Experts Warn Jan. 6 Events Hurt World Democracy
2022-01-07
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1Thirty years ago, American political expert Francis Fukuyama wrote that the democracy in the United States was an example of the highest form of government.
2But now, one year after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left a number of people dead and many more injured, he says people and leaders around the world have a lower opinion of American democracy.
3He told VOA that the events of January 6 showed the U.S. could not transfer power peacefully, and that failure "reverberated around the world."
4Leading up to the one-year anniversary of the attack, VOA spoke with experts about January 6, 2021.
5William Powell is an American Politics professor at the University of Chicago.
6He said former president Donald Trump's lies about the election results, and the unwillingness of Republican Party leaders to push against them, set an example for world leaders "who claim that democracy as an ideal is both fanciful and misguided."
7People, he said, can no longer look to the U.S. for an example of democracy.
8Max Bergmann is a researcher for the Center for American Progress.
9He said the example of Republican leaders accepting Trump's lies makes world allies uncertain about the future.
10He said those countries will now ask: "If America moves in an autocratic direction, will it be there to stand up to other autocrats?"
11Other analysts, however, say there is still time to fix America's image around the world.
12The experts say current president Joe Biden must change how the U.S. is seen around the world.
13One recent attempt was the Summit for Democracy in December.
14The White House organized a video event for over 100 countries to plan for "democratic renewal" and work together on the threats faced by democracies.
15Biden also spoke inside the Capitol on Thursday to mark one year since the attack.
16He did not use Donald Trump's name, but he said the former president "tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power" and sat in a White House dining room "doing nothing for hours as the nation's Capitol [was] under [attack]."
17Biden accused Trump of not being able to accept that he lost the election and spreading lies because "he values power over principle."
18Biden spoke for about 20 minutes on Thursday morning.
19He said the United States must "decide what kind of nation we are going to be."
20He asked if America is going to accept political violence or if it will "recognize truth and live by it."
21The U.S. congress is investigating what happened last year.
22Over 700 people have been charged with crimes.
23On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the U.S. will prosecute those "at any level" responsible for the January 6 attack.
24The experts say the problem the U.S. faces in the future is that nations such as China and Russia will always be able to use January 6 in arguments for why democracy does not always work.
25Jake Sullivan is a National Security Adviser for Biden.
26He said U.S. adversaries are thinking: "How do we take advantage of this in one way or another?"
27Leslie Vinjamuri directs the U.S. and the Americas program at Chatham House, a London-based international affairs research group.
28She said problems in the U.S. permit leaders who have "autocratic instincts to trample all over freedoms."
29She listed free elections and the right to protest as threatened democratic ideals.
30Observers around the world say the U.S. can rebuild its image if what happened one year ago is a "one-off."
31Jérôme Viala-Gaudefroy teaches at a university in Paris.
32He said "all hell might break loose" if January 6 is only the beginning of a change in American leadership ideals.
33But others think last year's attack on the Capitol signals a fast decline.
34Thomas Homer-Dixon leads the Cascade Institute at Canada's Royal Roads University.
35He recently wrote that by 2025, "American democracy could collapse," and by 2030 "the country could be governed by a right-wing dictatorship."
36I'm Dan Friedell
1Thirty years ago, American political expert Francis Fukuyama wrote that the democracy in the United States was an example of the highest form of government. 2But now, one year after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left a number of people dead and many more injured, he says people and leaders around the world have a lower opinion of American democracy. 3He told VOA that the events of January 6 showed the U.S. could not transfer power peacefully, and that failure "reverberated around the world." 4Leading up to the one-year anniversary of the attack, VOA spoke with experts about January 6, 2021. 5William Powell is an American Politics professor at the University of Chicago. He said former president Donald Trump's lies about the election results, and the unwillingness of Republican Party leaders to push against them, set an example for world leaders "who claim that democracy as an ideal is both fanciful and misguided." 6People, he said, can no longer look to the U.S. for an example of democracy. 7Max Bergmann is a researcher for the Center for American Progress. He said the example of Republican leaders accepting Trump's lies makes world allies uncertain about the future. 8Image repair 9He said those countries will now ask: "If America moves in an autocratic direction, will it be there to stand up to other autocrats?" 10Other analysts, however, say there is still time to fix America's image around the world. 11The experts say current president Joe Biden must change how the U.S. is seen around the world. 12One recent attempt was the Summit for Democracy in December. The White House organized a video event for over 100 countries to plan for "democratic renewal" and work together on the threats faced by democracies. 13Biden denounces Trump 14Biden also spoke inside the Capitol on Thursday to mark one year since the attack. 15He did not use Donald Trump's name, but he said the former president "tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power" and sat in a White House dining room "doing nothing for hours as the nation's Capitol [was] under [attack]." 16Biden accused Trump of not being able to accept that he lost the election and spreading lies because "he values power over principle." 17Biden spoke for about 20 minutes on Thursday morning. He said the United States must "decide what kind of nation we are going to be." 18He asked if America is going to accept political violence or if it will "recognize truth and live by it." 19The U.S. congress is investigating what happened last year. Over 700 people have been charged with crimes. On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the U.S. will prosecute those "at any level" responsible for the January 6 attack. 20Arguments against democracy 21The experts say the problem the U.S. faces in the future is that nations such as China and Russia will always be able to use January 6 in arguments for why democracy does not always work. 22Jake Sullivan is a National Security Adviser for Biden. He said U.S. adversaries are thinking: "How do we take advantage of this in one way or another?" 23Leslie Vinjamuri directs the U.S. and the Americas program at Chatham House, a London-based international affairs research group. She said problems in the U.S. permit leaders who have "autocratic instincts to trample all over freedoms." She listed free elections and the right to protest as threatened democratic ideals. 24What's next? 25Observers around the world say the U.S. can rebuild its image if what happened one year ago is a "one-off." 26Jérôme Viala-Gaudefroy teaches at a university in Paris. He said "all hell might break loose" if January 6 is only the beginning of a change in American leadership ideals. 27But others think last year's attack on the Capitol signals a fast decline. Thomas Homer-Dixon leads the Cascade Institute at Canada's Royal Roads University. He recently wrote that by 2025, "American democracy could collapse," and by 2030 "the country could be governed by a right-wing dictatorship." 28I'm Dan Friedell 29Patsy Widakuswara wrote this story for VOA. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 30Do you think problems with U.S. democracy will make it easy for dictators to rise around the world? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 31____________________________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33reverberate - v. often used figuratively - to continue in a series of quickly repeated sounds that bounce off a surface (such as a wall) 34ideal - n. an idea or standard of perfection or excellence 35fanciful - adj. coming from the imagination 36autocratic - adj. describing a government run by one person who has total power 37summit - n. a meeting or series of meetings between the leaders of two or more governments 38renewal - v. the state of being made new, fresh, or strong again : the state of being renewed 39principle - n. a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions 40trample - v. a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions 41all hell break loose - expression. used to describe a moment where something falls apart with little warning