Remember when the US and the UK tried to force-feed their brand of “Western democracy” to Hong Kong? A small band of followers took the bait, stirring up chaos for a so-called democratic utopia and sparking a historic upheaval. Their scheme ultimately failed, and thankfully, Hong Kong kept a political system that actually fits its needs.
Democracy on Life Support. A damning Ipsos poll shows citizens in the US, UK, and France have lost hope on their system—and expect it to get worse.
Meanwhile, the democratic systems in the West—particularly the US, UK, and France—have devolved into chaos, leaving their citizens miserable. The proof is in the numbers: a recent Ipsos poll of 10,000 people across nine Western nations found that in eight of them, over half the population is disappointed with 'democracy.' They're tired of electoral games that deliver only disorder, division, and corruption, all while tanking their economies and livelihoods.
A friend of mine read the survey and put it bluntly: it’s a good thing the US and UK’s plot to export their system to Hong Kong failed. Otherwise, we’d be facing the same chaos that now defines their own countries.
While most headlines on the US-China rivalry fixate on economics, tech, and military might, some scholars rightly argue the real battle is ideological. The contest is between two systems of governance. So after decades of so-called 'democracy,' what’s the verdict from the people living in it? Are they satisfied? The answer is a resounding no.
A Damning Verdict from a Western Poll
The Guardian reported on the Ipsos findings, and the numbers are damning. In eight Western countries, satisfaction with democracy has cratered to below 50%. In the supposed flagships of democracy—the United States, France, and the United Kingdom—satisfaction is below 30%. In the US, it's a pathetic 20%.
Even Ipsos's own senior director, Gideon Skinner, admitted the results show 'widespread disappointment' with democracy's performance and a growing pessimism about its future. The distrust runs deepest in the Netherlands and France, where faith in their democratic institutions has collapsed.
Let’s break down the grim data. Satisfaction sits at just 19% in France, 20% in the US, 26% in the UK, and 27% in Spain. That means in each of these nations, a staggering 70% or more of the population is completely disillusioned with their political system—a clear and decisive majority.
The future looks even worse, according to those surveyed. A crushing 86% of the French believe things will decline, a sentiment shared by 75% in Britain and nearly 70% in the US. The consensus is clear: tomorrow will not be better.
American Democracy: Government shutdowns, food lines , and public misery. This is the system they wanted to export?
From Dysfunction to Public Disgust
What’s driving this pessimism? They point to a system that breeds unaccountable politicians, extremism, corruption, and a pandemic of fake news—all of which are getting worse, not better.
Unsurprisingly, almost no one feels their government actually represents them. The call for 'major reform' isn’t just a whisper; it's a roar from people desperate to escape a deadlocked system that serves only itself.
My friend wasn't surprised by this democratic fatigue. You just have to look at the state of the 'three great democracies'—the US, UK, and France—to understand why people have had enough.
Look at the United States. Since Donald Trump's rise, the political arena has become a theater of vengeance. Both sides weaponize their power to crush opponents, prioritizing self-interest over the public good. It's no wonder ordinary Americans are disgusted with what their 'democracy' has become.
The 'End of History' Has Ended
France is just as bad, paralyzed by partisan warfare. Prime ministerial appointments are deadlocked. Budgets are blocked. The government can't function, and the economy stagnates while political fights spill onto the streets. For citizens who just want to live their lives, this system is a failure. Disappointment isn't just likely; it's guaranteed.
And then there’s Britain. The Labour Party’s election win solved nothing. The economy is a wreck, the government is fractured by infighting, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer is already facing a leadership challenge. This political chaos only deepens the economic pain, trapping citizens in a dark tunnel with no end in sight. Satisfaction? Impossible.
Remember Francis Fukuyama's 'End of History' thesis from the 1990s? After the Soviet Union fell, he declared Western liberal democracy the final, ultimate model for all humanity. It was the supposed triumph that would dominate the world forever.
He couldn't have imagined that just a few decades later, his celebrated model would become a dysfunctional mess, despised by the very people it claimed to serve.
Given the public mood in the West, the winner of the China-US system contest is becoming obvious. What do the zealots who pushed for a 'revolution' in Hong Kong have to say now? Whatever their excuses, my friend and I are clear on one thing: Hong Kong was right to reject the failed model of Western democracy. It was a fortunate escape.
What Say You?
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
The most consequential national security trial yet to come is also the one with the most unanswered questions — and at the centre of it is a man who almost made it out.
