US Politics

Marion McKeone: Democracy triumphs in America and abroad, but victory is fragile

A turbulent year draws to a close with a historic White House meeting between US president Joe Biden and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky – sending a message to both Vladimir Putin and the rising tide of opposition from the authoritarian far-right

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, and Joe Biden, US president, at the White House: the meeting was a show of strength and unity to Putin and the far-right in the Republican Party. Picture: Getty

In early 2022, democracy came under assault on two different continents. Joe Biden, the US president, sounded warning bells on threats to democracy in both the US and Ukraine, as a far-right mob attacked the US Capitol in January and Russia geared up for a February invasion on its neighbouring state.

By the year’s end, one of those threats – the attempt by far-right Republicans to undermine America’s free and fair elections – had been ...