U.S. 'no longer qualified' as democracy: The Washington Post

"Democratic backsliding had happened incrementally," noted the report, adding that the process is especially difficult for U.S. citizens to recognize due to the ingrained American exceptionalism in their minds.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States is approaching an 'anocracy,' which is neither fully democratic nor autocratic, rather than a democracy, The Washington Post has reported.

In an opinion piece Tuesday, the newspaper warned that the country is "no longer qualified as a democracy" for the first time in over 200 years, as some rights of its citizens, for example due process or freedom of the press, have been undermined.

"Democratic backsliding had happened incrementally," noted the report, adding that the process is especially difficult for U.S. citizens to recognize due to the ingrained American exceptionalism in their minds.

It also warned the risk of political violence and instability, or even civil war, in an anocratic society.