Experts Warn Jan. 6 Events Hurt World Democracy

Thirty years ago, American political expert Francis Fukuyama wrote that the democracy in the United States was an example of the highest form of government.

But 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.

He told VOA that the events of January 6 showed the U.S. could not transfer power peacefully, and that failure "reverberated² around the world."

Leading up to the one-year anniversary of the attack, VOA spoke³ with experts about January 6, 2021.

William Powell is an American Politics professor at the University of Chicago. He said former president Donald Trump⁴'s lies about the election results, and the unwillingness⁵ 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."

People, he said, can no longer look to the U.S. for an example of democracy.

Max 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.

Image repair

He said those countries will now ask: "If America moves in an autocratic direction, will it be there to stand up to other autocrats⁶?"

Other analysts⁷, however, say there is still time to fix America's image around the world.

The experts say current president Joe Biden must change how the U.S. is seen around the world.

One recent attempt was the Summit for Democracy in December. The White House organized a video event for over 100 countries to plan for "democratic renewal⁸" and work together on the threats faced by democracies.

Biden denounces Trump

Biden also spoke inside the Capitol on Thursday to mark one year since the attack.

He 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]."

Biden accused Trump of not being able to accept that he lost the election and spreading lies because "he values power over principle."

Biden spoke for about 20 minutes on Thursday morning. He said the United States must "decide what kind of nation we are going to be."

He asked if America is going to accept political violence or if it will "recognize truth and live by it."

The 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 prosecute⁹ those "at any level" responsible for the January 6 attack.

Arguments against democracy

The 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.

Jake Sullivan is a National Security Adviser¹⁰ for Biden. He said U.S. adversaries¹¹ are thinking: "How do we take advantage of this in one way or another?"

Leslie 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 trample¹² all over freedoms." She listed free elections and the right to protest as threatened democratic ideals.

What's next?

Observers around the world say the U.S. can rebuild its image if what happened one year ago is a "one-off."

Jérome 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.

But others think last year's attack on the Capitol signals a fast decline. Thomas Homer-Dixon leads the Cascade¹³ 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."

Words in This Story

reverberate¹ – v. often used figuratively - to continue in a series of quickly repeated sounds that bounce off a surface (such as a wall)

ideal – n. an idea or standard of perfection or excellence¹⁴

fanciful – adj. coming from the imagination

autocratic – adj. describing a government run by one person who has total power

summit – n. a meeting or series of meetings between the leaders of two or more governments

renewal – v. the state of being made new, fresh, or strong again : the state of being renewed

principle – n. a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions

trample – v. a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions

all hell break loose – expression. used to describe a moment where something falls apart with little warning

1 reverberate   

v.使回响，使反响

参考例句：

• The decision will reverberate and will jar the country.这项决定将引起反响并震撼这个国家。
• Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my hear.痛苦呼喊的一遍遍的在我的心中回响。

2 reverberated   

回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射

参考例句：

• Her voice reverberated around the hall. 她的声音在大厅里回荡。
• The roar of guns reverberated in the valley. 炮声响彻山谷。

3 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。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

6 autocrats   

n.独裁统治者( autocrat的名词复数 )；独断专行的人

参考例句：

• Still, the widespread pessimism doesn't explain the relatively high scores enjoyed by the autocrats. 不过，普遍的悲观情绪并没有解释为何独裁者得到相对较高的分数。 来自互联网

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

9 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

12 trample   

vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯

参考例句：

• Don't trample on the grass. 勿踏草地。
• Don't trample on the flowers when you play in the garden. 在花园里玩耍时,不要踩坏花。

13 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

14 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。