# Daron Acemoglu: ‘If Democrats think everything can go back to normal, it will be a dangerous victory’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/daron-acemoglu-if-democrats-think-everything-can-go-back-to-normal-it-will-be-a-dangerous-victory/
- Published: 2026-11-03T14:21:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T18:46:52+00:00
- Original publisher: El País (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-11-03/daron-acemoglu-if-democrats-think-everything-can-go-back-to-normal-it-will-be-a-dangerous-victory.html
- Topics: Americas, Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- Acemoglu says liberal democracy faces a deep crisis.
- An electoral win will not restore the old normal.
- Inequality, polarisation and weak public services are among the pressures.

## Summary

Economist Daron Acemoglu warns that liberal democracy is in crisis and may not survive the end of the next decade. In an interview about his new book, he argues that Democrats treating an election victory as a return to normal would be dangerous, because the causes of democratic decline would remain.

Acemoglu points to weakening trust in institutions, polarisation and declining support for centrist parties, alongside growing inequality and poorer public services. He links these trends to globalisation, automation, social media, weakened community ties, migration pressures and politics shaped by money and spectacle; he argues that democratic renewal requires addressing these underlying forces.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.