A Canadian view of the Capitol riots in the United States - opinion

What all Western democracies have to do is better understand how such extremism has been nourished and nurtured.

By KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN

JANUARY 23, 2021 21:06

An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of US President Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021 (photo credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS) — An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of US President Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021

(photo credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)

As Canadians who have lived and worked in Washington, we were deeply shocked and saddened by the siege of the very symbol of American democracy, the US Capitol. This horror will reverberate through American society for decades, like the attacks of 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, and occupy an ignominious place in the history books.

While America grapples with the causes and consequences of the storming of the Capitol, other democracies have to avoid complacency as they internalize what transpired in the US. Western countries are not immune to populist grievances and public disturbances – witness the “gilets jaunes” protests in France, the August mobs around the Reichstag in Germany, the at-times violent pro-Brexit demonstrations in the UK and widespread anti-mask and anti-vaxxer protests. Adherents of bizarre conspiracy theories, linked together by social media and sharing the extremist beliefs, can be found in many countries.

What all Western democracies have to do is better understand how such extremism has been nourished and nurtured, and what must be done to address the conditions and factors fueling it. Here, the US is the canary in the coal mine.

There are two uniquely American factors in all this. First, a demagogue has been president of the US for the past four years, fanning the flames of extremism from the perch of high office. He spawned false tales of a stolen election to delegitimize both the winner and the democratic process itself.

As the instigator of the “Save America” rally on January 6, he incited the insurrection and violence that occurred at the very citadel of American democracy. The lessons are clear to other nations about the risks of demagogues in high office no matter how many checks and balances are built into the institutions of democracy.

Second, the leaders of the massive and sophisticated American law enforcement system failed, miserably. News of the rally was not hidden on the outer reaches of the dark web. It was promoted and led by the president. The Internet was buzzing with various groups ranging from ardent supporters of US president Donald Trump to far-right militias as they planned and plotted the events of January 6.

How could the US Capitol police have been overrun, without backup while Congress was in session and the vice president and the vice president-elect were in the building? This was an intelligence, threat assessment, coordination and policing failure of epic proportion. Again, a lesson for other countries who typically have a smaller security presence around their institutions of government than America.

At the same time, there are common contributing factors that are not uniquely American that need to be addressed, but the solutions are not simple. Three stand out – globalization and technological change, inequality and social media.

Globalization and technological change, with their large swaths of winners and losers, have left too many workers behind and looking for a better life. The winners have been American consumers and well-educated knowledge workers, but there has been no sharing of these gains with displaced workers.

This has led to inequality, where there is a rising gap between those with opportunity and those who feel they have none. Workers with middling educations and analog skills in rapidly restructuring sectors and firms are consigned to minimum wage jobs and losing their middle-class existence.

America is not unique in having to come to grips with wealth and income divides that are rising sharply and rapidly. Improved access to education, digital re-skilling and adjustment support are needed on the scale of demobilization after wars. Bringing the disaffected who feel disenfranchised into the economic and political mainstream has to be a priority for all countries.

Social media is unique in its ability to create digital tribes almost instantly and unimpeded by geography, and it is spreading misinformation on a colossal scale.

The social media companies, in failing to address the dangerous disinformation carried on their own platforms, have failed as corporate citizens. Self-regulation has not worked; indeed, it should never have been expected to work but we were mesmerized by the technology, and this will have to be addressed by regulation. Regulators will also have to contend with Google and Apple, who bring these platforms to smart phones.

The attack on the US Capitol has added an unwanted arrow to the quiver of American exceptionalism. American prestige, influence and power, which flow from the democratic ideals of the republic not just its military and economic might, suffered long term damage around the world on January 6. Now is a time for Americans to embrace their “better angels,” focus on economic dignity and resiliency and reclaim the moral high ground. America, like all countries, is at its best when it is a force for good.

Hon. Kevin Lynch was the secretary to the cabinet of the Government of Canada.

Paul Deegan, CEO of Deegan Public Strategies, was deputy executive director of the National Economic Council in the White House.