Organization predicts U.S. democracy will be “dead by summer”
V-Dem Predicts U.S. Democracy Will 'Die by Summer' — Maria Ressa Delivers the Warning
A leader of V-Dem, a group that rates democracies across the globe, predicted that U.S. democracy will "die by summer" at a recent journalism conference — relayed by Nobel laureate and Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa.
At a journalism conference in April 2025, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa delivered one of the starkest warnings yet about the state of American democracy: the head of V-Dem — the Swedish institute that monitors democracy across 180+ countries — had publicly told attendees he expects U.S. democracy to die by the summer if current trends continue.
For Ressa, who survived 23 legal cases filed by the Duterte government in the Philippines, the warning is not abstract. She has lived through the slow collapse of democratic institutions firsthand — and she sees the same playbook being run in America today.
★ Did You Know?
According to V-Dem's 2025 Democracy Report, 72% of the world's population now lives under autocratic rule — up from less than half just 20 years ago. The United States, which once anchored global democratic norms, is now listed by Reporters Without Borders as a "problematic situation" for press freedom, ranking 57th out of 180 countries. Maria Ressa was among the first to call this pattern the "Filipinization of American politics."
★ Tagalog Word of the Day
Kalayaan
(kah-lah-YAH-ahn)
Freedom; liberty. From the root laya (free). Kalayaan is also the name of the first newspaper of the Philippine Revolution, published by Emilio Jacinto in 1896. Maria Ressa's entire career has been a fight to defend kalayaan — in the Philippines, and now, as she watches closely, in America.
⚠ Context: What Is V-Dem?
The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute is based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and produces the world's most comprehensive dataset on democratic governance, covering 180+ countries since 1789. Its annual Democracy Report is widely cited by governments, journalists, and scholars. When V-Dem's director says democracy is dying — it is not a political opinion. It is a data-driven assessment.
"I didn't want to be an activist, but when it's a battle for facts, journalism is activism."
— Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
★ Did You Know? — The Fil-Am Connection
California is home to over 1.6 million Filipino Americans — the largest Fil-Am population in the United States. The Bay Area alone, including Vallejo, Daly City, San Jose, and Stockton, is home to an estimated 350,000+ Filipinos. Many in this community fled the Philippines during or after the Marcos and Duterte eras specifically because of authoritarian governance. Maria Ressa's warning about American democracy is not distant news to the Fil-Am diaspora — it is deeply personal.
Author & Photographer: J.F.R. Perseveranda
J.F. (Jonjo) left the Philippines at age nine, spending a lifetime bridging the gap between his Marikina roots and his Chicago/Vallejo upbringing. A proud Hogan Spartan from East Vallejo and resident of LA/SF, he founded PinoyBuilt not just as a digital archive, but as a cultural compass for his three children to navigate their heritage, language, and identity with Pinoy Pride.
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