The United States of America is considered to be the epitome of democratic nation in the
world. The Founding Fathers of the Constitution of America included all the possible measures
and Articles which would guarantee the freedom of the individuals living in the region (Sanchez,
& Awad, 2016). Moreover, the rights of the people have been given the highest priority in the
country. However, there exists certain practices within the folds of the country which are highly
contradictory to the democratic principle of the country. For instance, the prevalence of racial
discrimination in the region. The main purpose of the essay is to discuss the issue of racial
discrimination and its impact on the citizens of the United States of America.
The issue of racial discrimination has found a strong foot hold within the folds of United
States of America. The powerful and wealthy individuals of America in the historical times used
to transport people from the region of Africa to work on their lands and in their industries. Such
a thought process occurred because the citizens of the United States felt that the ‘black’ people of
the African countries are inferior to them and were considered to be ‘barbarians’ (Hudson et al.,
2016). As a result, they were best suited to carry out the manual work of the laborers while the
‘white’ citizens of America would benefit the fruits of the labor. This thought process continued
to be in existence throughout the history of development of human civilization, even to the
present times.
Attempts have been made by the Founding Fathers of the Constitution of America to
provide equal rights to everyone inhabiting the country without any discrimination. However, a
main drawback in this attempt is that the Constitution does not provide for any provision of
affirmative action. In other words, those who are disadvantaged, will remain disadvantaged

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unless they can prove themselves with the aid of merit and power (Van Dijk, 2015). This has a
significant repercussion on the issue of racial discrimination which can be wildly observed
within the folds of United States of America. The people who are of African-American origin
find it quite difficult to make their standing within the American society when compared with
those of the ‘white’ skin toned citizens. For instance, the hate crime against the ‘black’ skin
toned people is higher in number in the United States. This is because of the mindset that ‘black’
people are still considered to ‘slaves’ and inferior to the ‘white’ skin toned citizens.
The issue of racial discrimination severely undermines the principle of democracy that is
considered to be the founding pillar of United States of America. For instance, the clear
discrimination that is observed during the time of employment undermines the principle of
equality. While being employed, the offices in America prefers to employ ‘whit’ skin tined
people rather than ‘black’ people (Carliner et al., 2016). Moreover, this distinction can even be
noticed for public offices as well. It was as late as the beginning of the twenty first century
before the United States of America had a ‘black’ President of African0American origin in the
form of Barrack Obama. He broke down all barriers associated with ‘black’ people by pushing
the country to greatness during his tenure. America managed to break new heights and achieve
international approval in its activities in the international forum when he was in office.
In conclusion it is observed that in spite of proclaiming right to equality and freedom of
the individuals, the country of America has failed to establish and maintain its democratic
ideologies. There are existence of several contradictory practices such as the issue of racial
discrimination.

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References:
Carliner, H., Delker, E., Fink, D. S., Keyes, K. M., & Hasin, D. S. (2016). Racial discrimination,
socioeconomic position, and illicit drug use among US Blacks. Social psychiatry and
psychiatric epidemiology, 51(4), 551-560.
Hudson, D. L., Neighbors, H. W., Geronimus, A. T., & Jackson, J. S. (2016). Racial
discrimination, John Henryism, and depression among African Americans. Journal of
Black psychology, 42(3), 221-243.
Sanchez, D., & Awad, G. H. (2016). Ethnic group differences in racial identity attitudes,
perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes in African American, Black
Caribbean and Latino Caribbean college students. International Journal of Culture and
Mental Health, 9(1), 31-43.
Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Racism and the Press. Routledge.