That is happening in the energy sector. US owes a lot of its initial development surge to early oil exploration. But now China is making strides in green energy, fleet electrification and renewables deployment, while the big oil lobby acts like an anchor dragging US behind, hampering advance in those areas.

#NotAllDemocracies

More broadly, I think that Americans have been too arrogant and have been prone to thinking that the only part of the world which matters stops at their own borders.

This is a natural consequence of:

- major oceans on two sides, very similar country on one side, and only one border with a truly different country

- 25% of the world's economy

- very easy to travel, work, and do business internally across the US

- some cultural and lots of climate diversity inside the US

All of which means you can live a very full and happy life without ever leaving the States or even thinking about what happens outside of it.

In support of "democracy", some States tried to prevent Trump from being on the 2024 ballot--that is, to prevent the demos from selecting who they wanted.

There are several similar stories from Europe where the putatively democratically elected leaders are working to save the demos from itself.

So #NotAllDemocracies, but more than there should be

It's not horribly unusual for a system that can be called democratic with every right to exclude those that have repeatedly stated, and shown in action, that they would not actually abide by any result that goes against them. It's the paradox of intolerance right there -- it's not those defending the rules of democracy that are damaging it.

A democracy has to protect itself from coup attempts

You think of elections as coups? Fair, but those peaceful coups are the essence of democracy.