Has the Beacon of Hope Dimmed?

Shock and awe have not yet evaporated from our hearts and souls. The bitter taste of watching the US Capitol besieged and ransacked by thousands of enraged malcontents is still on our tongues. The unprecedented images from inside the legislative seat of America of a grinning thief walking off with a lectern, or the obnoxious protester sprawled across Speaker Pelosi’s chair and desk, or the fanatic dressed in bison headwear have been seared forever in our individual and national consciousness.

Americans from red and blue states concurred with the appellations hurled at the right-wing subversives such as domestic terrorists, traitors, seditionists, criminals, hoodlums, insurrectionists, extremists and so on. Indeed, with American flags and other banners in their hands, they brazenly assaulted democracy in America and the principles embedded in the US Constitution, a document that has been looked up to for centuries. This crime caused the death of five Americans.

Every living former US President and Secretary of Defense denounced the violence of an incensed mob that stormed the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to flee to safety. The lawless multitude descended on the capital to oppose the formal certification underway in Congress of Joe Biden’s presidential election win in November. They forced their way into the chambers like barbarians sacking medieval castles apparently on a well-orchestrated signal. Who sounded it?

George W. Bush called out fellow Republicans for fueling the “insurrection,” equating the situation to a “banana republic.”

“I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions and our law enforcement,” Bush’s statement said. 

And regardless of your opinions of President Donald Trump, you were thunderstruck to hear the Chief Executive inspire, provoke and incite his supporters to walk to the Capitol, demonstrate strength not weakness and restraint, and take back what was allegedly stolen from them. They heeded his entreaty. They attacked.

Trump’s divisive rhetoric and deliberate disinformation and lies have inflicted damage on the people and cast a dark shadow on American democracy. Going forward, it is not beyond the realm of reason that this assault will be used as a reason by other countries not to accept Washington’s criticism of their internal affairs. Trump may also have damaged the future political chances of Republican candidates if they don’t first resolutely disassociate themselves from the 45^th President of the United States.

The frenetic rioters charged the doors, scaled the walls, climbed through windows that they had broken, and intimidated the federal police into retreating. This last point begs the questions: Why did security retreat, why didn’t they have reinforcements, what did the intel report say, why didn’t they have orders to defend the US Capitol to the last man or woman like Officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the line of duty?

Who told security to stand down?

Their behavior prompted many European security officials to observe that President Trump appeared to have tacit support among US federal agencies responsible for securing the Capitol complex on that fateful day, according to Business Insider. The publication admitted that it is reporting this information because it illustrates the serious repercussions of the day’s events: Even if they are mistaken, some among America’s international military allies are now willing to give credence to the idea that Trump deliberately tried to violently overturn an election and had help from some federal law-enforcement agents.

“We train alongside the US federal law enforcement to handle these very matters, and it’s obvious that large parts of any successful plan were just ignored,” one source told Business Insider.

As such, the events of January 6, 2021, had all the makings of a typical coup d’état. Imagine, a palace – or rather Oval Office – revolution here, in the United States. Fortunately, it failed.

The mutineers that invaded Washington, DC, are not aligned with the usual group of Trump supporters and voters. Others have occasionally revealed themselves in localized demonstrations and social media posts. However, this violent marginalized and radicalized group of extremists sits on a tinderbox that was consciously ignited by the President.

Greater or lesser calamities are bound to strike each democracy. But this one is not the fault of America, which is a unique body of shared principles that can benefit all that wish to partake of them. Yes, it’s a tough and at times unfair task, but it’s available to all who want to endure and reap its benefits.

This wasn’t the first and only dramatic act of violence that the capital and country have faced in the past 245 years. I’m not referring to the one that was cited by many pundits that had its place on August 24, 1814, as the War of 1812 was still raging, when invading British troops marched into Washington and set fire to the US Capitol, the President’s Mansion, and other local landmarks.

This week’s blitzkrieg was furthermore shocking in its suddenness and uncontrollable rage. Inasmuch as there has been relative peace and calm in the nation’s capital since then, this sad event may be relegated to the rubric of the shortest civil disturbance in our history.

America has known other monumental occurrences of street violence. In 1968, in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, the country was swept with scores of bloody demonstrations and riots that lead up to the scandalous uprising during the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago. In the shadow of national guardsmen protecting the city with fixed bayonets, Mayor Richard Daley at the time had issued his ominous orders to the police to shoot the arsonists.

Considered a tumultuous season of assassinations, riots and war, 1968 was known as a year that changed America. Part of that momentous drama played out on summer nights in Chicago when blood ran in the streets and police orchestrated a riot as anti-war protesters tried to march upon the Democratic national convention calling for an end to the Vietnam War.

After four days and nights of violence, 668 people had been arrested, 425 demonstrators were treated at temporary medical facilities, 200 were treated on the spot, 400 given first aid for tear gas exposure and 110 went to hospital. A total of 192 police officers were injured. Photographs of police firing teargas and beating demonstrators with their nightsticks filled news publications and played on network television news. Events of 1968 made America look like an oppressive fascist state and offered a view of a nation apparently tearing itself apart.

But the republic persevered.

