TOKYO (AP) – Amid global outrage over President Donald Trump’s furious attacks on the US Capitol building, there has been a lingering streak of joy from those who have long resented America’s perceived tendency to punish other countries for less than perfect adherence to democratic ideals.
Tear gas and bullets inside the Chapter, a globally recognized structure that is at the heart of the idea of American democracy, are more commonly associated with countries where popular uprisings overthrow an ugly dictator. The Arab Spring, for example.
This time, however, it was an attempt by Americans to stop a peaceful transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden after democratic elections in a country that many around the world viewed as a model of democratic governance.
“We must call this what it is: a deliberate attack on democracy by a sitting president and his supporters, trying to overthrow free and fair elections! People are watching! “Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Twitter, representing a tone of outrage that many world leaders have taken.
Some global observers, however, seemed to revel in the outbreak of violence that marked the end of a presidency that divided opinion abroad almost as strongly as in America.
In China, which has had constant friction with the Trump administration over trade, military and political issues, people have harshly criticized Trump and his supporters, citing both his failure to control the coronavirus pandemic and Washington’s mafia action.
Communist-led China has long accused the US of hypocrisy in its efforts to promote democracy and advocate for human rights abroad.
The Communist Youth League made a photo montage of violence at the Capitol on its Weibo-type microblog, Twitter-type, entitled: “On the sixth, the US Congress, the most beautiful site to watch.” This seemed to mock the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, for her June 2019 comments, praising Hong Kong’s sometimes violent anti-government protests.
“The United States is not as safe as China, is it? I think Trump is a selfish and selfish person, “said Financial Adviser Yang Ming.
Some viewers abroad held Trump responsible for the chaos, and there was widespread condemnation, which seemed fueled by the US president’s often antagonistic relationship with countries around the world. This was especially true of those who were at the sharp end of the American military muscles and punitive sanctions.
Iran, another country facing routine US criticism of human rights abuses and democratic values, jumped on the insurgency as evidence of American hypocrisy.
The semi-official Fars news agency called the United States a “fragmented democracy,” while Iran’s pro-government Twitter accounts boasted, circulating photos of crowds with hashtags that included #DownfalloftheUS.
The violence in the US Chapter tarnishes the American insistence that it is a bastion of democracy for countries that have given up only in recent decades, in some cases, the abandonment of autocratic or military-controlled forms of government.
“The beauty of democracy?” with a shrug of emoji was the reaction of Bashir Ahmad, a personal assistant to the President of Nigeria, who has witnessed several coups since independence – including one led decades ago by President Muhammadu Buhari, who most recently entered the office by a vote.
Some legislatures in Asia – South Korea and Taiwan, for example – have sometimes been affected by turmoil and shouting, but democracies across the region are normally stable versions of European and American legislative models.
“It is shocking. I hope this will serve as a chance for Americans to review their democracy, “said Na HyunPil at the Korean House for International Solidarity, a Seoul-based NGO. “Trump is fully responsible for this incident. After four years of rule, it is difficult for Americans to tell other countries that their country is a good model for democracy. “
US policy has long been assailed by conspiracy theories and discontent, according to Wesley Widmaier, a professor of international relations at the Australian National University.
“What differentiates the last four years is that these views were supported by the President of the United States – and we can follow a direct line from Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and outright lies about the 2020 US Capitol elections,” he said.
Several countries, both allies and antagonists of America, have issued travel warnings to their citizens.
Australians have been urged to avoid US protests following what Prime Minister Scott Morrison described as “quite disturbing scenes” in the United States.
Malcolm Turnbull, who was the Australian prime minister when Trump took office and was replaced by Morrison in 2018, was much stronger in his conviction, describing Trump as a narcissistic aggressor who is only interested in his own to power.
“I was horrified,” Turnbull told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “Donald Trump has done more damage to America in his four years, both domestically, internally, and in terms of his international position, than any of his opponents could have imagined possible.”
Other friendly countries have been similarly shocked by what they have described as an attack on American democracy, although some have said they believe US democratic institutions will withstand the unrest.
“Shameful scenes in the US Congress,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a staunch US ally for generations, wrote on Twitter. “The United States represents democracy around the world, and now it is vital that there is a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”
“What is happening is wrong,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement. “Democracy – the right of people to vote, to have their voices heard and then to respect this decision peacefully – should never be overturned by a crowd.”
The prime minister of the world’s largest democracy, Indian Narendra Modi, said on Twitter: “I am troubled to see news of riots and violence in Washington DC. The orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. It cannot be allowed to undermine the democratic process through illegal protests. “
Venezuela, which is under US sanctions, said events in Washington showed that the US was “suffering from what it has generated in other countries with its policy of aggression.”
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has survived US-backed opposition efforts to eliminate him despite allegations of human rights abuses, civil unrest and a humanitarian crisis that has forced millions to flee the oil-rich country.
“It simply came to our notice then. Nothing less. In Washington, “Carl Bildt, the former prime minister of Sweden, wrote on Twitter.
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AP journalists from around the world contributed to this story.