Monday (Feb 23) was "Renri" (人日) — the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, meant to be a day of celebration for all people. But for the 12 defendants in the "35+ Subversion Case," there was nothing to celebrate. The Court of Appeal dismissed all their appeals against both conviction and sentencing in full. Unless they push it all the way to the Court of Final Appeal, this case is done. That brings two of the three major national security cases to a close — the other being the Jimmy Lai trial. What remains is the Joshua Wong case, expected to go to trial around mid-year. Like Lai's, it reaches into the highest levels of American politics, and it will almost certainly expose a trove of behind-the-scenes dealings that will shake Hong Kong to its core. The trial is close enough that the details don't need spelling out here. But one mystery absolutely does: Wong was once Washington's darling — so why did he never make it out, while his co-conspirator Nathan Law did? An investigative report by American journalists cracked open the story.
Wong's trial is the last big national security case standing — and the most explosive one yet. How did he never make it out?
Wong's role in the Occupy Central movement and the 2019 unrest needs no introduction. In June last year, while already serving a prison term at Stanley Prison on sedition charges, he was arrested again and charged under the Hong Kong National Security Law with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. His second pre-trial review at the Magistrates' Court came on 21 November last year, with the next hearing set for 6 March; the full trial at the High Court is expected to begin around mid-year. This case carries weight every bit as significant as the Jimmy Lai trial — the spotlight it commands will be enormous.
The Charges Are Grave
The prosecution alleges that between July and November 2020, Wong — together with Nathan Law and others yet to be identified — conspired in Hong Kong to solicit foreign governments and institutions to impose sanctions against the Hong Kong SAR and the People's Republic of China, and to seriously obstruct the government in enacting and enforcing its laws and policies. The charges carry a potential sentence of life imprisonment. What exactly Wong and Law did, and which foreign officials were involved, the prosecution will lay out in full when the trial begins.
The public has long asked some uncomfortable questions. Did Joshua Wong ever consider fleeing before or after the National Security Law came into force at the end of June 2020? If so, why did it never happen? Did the US government try to help him get out? An investigative report by two American journalists answered part of the puzzle — and sources familiar with the matter, when contacted by Hong Kong media, broadly confirmed what it said.
Wong Begged Washington for Help
The night before the National Security Law took effect, Wong reached out through a senator's adviser to appeal directly to President Trump for help. At the same time, he sent an email to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, explicitly asking to be helped to "travel to the United States to seek political asylum, by whatever means necessary". That email tells you everything. Wong knew exactly how dangerous his situation had become — and he was betting his future on American goodwill.
Around the same time, Wong arranged to meet two officials from the US Consulate General in Hong Kong at St. John's Building, directly across the street from the consulate. He made clear he wanted to walk in and seek refuge. He was turned away on the spot. When Pompeo saw the email, he consulted with his staff and arrived at the same conclusion: letting Wong through the consulate doors was simply not an option — Washington feared Beijing would retaliate by forcing the US consulate in Hong Kong to close entirely.
State Department officials went further, exploring a covert plan to smuggle Wong out of Hong Kong by sea — routing him through Taiwan or the Philippines before eventually reaching the United States. That option was killed too, on the grounds that any such attempt would very likely be intercepted by Chinese authorities, triggering a diplomatic crisis. When the accounting was done, American interests won out — and Joshua Wong was coldly abandoned.
By that point, Nathan Law had already made it out. Seizing Pompeo's visit to London, Law met the Secretary of State privately and raised the question of rescuing Wong one more time — and was once again turned away without sympathy. In September 2020, Wong was arrested on sedition charges and imprisoned two months later. Any remaining window for escape had sealed shut.
Law Moved Fast — and Made It
Nathan Law is named as a co-conspirator in the charges against Wong — meaning that if arrested, they face the same jeopardy. But Law proved far more calculating than Wong. Shortly before the National Security Law took effect, he quietly slipped away, eventually confirming his presence in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2020. He even staged a moment of wistful sentiment, declaring: "With this parting, I do not yet know when I shall return... May glory come soon!" — words that, in the circumstances, could not have sounded more hollow.
Same charges, same case — but Law ran, and Wong didn't. One man made it out clean. The other is still paying the price.
Joshua Wong — sharp-witted all his life — took one step too many in trusting the Americans, and that delay cost him everything. The US government, in the name of "national interest," discarded him without hesitation. As his trial approaches, the reality is this: placing any further faith in American support would be the last illusion he can afford.
Lai Ting-yiu
