‘Anocracy’, or semi-democracy, is a hybrid political system blending democratic and autocratic rule, featuring some citizen participation but lacking strong mechanisms for accountability. It often serves as a fragile transition between full democracy and dictatorship.

These regimes have nominal democratic institutions but are prone to instability, sudden leadership changes, and armed conflict, making them riskier than stable democracies or autocracies.

The Polity data series classified the United States as an “anocracy" after the attempted self-coup by Trump during the 6 January United States Capitol attack in early 2021; in 2024 and 2025, it was further downgraded and described as “no longer… a democracy" and lying “at the cusp of autocracy".

Justifying the description of the USA as an anocracy, the country invaded Venezuela on Saturday, 3 January 2026, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a surreal military operation codenamed ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’. The operation involved 150 US aircraft, including F-18, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets, B-1 bombers, and drones. The action marked the culmination of months of continuous sabre-rattling against Venezuela under the guise of interdicting drug smuggling.

“Leaders of democratic nations actually have stronger incentives to start and exacerbate conflicts with other countries than their autocratic counterparts," suggests a new study published by the American Journal of Political Science. “What kind of political leader is most likely to start a war—an invective-spewing dictator or the elected head of a........

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