Distinguished Professor Dr. Ali Riaz has described the attacks January 6 on Capitol Hill as an attack on democracy, not only on the building. He also expressed concerns whether this is the end of the planned attacks. On a commentary titled “An assault on democracy: What’s next in the U.S.?” Riaz insists that the violence perpetrated will have ramifications for domestic politics and international standing of the United States. Authoritarian rulers will find excuses and try to justify their actions using these images.
Riaz says that restoring the standing of the U.S. on the global stage, a promise President-elect Joe Biden has made, will be a difficult task. Riaz noted, “For the Western liberal world, the worrying lesson is, if it is possible in the U.S., it can happen anywhere.” He writes, “Since the election and despite threats democratic institutions have weathered the crisis and can endure. But the past four years have shown the fragility of democracy in the United States.”
