Robert A. Dahl — American Writer born on December 17, 1915,

Robert Alan Dahl was a political theorist and Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University. He established the pluralist theory of democracy—in which political outcomes are enacted through competitive, if unequal, interest groups—and introduced "polyarchy" as a descriptor of actual democratic governance. An originator of "empirical theory" and known for advancing behavioralist characterizations of political power, Dahl's research focused on the nature of decisionmaking in actual institutions, such as American cities. Dahl is considered one of the most influential political social scientists of the twentieth century, and has been described as "the dean of American political scientists.".. (wikipedia)

Democracy, it appears, is a bit chancy. But its chances also depend on what we do ourselves.
Ironically, the very fact that democracy has such a lengthy history has actually contributed to confusion and disagreement, for 'democracy' has meant different things to different people at different times and places.
As in Athens, the right to participate was restricted to men, just as it was also in all later democracies and republics until the twentieth century.
The future of that ancient chamber remains in considerable doubt.
Glorious as it had been, the city-state was obsolete.