Yale Scholar Ackerman Receives Tang Prize, Warns Democracy and Rule of Law Are Not 'A Given' [Interview]

(CNA, by Lin Hong-han, New Haven, June 18) American Yale University law professor Bruce Ackerman has been awarded the 2026 Tang Prize in Rule of Law. He stated that the Tang Prize being awarded to an American legal scholar at this time serves as a reminder that democracy and the rule of law are not a given. He also suggested that when young Taiwanese scholars consider related issues, they should not rush to apply American or European law, but should start from the experiences of Taiwan and Asia and engage in dialogue with other different experiences of democratic transition.

At 82, Bruce Ackerman spoke with a serious tone about receiving the award. He said he has spent his life studying the "evolving crisis of democracy," and that American democracy under Donald Trump is facing the most severe crisis he has seen in his lifetime. The timing of the award reminds people that democracy and the rule of law are not a given. He said that those who believe in democracy must stand up and say "no" to the democratic crisis in the United States.

He criticized Trump for destroying the world order established by the United States after World War II. In his view, American democracy has never been so endangered in its 250-year history. This is why he believes the Tang Prize being awarded to an American legal scholar at this moment has special significance.

Ackerman's views on democracy and the rule of law stem from the dual background of an immigrant family and post-war American civic education. He grew up in a Jewish immigrant family in the Bronx, New York, where neither of his parents had attended college. His father was a tailor who worked long hours, and his mother stayed home to care for three children.

He recalled that the Bronx at that time was like an immigrant melting pot. Public schools had children from Jewish, Catholic, and Puerto Rican immigrant backgrounds. People of different ethnic groups, religions, and classes attended classes together, learning to live together.

In post-World War II American education, schools not only taught children about American citizenship but also about world citizenship.

Ackerman said that every morning upon entering the classroom in elementary school, students would first sing a "United Nations song," with lyrics about ending war, human rights, gender equality, respect for the law, and the equal rights of every nation. Only after that would they sing the American national anthem.

Ackerman used this example to point out that his generation of Americans clearly understands that American democracy does not exist in isolation but is part of the post-war international order. Civic education should not only teach children loyalty to the state but also respect for the law, understanding of human rights, and how different countries and ethnic groups can live together.

His upbringing influenced Ackerman's later academic choices. He achieved high accomplishments in constitutional theory, democratic constitutionalism, checks on executive power, and comparative law. His core concern was not just legal statutes, but how a democratic society confronts crises, restrains power, and allows people from different backgrounds to participate in public life together.

He said that he and his wife, Susan Rose-Ackerman, have never accepted a single dollar in consulting fees in their lives. They could have made more money with their expertise in law and policy, but "that's not what we do."

Susan Rose-Ackerman is also a renowned scholar who has long studied corruption, administration, and public governance. Ackerman laughed, saying that when friends come over for brunch, they often hear him and his wife discussing democratic crises and anti-corruption reforms in various countries, and can't help but ask, "Do you talk about this every breakfast?"

Speaking of his upcoming trip to Taiwan for the Tang Prize events, Ackerman said what he most wants to do is "listen and learn." He said that since he doesn't speak Chinese, he should first listen to how Taiwanese students and scholars view their own situation and understand the problems Taiwan faces between China, Japan, India, and the United States.

Ackerman advised Taiwanese students and young scholars to start from their own familiar experiences. He said that many young people, after entering top American law schools, tend to set aside the social and regional issues they understand and focus solely on learning American law.

He suggested that when the younger generation of Taiwanese scholars think about issues of rule of law and democracy, they should not be in a hurry to apply American or European law, but should start from the experiences of Taiwan and Asia, and then engage in dialogue with different experiences of democratic transition, such as those in South Africa, Brazil, and Europe. (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150618