January 08, 2021

America Must Show Unity for the Sake of National Security

Within hours of the rioters breaching the Capitol, the chaotic and violent attack was over. A day later, President Trump conceded the election he lost in November. And on January 20, Americans will have a new leader. Yet the national security effects of the Capitol insurrection will endure far longer.

I spent seven years working in the Senate, and to watch the siege on a place so familiar had an especially painful resonance. Congress is the body that, at its best, comes together in debates and votes on the most consequential issues facing the country. The branch that, for all the bitter partisanship, has retained a sense of decorum and even camaraderie. The institution designed to channel popular opinion and passions into sober and representative action. The living symbol of American democracy and union even in an era of division.

The Capitol assault was an attack on democracy itself.

The Capitol assault was an attack on democracy itself. It threatened rule by leaders empowered only through consent of the governed, chosen by and responsible to the people alone. The tragedy is that the mayhem was based on a lie: the crowd sought to stop a vote not stolen, protest a system not rigged, and save a country not fallen. It was an insurgency in pursuit of a fever dream, driven first and foremost by a commander in chief clinging to power at any cost.

Read the full article in The Hill.

  • Commentary
    • The Washington Post
    • September 10, 2024
    How to Stop Rogue States Like Russia from Interfering in Our Politics

    Democratic governments have done much to protect themselves in recent years. Still missing, however, is a mechanism for collective action....

    By Richard Fontaine

  • Podcast
    • September 5, 2024
    Geopolitical Doomscrolling

    Geoff and Emily talk about the tensions between social media platforms and governments around the world, including Telegram’s troubles in France and X’s spats with Brazil and ...

    By Emily Kilcrease, Geoffrey Gertz & Carrie Cordero

  • Commentary
    • Foreign Policy
    • February 5, 2024
    Americans Need Domestic Unity for Effective Foreign Policy

    Today’s international challenges threaten the security, prosperity, and freedom of the American people. But Americans will naturally shy from a focus on overseas problems unti...

    By Richard Fontaine & Stephen J. Hadley

  • Video
    • January 2, 2024
    Carrie Cordero on Maine Ballot Ruling

    Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow Carrie Cordero joins The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer to discuss the decision in Maine to remove former President Trump from their election b...

    By Carrie Cordero

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia