International Community Questions American Democracy Following Coup Attempt
The U.S. Capitol building, besieged by rioters on January 6th. Source.
The international community watched in horror as, on January 6th, the heart of democracy in the United States was invaded by those that it serves, an attack brought on by toxic rhetoric and dangerously false narratives intended to subvert the democratic process and corrupt the integral principles upon which American politics rest. The rhetoric that fueled this attack has become characteristic of the Trump Administration, and the attempted coup on the Capitol was (hopefully) the grand finale of the consequences of violent rhetoric over the past four years. The world has observed the increased polarization and extremism of United States politics throughout the past administration, with Trump’s foreign policy centering around withdrawing from agreements and organizations that the US has previously spearheaded.
The combination of toxic rhetoric and isolationist policies have distanced the United States from the international community, so, with the ideologically conflicting events of the attempted coup by militants bearing Trump’s name and the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the past few weeks, the next few months will be crucial for the Biden-Harris Administration. The new government will be faced with three Herculean tasks: recovering from the Trump epidemic, rebuilding the global reputation of the United States, and determining the relationship of the United States and the international community going forward.
“ANARCHY.” was the word splashed in enormous font across the front page of the Ottawa Sun, a Canadian paper, on January 7th. A similar sentiment is expressed across other newspapers worldwide, from friends and foes alike. Headlines proclaiming a black day for democracy and detailing the mob defiling the Capitol are accompanied by pictures of chaos in the halls of governance and the white dome of the Capitol surrounded by smoke. These newspapers echo the horror and disgust expressed by world leaders in response to the coup, with many, such as Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, condemning Trump for his failure to concede the election. “I deeply regret that since November, President Trump has not accepted that he lost, and did not do so again yesterday,” Merkel stated. “He stoked uncertainties about the election outcome, and that created an atmosphere that made the events of last night possible.”
Yet while American allies expressed their horror and revulsion over the events on January 6th, they also expressed hope regarding the strength of American democracy, and the future that the Biden-Harris Administration will bring, with Justin Trudeau, President of Canada, stating, “Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld – and it will be.”
Countries that have experienced differences with the United States, however, utilized the events at the Capitol to criticize American policies and pointed to the coup attempt as indicative of the weakness of American democracy. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova argued “The electoral system in the United States is archaic, it does not meet modern democratic standards, creating opportunities for numerous violations,” while President Hassan Rouhani of Iran stated “What happened in America showed what a failure Western democracy is ... A populist man damaged the reputation of his country.”
Most notably, several countries called out the perceived hypocrisy of the United States, which attempts to act as a gatekeeper for democracies. President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe tweeted: “Last year, President Trump extended painful economic sanctions placed on Zimbabwe, citing concerns about Zimbabwe’s democracy. Yesterday’s events showed that the U.S. has no moral right to punish another nation under the guise of upholding democracy,” while Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the international affairs committee of the Russian legislative, stated “The celebration of democracy is over. This is, alas, actually the bottom, I say this without a hint of gloating. America is no longer charting the course, and therefore has lost all its rights to set it. And especially to impose it on others.”
Both friends and foes of the United States have expressed concerns for the state and integrity of American democracy in the weeks following the attack on Congress, which is the primary issue that President Biden must address coming into office, both domestically and internationally. The division within the country is undermining progress in all aspects of governance, so it needs to be the priority for Biden before addressing other issues. The stability of American governmental institutions will need to be reestablished by the new administration to strengthen relations both inside and outside American borders. The legacy of Trump and the actions of his followers loom over the future of US foreign policy, and for America’s reputation to be rebuilt in the international community, the residue of Trump must be scourged from active legislation.