No. I accept that the United States was founded as a republic and will in all likelihood remain one. To get back to the original topic of this article, what I object to is the belief that the American model is ideal or should necessarily be exported to other countries. This is the idea that inspired Woodrow Wilson's evil crusade to "make the world safe for democracy" in 1917-18, with disastrous results.
Democracy has made much of the world better, both in terms of economic freedoms and human rights. Democracy has spread all across Europe. With the tenacity of the US cold warriors, democracy has spread to the former Communist bloc. Democracy is spreading in Africa, South America, East and South Asia. It is precisely those areas of the world where it has not taken root, i.e, the Moslem world and China, that are the most disturbing or potentially disturbing to the peace of the world. And having an authoritarian government is no assurance that evils like abortion or homosexual marriage will not be enacted into law.