Marc Ratkovic on the Results of the Midterm Elections

Prof. Marc Ratkovic, Ph.D., U.S. Political Scientist comments on the results of the midterm elections in the U.S.:

Every fair, free democratic election is a basic act of citizens exercising authority over their collective government.  Yesterday's elections in the United States were no different. While the impact on internal US governance may prove profound, the international impact is likely more muted. I would offer three lessons to Germans and Europeans broadly. First, the United States is no longer a reliable, committed partner in the European project. Yesterday was a check, not a reversal, in this process. Second, the words of the US President will not carry the tacit consent of the legislature.  The President still has broad latitude to set foreign policy and diplomatic stances, but the legislature maintains real formal and informal methods of constraint.  Third, elections are simply not isolated events: Americans and Europeans share a joint fate. Exit polls found 90 percent of US voters reported corruption as a crucial issue that motivated their vote.  While “corruption” is a pliable concept, similar concerns motivated opposition to the Bolsonaro, Vučić, and Orbán regimes. 

Ratkovic left Princeton University in the U.S. to join the University of Mannheim in 2023. You can find out more about his research here.