The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was perceived by many as the beginning of a new era, one full of optimism and joy. At the time, it seemed that the influence of the US and Western European countries was expanding, and nothing could stop it. Many thought the world was gradually advancing to a better future. Only some – Leonard Cohen among them – expressed concern regarding this very extensive historical process, arguing that promoting democratic values is a slow, complex process, more complicated than simply establishing a democracy.

Leonard Cohen began writing Democracy after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He filled notebook after notebook with lines and rhymes, crossing out words again and again. More than fifty versions of the song existed before he was satisfied with the final version, released in 1992. The song epitomizes his perception of American culture and the way it delivers, or fails to deliver, democracy. It is an intricate puzzle of serious historical observations and ironic references to phrases often heard in the United States.

The leitmotif is rather surprising: “democracy is coming to the USA.” We tend to think of the US as a source of inspiration for other countries; it is often referred to as the most prominent democracy on earth. But in the first line, we are astonished to learn that democracy is penetrating into the US from holes in the air and in the walls, from the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Yet a couple of lines later, we realize that Cohen is referring to places within the US (like Chevrolet workers) as sources of democratic ideas “coming” to America. So where exactly is the US, and where are the democratic ideas coming from?

If we follow the logic of the song, we find that the US is essentially a concept, an idea, a place not defined by its geographic........

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