Over the past decade or two, concerns about democracy’s future have moved to the center of political debate. In many long-established democracies(长期建立的民主国家) once thought stable and secure, polarization(极化) has risen, trust in political institutions has fallen, and governments appear unable to respond effectively to the challenges their countries face. In the United States, internal divisions, political dissatisfaction, and institutional dysfunction have become so severe over the past year that the country is backsliding “much faster” than “any other democracy in modern times,” according to the think tank Varieties of Democracy.(在美国，内部分歧、政治不满和制度功能障碍在过去一年变得如此严重，以至于该国正在“比现代史上任何其他民主国家”“快得多地”倒退，据智库“民主多样性”称。)
在过去一二十年里，对民主未来的担忧已移至政治辩论的中心。在许多曾被认为稳定可靠的长期民主国家，极化加剧，对政治机构的信任下降，政府似乎无法有效应对国家面临的挑战。在美国，内部分歧、政治不满和制度功能障碍在过去一年变得如此严重，以至于该国正在“比现代史上任何其他民主国家”“快得多地”倒退，据智库“民主多样性”称。
Scholars, activists, philanthropies, and nonprofits across the United States and Europe—and across the ideological spectrum(意识形态光谱)—have responded by turning their attention and resources to fixing what is wrong with democracy. Most assume that the basic structure of representative democracy(代议制民主) is sound and that its problems can be addressed by improving the institutions and procedures through which it operates. But not everyone shares that view. To some, the crisis of democracy goes deeper—it derives from a system that is so rotten, corrupt, unrepresentative, and incompetent that it is beyond reform.(对一些人来说，民主的危机更深——它源于一个如此腐朽、腐败、不具代表性且无能，以至于无法改革的制度。)
美国和欧洲各地的学者、活动家、慈善机构和非营利组织——跨越整个意识形态光谱——已作出回应，将注意力和资源转向修复民主的问题。大多数人认为代议制民主的基本结构是健全的，其问题可以通过改善其运作的制度和程序来解决。但并非所有人都持此看法。对一些人来说，民主的危机更深——它源于一个如此腐朽、腐败、不具代表性且无能，以至于无法改革的制度。
Today, this critique is commonly associated with the populist right(民粹主义右翼) and the far right. In the United States and elsewhere, some right-wing intellectuals and activists argue that liberal democracies should give way to(让位于，被取代) illiberal regimes(非自由政体) that still hold elections but restrict rights and that will promote the “common good,” traditional values, and nationalist projects that emphasize ethnic and religious homogeneity(同质性). Some argue that democracy must be discarded altogether in favor of strongman rule or some form of monarchy.(有些人认为必须彻底抛弃民主，转而支持强人统治或某种形式的君主制。)
如今，这种批评通常与民粹主义右翼和极右翼联系在一起。在美国和其他地方，一些右翼知识分子和活动家认为，自由民主应该让位于仍举行选举但限制权利的非自由政体，这些政体将促进“共同利益”、传统价值观以及强调种族和宗教同质性的民族主义计划。有些人认为必须彻底抛弃民主，转而支持强人统治或某种形式的君主制。
ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE
一人一票
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
这山望着那山高
NO SILVER BULLET
没有万灵丹