America’s adversaries revelled and allies shook their heads in dismay at the assault on the heart of U.S. democracy on Wednesday.
America’s adversaries revelled and allies shook their heads in dismay at the assault on the heart of U.S. democracy on Wednesday. Many foreign leaders noted the United States’ centuries-long role as a bastion of self-rule by a free population. Some suggested that vaunted position had been diminished and urged a rapid return to it, and several placed the blame for the chaos squarely on President Donald Trump. Russia and Iran offered predictable ridicule of U.S. democracy – a theme both countries have fallen back on for years, but damning commentary from close allies in Europe showed there was real shock among America’s global partners at the level of bitter division within the country, and the driving force many see behind it. Below is a sample of the commentary from world leaders, senior diplomats, and state-run media outlets, which will be updated: «We believe that the American people want safety and tranquillity, especially in the severe situation of the current epidemic, we also hope that the American people can enjoy peace, stability and security as soon as possible,» said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. An editorial column posted by China’s state-run foreign news outlet CGTN on Thursday gloated on behalf of the Communist Party, blaming not just Mr. Trump, but the entire American political system and both parties that lead it for the unrest. U.S. politicians’ «neverending campaigning seems to have turned them into soundbite-making machines who forget their actual job descriptions (sic) is to solve problems, not keeping their position in Washington at the expense of everybody outside of it,» CGTN charged. Coming from a country where free speech is an unknown luxury and dissent is quashed, quickly, by force, the rebuke may ring hollow in the West. But America’s most potent adversary will no doubt seize the opportunity in the days ahead to remind its own population of more than 1 billion of the inherent pitfalls of rule by popular mandate. «Disgraceful scenes in US Congress,» British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who Mr. Trump once branded Britain’s own «Trump» for his similarly irreverent style and appeal to populist sentiments. «The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,» Johnson said. «What we saw in the United States last night showed the failure and frailty of Western democracy in the world,» Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday in his first remarks on the assault on Capitol Hill. «The spread of populism in the United States and the arrival of someone like Trump to power created great problems for America and the world, especially in the Middle East,» the president added. Chancellor Angela Merkel said the images from Capitol Hill made her «angry» and «sad.» She voiced «regret» that Mr. Trump had refused (until a statement issued later, early Thursday morning by the White House) to in any way accepted his election defeat. But she added that she was «sure U.S. democracy is stronger» than the challenge posed by the rioters at the Capitol, and voiced hope that with the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris, a «new chapter of U.S. democracy» would begin in two weeks. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas noted that democracy’s enemies would be cheered by the violence at the Capitol, which he accused Mr.
