Are we entering late-stage democracy?

The idea of “late-stage capitalism” is everywhere — shorthand for a system buckling under its own weight. But lately I’ve been wondering: are we also drifting into late-stage democracy?

When I looked into it, I only found a few references, including a 2016 article by Andrew Sullivan on Trump’s rise. For the most part, mainstream talk about democracy has focused on “backsliding” or “erosion.” But that framing assumes democracy itself is the unquestioned ideal, and the prevailing dysfunction is just a detour.

But what if the ideal itself is flawed?

I know that the thought of it feels deeply counterintuitive - even dangerous - but I think it’s fair to ask the question: What if democracy, as we know it, has reached its natural limits?

What if political agency, as we’ve imagined it, is no longer tenable?

For the sake of argument… if we were approaching late-stage democracy, what would it look like? Would it look like what we’re going through right now?

And if we are witnessing the collapse of a 250-year-old governance model, what comes next?