I Joe Biden takes the Oath as 46th US president.
I Joe Biden pledge to heal the nation from 400,000 deaths and many more to come due to Corona Virus, deeply distressed and saddened fellow Americans by mob attack on Capitol, hollowness occurred due to the ‘black lives matter’, increasing chasm between whites and non-whites and last but not least hundreds of migrant children separated from their families due to “zero tolerance” policy on US-Mexico border.
The attack on the temple of democracy in America by its own people on January 6, filled in, the lovers of democracy around the globe, with deep distress and pity. This article identifies the implications of this violent attack on domestic politics and international politics as well.
At the dawn of 2021, a blunt attempt to seize the US Capitol by right-wing gang is definitely a bad omen for this Happy New Year. This violence has not occurred in vacuum, in fact it had been smoldering for a while since the president Trump and his cabinet defied the 2020 election results. In his each and every speech president Trump was accusing democrats of stealing the elections and claimed self-victorious and to be the president for second term. On the top of president’s assertion, with inciting his supporters, it was the silence by the side of Republicans who had been swallowing each and every idea of overturning the election by president Trump. Eventually, after the sixty days continuous defying the election results, on January 6, with the president Trump’s rhetoric-“walk down to the Capitol”, after that what happened, embarrassed not only United States but the democracies all over the world. A mob with knife and sticks attacked on the temple of democracy, breaking the windows, pushing securities, entered in the Capitol building. It was a kind of terrorist attack. After some hours with the muscle fight with security it was controlled with the death of five people including one police officer. This attack is not mere an incident of hate and white extremism but imprinted the larger footprints of underscoring the world’s oldest modern democracy. This is certainly, not an American experience of spreading democracy around the globe while inside at home a violent attack on Capitol to defy people will and constitution as well.
What are the implication of this violent attack on Capitol, for other democracies around the globe? My rational on this issue centred around two factors: first, when partisan interest override the institutional obligations; and second when executive head ascend himself to the constitution and not ready to let the peaceful transition of power. Americans believe that “democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people” however, what we saw on January 6 was just contrary to that. In US political polarization has been prevailing since last four years and that may be one of the cause for very high voting turnout. As the election data shows that more than 159 million Americans voted in 2020 elections, that is all time higher since 1912 (statista.com). So the voting turnout in this election is historical as well as substantial. It is very thoughtful to analyse the reasons of this massive voter turnout in history. According to Pew Research Center(Pewresearch.org), the study shows that since past few years a stark division has been occurred due to the issues like race, climate change, immigration and last but not least covid-19. With all this ‘mail in ballot’ added fuel to fire and torn American voters vehemently in liberal and conservatives.
The wounds of this first ever insurrection of Capitol is not going to ease off in coming years. The new president has to deal with divided and polarized America. Political polarization has been soaring high. It is the time when division is all time high in Americans in terms of liberal and conservative. It is not to be exaggerated to say that repeated rhetoric of ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘America First’, made January 6 Possible and by no means made America great.
The President Joe Biden in his inaugural address, pledged to be the “president for all Americans”. He also called upon to “end this uncivil war that pits red against blue”. He referred the inaugural day as the day of “democracy”, “history and hope” and the day of “renewal and resolve”.
The first and foremost challenge to new president and its administration to heal and reconcile the nation. The need of this hour to build the “equality of condition” as a ‘fundamental fact’ and restore the faith in America’s core values. It’s a wake up call of US since other democracies of the world is counting on her.