The widening cracks in America's citadel

The US Capitol, along with the values it represents, was invaded by a mob

A protester yells inside the Senate Chamber. AFP

epa08923404 Supporters of US President Donald J. Trump outside the senate chambers after breaching Capitol security in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2021. Protesters entered the US Capitol where the Electoral College vote certification for President-elect Joe Biden took place. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

Leigh Ann Luck dressed up as Statue of Liberty shouts as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather near U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

People are seen in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Protesters enter the U.S. Capitol Building. AFP

epa08923440 A supporter of US President Donald J. Trump sits on the desk of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after supporters of US President Donald J. Trump breached the US Capitol security in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2021. Protesters stormed the US Capitol where the Electoral College vote certification for President-elect Joe Biden took place. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

TOPSHOT - A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask as he protests after storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. President-elect Joe Biden denounced the storming of the US Capitol as an "insurrection" and demanded President Donald Trump go on television to call an end to the violent "siege." / AFP / Brendan SMIALOWSKI

TOPSHOT - Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol's Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. / AFP / Saul LOEB

TOPSHOT - Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. / AFP / Saul LOEB

TOPSHOT - A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits at a desk after invading the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. / AFP / Saul LOEB

TOPSHOT - A man calls on people to raid the building as Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they try to storm the US Capitol in Washington D.C on January 6, 2021. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. / AFP / Joseph Prezioso

Trump supporters gesture to U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Wherever in the world it may happen, the storming of a government building by an angry mob often results in the same, familiar scenes. Security services, overwhelmed or unwilling to use force, have to make way for rioters who proceed to parade through the offices, gawk at the furnishings in the corridors of power and send legislators scurrying for safety. The atmosphere among the intruders is jubilant – they feel justified in openly disrespecting a political class that they believe has disrespected them – but also menacing, as though the national order itself is under threat.

These scenes played out in Washington on Wednesday, when hundreds of supporters of US President Donald Trump, including many who were armed, overran the Capitol, America's legislative assembly building, while the Senate was in session to confirm the election of his successor, Joe Biden.

But what happened in Washington was not an attack on the political class. Encouraged by the President himself as well as several of his political allies in order to impede the peaceful transition of power, it was an attack on the institutions fundamental to America's democratic political system. It was the attempted subjugation of good government to mob rule by an extremist fringe.

Yesterday's events demonstrated that courts and elections alone are not enough to safeguard American democracy. Stability and progress depend on the responsible stewardship of leaders, who can uphold a sense of reverence for institutions even when they produce a result contrary to their wishes.

Seemingly unprepared for the incursion on the Capitol, building security and Washington police were quickly overcome. The ineffectiveness of law enforcement was galling to many; a largely peaceful assembly in Washington led by activists from the Black Lives Matter movement in June was met with an immense show of force. This time, the federal government opted not to deploy the National Guard, a reserve branch of the military, to restore order until long after politicians in the building were forced to evacuate and many of the legislative offices had been vandalised. Whatever subjective morality drives the mob to invade such hallowed institutional walls, once they are breached, some of the reverence is lost for good.

As the rioters continued their occupation of the building, Mr Biden addressed the nation, calling the events "an assault on the citadel of liberty". His remarks evoked the longstanding self-image of America as a "city on a hill", an elevated fortress from which to defend a certain set of values while projecting them elsewhere in the world, either actively or by example.

Whatever foreign policy Mr Biden's incoming administration chooses to adopt over the next four years, its priority will necessarily be to project, in its affairs at home, America's example. People around the world watched Wednesday's scene at the Capitol less with respect than with disbelief, alarm and even ridicule.

Mr Biden's chief task after his inauguration on January 20 will be to unite a country shaken by deep divisions. This will be a delicate and arduous mission that involves, in part, seeking accountability for these displays of violence without escalating tensions further on either side. If he can manage it, America may see its citadel restored.