Voices from around the world

America for weeks if not longer will be the butt of derision, criticism, finger pointing and jokes. Allies and enemies alike will wax philosophical about the fragile state of democracy in America as they unleash their latest deserved diatribe against President Trump’s mental health and incompetence. Some will squirm when asked their opinions while others will cheer as they spew their views.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the rioting “terribly distressing,” in a statement released by his office, adding “as a result, we are making some changes to our travel advice.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that although he was “concerned” by the mob violence in America’s capital, he said he believed “American democratic institutions are strong and hopefully everything will return to normal shortly.” 

In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said “The American people’s will and vote must be respected,” after condemning the actions of the president's supporters. 

UK Prime Minister and longtime Trump ally Boris Johnson condemned the “disgraceful scenes in US Congress” and echoed his other western leaders in their call for “a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the “rampage at the Capitol yesterday was a disgraceful act and it must be vigorously condemned.”

“I have no doubt that... American democracy will prevail. It always has,” added Netanyahu. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweeted: “The pictures from Washington hurt the hearts of everyone who believes in democracy.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “furious and saddened” by the incidents and that Trump was partly to blame. “I deeply regret that President Trump has not conceded his defeat, since November and again yesterday,” she said. 

President Andrzej Duda has said “Poland believes in the strength of American democracy” after the United States was rocked by the storming of the country’s Capitol building by Trump’s supporters.

President Duda tweeted that the United States is a democratic and law abiding country. “Government is subject to the will of the voters, and state and public security are monitored by appropriately appointed services. Poland believes in the strength of American democracy.”

Right-wing Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who has backed Trump and who has yet to congratulate Biden on his victory, tweeted: “All should be very troubled by the violence taking place in Washington DC.”
“We hope American democracy is resilient, deeply rooted and will overcome this crisis. Democracy presupposes peaceful protest, but violence and death threats – from Left or Right – are always wrong.”

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, called what was happening “really serious” and said it was “a real scar to democracy, an attack to the freedom of the American people.”

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz tweeted that it was an “unacceptable assault on democracy,” while

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba observed on Twitter: “Concerning scenes in Washington, DC, I’m confident American democracy will overcome this challenge. The rule of law & democratic procedures need to be restored as soon as possible. This is important not only for the US, but for Ukraine and the entire democratic world as well.

In Turkey, which has been lambasted by previous administrations for its lack of democratic norms, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was “following with concern the internal developments happening in the US following the Presidential elections.”

The Venezuelan government, which has been subjected to harsh US sanctions and criticized for its undemocratic ways, condemned the “political polarization and spiral of violence.”

What is encouraging in these remarks is the level of support for America and its democratic institutions. As Kuleba and Duda indicated, America’s survival is vital for the peoples of Ukraine and Poland.

As the riot took place on Christmas Eve according to the Julian calendar, some in Russia snickered that it’s difficult to imagine a nicer Christmas gift for President Vladimir Putin. Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda stated: “The United States has long insisted that it is perhaps the only standard of democracy and order. But the inability of the American political system to transfer power peacefully and legally from one presidential team to another has torn the fragile veil from a failed example of democracy that has been carefully imposed on both Americans and the world.” Political scientist Igor Shatrov added: “The storefront is broken, shattered. It will be patched up, but the most valuable thing was stolen from the display: trust in American democratic institutions.”

Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs observed that the uprising is an internal affair of USA. This comment by Moscow is more ominous than flippant. Its hidden meaning is that what happens inside borders is no one’s business. Don’t address our violations and we won’t address yours. We will imprison or kill dissidents and human rights activists but we still want to be your friend. Moscow’s policy preserves its dictatorship.

Remembering Russia

Some may say it’s disingenuous to compare the appalling attack against the government of the United States to similar events elsewhere but in the wake of Moscow’s chortles it is wholly justified to look back at Russia’s murderous siege of the Russian parliament building in 1993.

In October 1993, in Moscow, the attack on the Russian parliament, the so-called White House, resulted in 150 killed and 400 wounded but most of all 28 years later Russia isn’t democratic but rather it’s still autocratic. America and our democracy are on a better recovery path.

And why was a Russian-language agitator heard egging on rioters in the Russian language with the words “smeleie” and “davai bystreie” – Come on, Faster, according to UNIAN and Segodnia? Is this more evidence of Russian infiltration of right and left-wing radicals in America?

By the second day, after the damage was done, it seemed President Trump finally shed the ill feelings about his defeat and accepted the inevitable peaceful transition though he said he won’t attend the Inauguration. History will probably note that this unfortunate onslaught isn’t a matter of America per se but rather the person of the President of the USA who now is Donald J Trump. He is the Chief Executive, Commander in Chief and, yes, the hired help who deserves accolades and condemnation for the job he does as he serves the people.

Fortunately, the republic and its democratic traditions are indomitable. In time the country will erase the blemish of this unfortunate event. To be sure, fear or hatred of America will not inflate to such an exaggerated level as to keep other countries and their businesses or even legal or illegal immigrants from following the Statue of Liberty’s beacon of hope. They’ll still be lining up to enter the country.

As Thomas Jefferson opined: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” The shock of this uprising may serve as a reminder to Americans that more vigilance is needed to protect their democratic legacy from all naysayers.

Wednesday’s riot has become a day of reckoning for the nation and its leaders that should cause us to question not our ideals or political values but rather the accompanying vitriolic rhetoric that has torn asunder the national fabric. President-elect Biden and his Cabinet will have their hands full trying to pull together that which has been ripped apart.

The beacon of hope that is America flickered and dimmed but thankfully it didn’t turn off.