The incidents which happen every day are not all equally important. With the passage of time, it becomes possible for one to understand what was important and what was not… what was important for the time being and what for a longer period of time. Clearing the test of time is not that easy.

Looking back at what is known as Democracy in the modern world, it seems that about half a century ago, a storm, called the Watergate Scandal, had swept the US. It went on to become a historical milestone not only for the US, but also for the entire world till date! Hence, a large-scale scandal is often termed a Gate in any part of the globe. Watergate was not just an event, but it is the name of an experience! The unprecedented achievement of Watergate was to penetrate the ironclad walls of the White House to the extent that it was possible to break through the ring of secrecy and to publicly expose the wrongdoings of a high-ranking official like the President of the United States of America.

Quite a few serious allegations against President Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) surfaced between 1972 and 1974, prompting him to resign in 1974. First and foremost among those allegations was how the President used his (super)powers to influence the Presidential Election, how he secured power through corruption, how he pretended to be transparent in public by suppressing the facts and evidences, and how he nurtured authoritarianism in the veil of Freedom of Speech. Nixon was impeached, and eventually pardoned. However, it would be a mistake to consider the Watergate Scandal as a tale of a particular President’s personal crisis. Whatever might be Nixon’s personal history, the charges brought against him were highly serious. Those allegations point to the possibility of abuse of power by the Head of the State of a Global Power.

In fact, the Watergate Scandal rocked the pride of Authoritarianism created through Democratic Elections to a great extent in the post-Second World War era. The two daring investigative journalists, Robert Upshur Woodward and Carl Milton Bernstein, overcame a number of hurdles to carry out the duties of whistle-blowers. Their professionalism boosted the importance of media in a Democratic System. People realised that only media persons could protect Democracy from the corrupt Authoritarianism. They are the real strength of Democracy. This trust remained unshaken in the US for a long time. The American people used to believe that the Watergate Scandal changed the role of the media from a watchdog to a junkyard dog.

This predatory role of the media still shines brightly amid recent anti-democratic Right-Wing intolerance, leading to the impeachment of former US President Donald John Trump. If one compares the Watergate Scandal with Trump’s situation, the person can understand the difference between the Nixon era and the Trump era. In the 1980s, the independence, strength and self-confidence of the US Judiciary were completely different. The judiciary could not be swayed by any political influence. That judicial freedom ensured the safety and success of Woodward and Bernstein.

In contrast, the US Supreme Court is now deeply imbued with political influence. Hence, there is little hope of exposing political corruption. As a result, Trump can openly claim that he would not be punished, no matter how much the media and civil society work up a storm. Democratic transparency and accountability are bound to fall apart like a house of cards, once the basic institutions of Democracy are destroyed.

Watergate not only showed the strength of Democratic institutions, but also marked the limits of that strength.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das