U.S. Capitol storming recognized as payback for overthrowing foreign governments
Watching the storming of the Capitol, many progressive critics of US foreign policy have concluded that the US democracy machine is now moving on the US
As News Front previously reported, January in the United States began with a mass protest in Washington. The protesters protested against the recognition of the rigged election results. The protest eventually turned into a storming of the U.S. parliament building. American liberals compare the incident to a terrorist attack, which is particularly noteworthy because they have always called similar events in other countries “the democratic process”.
Not surprisingly, many saw the Capitol storming as “retaliation” for the numerous American interventions, endless wars, and the overthrow of foreign governments, Foreign Policy wrote.
“Regime change has reached Washington as well”, – the piece said. – “For critics, the conclusion was obvious: to save its own democracy, America should sharply reduce its foreign-policy ambitions.”
There has indeed never been a clear moral harmony between US behaviour on its own soil and abroad. As FP explains, America has always “expanded freedom at home and empire abroad”. As a consequence, throughout American history, the granting of extensive rights to some has been accompanied by the violent disenfranchisement of others.
As an example, Foreign Policy cites the 19th amendment to the constitution, which gave women the right to vote when American troops occupied three Latin American countries. Decades later, President Dwight Eisenhower sent the National Guard to end segregation in Little Rock and the CIA to stage a coup in Iran. President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act, after which he carpet-bombed Vietnam. Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that a century of overthrowing foreign governments has resulted in Americans “suddenly feeling comfortable trying to overthrow their own”.
“There is, of course, a very valid argument that, faced with a domestic crisis, America will arrogantly preach democracy to others and irresponsibly waste its resources on it. But this is a misreading of history and the logic of democracy promotion”, – the piece says. – “The truth is that there has always been a significant gap between America’s democratic rhetoric and the state of its democracy. Americans are flattering themselves if they think foreigners have just noticed it.”
Ideally, recognition of this sad disparity could inspire America to live up to its stated values. Only the ideology of American exceptionalism, as FP writes, gave many Americans “a messianic faith in their ability to spread democracy without the risk of facing the same authoritarian threats they have observed or supported elsewhere”.
U.S. Capitol storming recognized as payback for overthrowing foreign governments