The grand US Capitol building in Washington, home to the two chambers of the US Government that make up Congress, has been vulnerable to attacks in history. But the events that unfurled in its premises on 6th January, 2020 have not only posed a question on the nation’s image as the flag-bearer of democracy but have also jarred the entire world.
The first recorded incident of violence at the Capitol had taken place in 1835 when a British immigrant had attempted to assassinate the President Andrew Jackson. But the events that unfurled on Wednesday were entirely different from this. This time, the supporters of the acting president had attacked the building to seize power for him by overturning the results of a democratically held election. The caveat here is that the mob was incited by the acting President who could be clearly heard saying: “We’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue… and we’re going to the Capitol and we’re going to try and give… our Republicans, the weak ones… the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.” It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the attack on the center of democratic power was done by the countrymen of America who are known to be proud of their democratic values.
The images and videos that have come out in the media are horrifying. The raiders, many of them armed, can be spotted storming and razing the Capitol building, smashing windows and occupying offices to the extent of being seated on the speaker’s chair. They terrorized lawmakers in session, as is clearly evident from the image of the congressmen kneeling to the ground, hidden behind their desks with security guards blocking the gate of the House of Representatives. With police force not being able to hold back the agitated crowd, the violence grew only more tragic with time. A picture speaks a thousand words and all those from the events of 6th January have sparked off the conversations across the globe.
Assault on Democracy:
The fateful events have depicted an “assault on democracy” being carried out on the day Congress was meeting to confirm Joe Biden’s election victory. Lawmakers were forced to take shelter; the building was put into lockdown, later cordoned off and four people died in the chaos that followed a pro-Trump rally near the White House.
It has damaged the reputation of the United Nations and has given a chance for questions to be raised on its power and position in the world politics. A very apt example of this was when China compared the events of the Capitol to the 2109 Honk Kong protests; irrespective of the fact that the two events are poles apart when it comes to ideology and motive. The shame of the moment is hard to digest for the nation. In an urgently scheduled press conference Joe Biden could be heard saying, “The scenes of the chaos of the capital do not represent a true American, do not represent who we are.” The President-elect, whose clear and long-substantiated victory in the Electoral College was going to be reckoned in the Capitol building —a traditionally bipartisan ritual that is the last step in the certification of a new President before inauguration—had to take up the charges of the acting-President: calling for a “restoration of democracy”.
Stain on the Office of President:
President Trump had been problematic from the very beginning of his regime. By not agreeing to leave office even after losing the elections by a large margin and ending his regime with the attack on the Capitol, he has now refuted all assumptions made by the world in relation to the US President. Even in dire circumstances of rivalry, like that between Hoover and Roosevelt, there had been a peaceful transfer of power in the days of the Great Depression. But President Trump shattered this spirit in a continuous succession of events. By calling the democratically held elections a steal deal, filing unnecessary lawsuits, using rallies to incite violence, Trump has all but tarnished the image of the President. All that the President did on 6th January was to watch the tragedy unfold. Only after growing condemnation of the riots, Trump eventually called for calm, telling the protesters to leave peacefully: “Go home. We love you, you’re very special.” Not even once did he express any remorse for what his words had led to. This act was enough for the lower house to initiate a 2nd bill for his impeachment. But this time it was not just the Democrats who wanted this; the Republicans too, wanting to lessen the damage done to the party image could be considered to be in favor.
Effect on the foreign policy:
The episode says much about Washington’s standing in the world after four years of the Donald Trump presidency. The United States had been continuously retreating from its long-held position as the guardian of the world democratic order.
It had pulled out of arms control agreements, the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal. It has attempted to reduce its military engagements overseas while offering little in the way of diplomatic alternatives. In 2019, the withdrawal of the 2,000–2,500 American ground troops in Syria was ordered by the President. This is of great significance because over the recent years, Mr Trump’s decision to pursue an America First policy has impacted the world politics. China’s influence has been bolstered during the ignorance displayed by the Trump administration. No wonder then that the Chinese President Xi Jinping is convinced that the pandemic added with the attack has demonstrated the superiority of his system. NATO, the UN and other institutions of the liberal order are in the midst of an existential crisis. Most recent steps include announcing the removal of USA from the World Health Organization and threatening to remove it from the UN too. These are some major issues to be faced by the incoming Biden administration. Washington’s enemies can be assumed to be on a high after the storming of the Capitol.
It would be interesting to see how the Democratic President handles all these challenges and if he is able to display to the world that the United States is still worthy of holding the reigns of the international power.
BY: Aishani Mishra
Image sources: BBC