The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania last month was a tragedy that left one spectator killed and others critically injured. More than just an isolated incident, though, this tragedy is indicative of the growing threat to the strength of democracies worldwide.

America has been considered the democratic pillar of the world since its inception. However, 72% of Americans now believe the United States used to be a good example of democracy but has since deteriorated. Many around the world, including 67% of Canadian and 65% of Japanese adults, believe the same about the United States. High-profile incidents of political violence damage confidence in democracy, and if they can happen in America, the previously undisputed beacon of democracy, they can happen anywhere. It’s no wonder we’re seeing a global democratic decline, which is troubling to me, a global citizen and first-time voter who, along with my 8 million peers aging into the U.S. electorate, is faced with the task of maintaining our political processes and upholding our democratic values.

Trump’s political character has been a driving force of this democratic decline in the United States. His strongman persona has shifted our political culture from policy to personal vitriol. Politics is now inextricably linked to our identities, becoming moral indicators, causing us to turn against each other. Large majorities of Republicans and Democrats view members of the opposing party as close-minded and immoral. Political theater and polarization has always been part of living in a democracy. However, when polarization reaches the point where policy ceases to be the center of discussion, politicians can control the political narrative more than they already do, putting political processes at risk and undermining democracy.

This phenomenon is not restricted to U.S. politics. We have seen a rise in strongman leaders across the world, such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has secured a large and loyal electorate that recently gave him a rare third term. Modi’s populist political tactics are worrying, because he has undermined India’s secular constitution by promoting religious nationalism to strengthen support from his base. His tenure has left India with more staunch partisanship. The trends present in India are reminiscent of the democratic decline occurring in the United States, with growing concerns about how social media usage has boosted populist movements and made Indian democracy more volatile.

The damaging effects to democracy of America’s charged political climate have been plainly visible. The most striking example is the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. That incident was easily the most direct attack on American democracy that has occurred in my lifetime.

The part social media has played in affirming partisan divides cannot be ignored in the context of this incident. Most social media platforms failed to curb extremist content until after Jan. 6, according to a congressional investigation, despite evidence of the threat beforehand. When we face such a blatant attack on our democracy, it is our collective responsibility to condemn it and take action. However, instead of coming together to condemn the attack on the Capitol, there was partisan division even regarding the semantics of the incident.

This polarization and discord has rendered my generation apathetic to democracy and the democratic process. We are less engaged because we do not feel heard, especially in this moment. After the attempt on Trump’s life, politicians across the political spectrum in the United States and abroad condemned the act of political violence and called for unity. However, in the context of our global political landscape, those calls for unity feel hollow. Politicians’ focus must be on analyzing how the United States and the world can rehabilitate democratic institutions. Without democracy, we lose the foundation for a just society, and we cannot bear that loss.

Preeti Kulkarni (preeti.kulkarni@gwu.edu) is a student at the George Washington University studying international affairs. She is co-founder of the educational nonprofit Global Compromise Collective.