美国国家公共电台 NPR--How the Jan. 6 insurrection has affected democracy globally

How the Jan. 6 insurrection has affected¹ democracy globally

Transcript²

Freedom House Executive Vice³ President Nicole Bibbins Sedaca talks about how the violent anti-demicratic movement in the U.S. is affecting right-wing political movements around the world.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

President Biden issued a stark⁴ warning this week.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We must, in this moment, dig deep within ourselves and recognize that we can't take democracy for granted any longer.

FADEL: He spoke⁵ just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, where a mob sought to overturn the 2020 election results. Did the January 6 attack have ripple⁶ effects on other democracies around the world? For more, we turn to Freedom House executive vice president Nicole Bibbins Sedaca.

Good morning, Nicole.

NICOLE BIBBINS SEDACA: Good morning.

FADEL: OK. So we just heard President Biden with that warning. And he said the number of candidates running for elected office who are repeating the false claim that the election wasn't legitimate⁷ is hurting this country's democracy. So what does repeating that lie when thousands of officials and dozens of courts found there was no widespread fraud do to the public's faith in voting and democracy, especially as we head into the midterms next week?

BIBBINS SEDACA: We are concerned about those who continue to repeat the lie that the 2020 election was not free and fair. What we know is that it was and that there were challenges to the election that went through a democratic process...

FADEL: Right.

BIBBINS SEDACA: ...Over 60 court cases. And all of them showed that it was a free and fair election. Those who choose to deny the election and those who choose to talk about that and sow seeds of doubt are really undermining our system. And it's something which hurts all of us as Americans. We have to have strong institutions that we have trust in and be willing and able to trust the results that come out of those elections.

FADEL: What are the ripple effects beyond the U.S.? When you look at the world, what's happening in the U.S., how is it influencing what you're seeing in other democracies?

BIBBINS SEDACA: Absolutely. The United States is a strong democracy. We have a vibrant⁸ civil society. We have strong institutions. And many countries around the world have looked to us as an example. But we also know that they look to us when we have weaknesses in our democracy, and sometimes we see similar behavior in other countries that model some of those challenges we have. Brazil just had an election.

FADEL: Right.

BIBBINS SEDACA: One of the challenges which we saw there was, leading up to the election, there was a significant amount of concern - there was a significant amount of individuals who were saying that the election wasn't free and fair before the election took place, something we're also seeing in the United States. That's the type of modeling that we're concerned about. At the end of the day, the decision is obviously in the hands of the people and in the hands of the leaders of other countries. But we know that what happens in the United States is not only important for Americans and our ability to experience freedom here, but also for how we're modeling and how we're able to engage around the world, both to advance our interests and to support other people who are seeking democracy in their countries.

FADEL: Right. And that election in Brazil - Jair Bolsonaro so far hasn't conceded and is saying only God could remove him from office. But when you look across continents, and there's been a rise in authoritarian⁹ leaders being elected in democracies, besides the U.S. influence or the ripple effects there, what's driving the trend?

BIBBINS SEDACA: We've seen a number of problematic trends around the world. Authoritarian leaders recognize that democracy is a threat. And they are looking for ways across the board, whether they - whether it's the extreme cases that we see in Russia and Ukraine, where they are invading democratic countries or whether we see in China or Saudi Arabia, where they're closing the space for journalists and civil societies - there is an absolute front on democracy around the world because authoritarians¹⁰ know that if they had to put themselves up to political decisions to their citizens, they would likely lose their power. But we also see challenges within existing mature democracies.

FADEL: Right.

BIBBINS SEDACA: You see populist leaders who have come to power through democratic means. And, you know, populist leaders - rather than responding to the concerns that they tap into in their societies, rather than creating good public policy, what they quite often do is sow further divisions in their country, undermine institutions and erode¹¹ the very democracy that got them elected. And we see those trends happening in many places around the world.

FADEL: In the few seconds we have left, when you think about these mature democracies where autocratic leaders are coming to power through votes, what do you see as the biggest threat to freedom?

BIBBINS SEDACA: We see democratic governance as a challenge. You know, there's a lot of focus on elections themselves. But what we have to remember is democracy is a work in progress every single day. And each of us has the responsibility and the opportunity to shepherd that democracy. What that means is we cannot demonize those who are on the other side simply because they have differing views. We can't undermine our institutions. We can't censor¹² media at worse or have a smaller space for others to exercise their free speech.

FADEL: That's Freedom House executive vice president Nicole Bibbins Sedaca. Thank you so much.

BIBBINS SEDACA: Thank you.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

8 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

9 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

10 authoritarians   

权力主义者，专制者，独裁者( authoritarian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It requires no complicated theories of a preference for authoritarians or personal seduction. 并不需要所谓偏爱独裁者或似魅力等复杂理论。
• The authors advocated immediate intervention by industry chiefs to stop authoritarians from rising up the ranks. 研究报告的撰写者们呼吁行业领导立即采取措施阻止有此种苗头的单位领导获得晋升机会。

11 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

12 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。