The US is its own enemy on democracy: Global Times editorial

By Global Times Published: Jan 08, 2021

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202101/1212254.shtml

After riots broke out in the US Capitol, both elites and mainstream media outlets in the US and  the Western world quickly voiced a common "consensus" - the attackers failed to achieve their goals, and Congress confirmed Joe Biden's win in the US presidential election, proving democracy in the US remains strong. They also pointed their fingers at China, with some claiming the "enemy of democracy" will be happy to see and gloat over the chaos in the Capitol, in an attempt to provoke Americans and mobilize people's will to unite. 

This is a true portrayal of US political weakness. As the only superpower in the world, the US is meant to be open-minded, tolerant, and inclusive. Its own development and self-management should be calm and orderly, and it should leverage its abundant domestic resources to achieve balanced self-management. But now, whenever an unwanted domestic incident occurs, the US cannot wait to find ways to shift the blame to either China or Russia. Its narrative of self-superiority and complaints about the damage it suffers from outside forces combine, creating a very weird ideology. 

US President Donald Trump's administration has been adamant that China exported COVID-19 to the US and resulted in the latter's great failures in controlling its domestic epidemic. Trump has now been abandoned by mainstream US elites, but his political logic of using China as a scapegoat has become a common ploy in Washington and an abusive excuse used to promote so-called US democracy. 

How to handle China has become a compulsory question to be answered in US political circles. An increasing number of people are seeking to have Trump removed from the country's highest office, but in truth it is Trump himself who has taught them to think the way they do when it comes to China. 

Something has gone wrong with the US political system, it goes without saying. Chinese people are not gloating at the chaos in the Capitol; they are simply unhappy with the US supporting the mob who attacked the Hong Kong Legislative Council. From the perspective of the Chinese people, the attacks in Hong Kong and Washington are very similar. Both were anti-democratic and anti-rule of law. Chinese people hope US elites can learn to put themselves in other's shoes this time, ending their foul game of double standards. 

The US used to be idolized by Chinese people, but its image has collapsed. Isn't it the same for the American people? What about Europeans? Hasn't trust in the US from WHO members and the Paris climate deal been jeopardized?

The Capitol riots are not an isolated incident. The US failed in reining in COVID-19. Despite this, it still arrogantly tells other countries how to handle their own affairs. The US image as our idol collapsed. It does not mean that we think the US has collapsed as a country. It maintains its substantial strengths and advantages. For example, its social structure still features a strong tolerance toward various crises. However, US elites are denying everything led by the Communist Party of China. They believe that even China's achievement of controlling its epidemic, as well as its subsequent economic recovery, is "unclean." If we just compare the objectivity and tolerance in the two sides' mentalities, the US has already lost. 

The US will only see its tragedy when it loses its hysterical sense of superiority. The fight between its two main political camps is tearing apart its society. They attack each other, painting the "other side" as being good for nothing. At the same time, they are unable to carry out a trans-partisan reflection on their country's real problems. Because of this, US politics continue going round in circles. 

Launching a new cold war against China will not help the US restore its previous balance. Using "democratic pride" to cover up its real problems will only deceive itself.

The true vitality of a country's economy mirrors whether its democracy is real and effective. A country's performance against the current public health crisis and the number of infections and deaths are all important indicators of actual humanitarianism. The US does not dare face these numbers while shouting aloud about its advanced democracy. Yet its Capitol was attacked, and over the past 24 hours, it recorded almost 4,000 COVID-19 deaths. How long can the country's elites keep fooling their people? 

Whether Washington can eliminate its paranoia and restore a spirit of scientific rationality on political issues is key to reversing the long-term decline. It built an ideological trap, with which it has trapped itself. Let's wait and see whether Joe Biden will carry out adjustments and make a change.