The Global South Views America after January 6 Part I

Paul Rodell - Georgia Southern University

Overview of the January 6 Project

Doyin Coker-Kolo - Indiana University Southeast

Global Reactions to January 6 and American Democracy: Cross-Sectional Survey Results from Southwestern Nigeria

Due to its extensive internet coverage, it is safe to say that people around the world including Nigerians knew as much as Americans about the assault on US capitol on January 6th. As home to the Senate and House of Representatives, the capitol has been a symbol around the world of representative government and the strength of American democracy. Nigeria, like many other African Countries have in recent times modelled many of its institutions-economic, educational, and political after the American systems, hence the attack on this iconic building has a huge impact on their perception of American leadership. This presentation along with others in the series titled “Global Reactions to January 6 and American Democracy” is a report on the findings from a survey of a cross section of Nigerians especially those from the Southwestern part of the country. Although the sample is very small, the findings align very much with information from the media regarding this incident. Nigerians overwhelmingly condemn the attack and see it as a gradual erosion of America’s leadership. Their reactions are twofold. They fear the attack will embolden the “political rogues” in Nigeria to continue to perpetrate political malpractices. Secondly, they see it as a revelation of “American hypocrisy” and her inability to live up to the democratic ideals that it promotes, and sometimes impose on foreign countries.

Brian Parkinson - Georgia Southwestern State University

Argentinian perceptions of the January 6 United States Capital Attack their reflections on the state of American Democracy

Analyzing the views of Argentinians regarding the January 6, 2021, Capital Attack offers an interesting insight into not only how Argentinians perceive their own history and political system but also how they see the state of American democracy, as well as the role that the United States plays on the world’s stage. This inquiry into Argentinian perceptions of has proven to be an excellent exercise in comparative politics and history; it has been interesting to see just how much Argentina’s fraught history with its own fragile democracy shapes the way that their own citizens view events on foreign soil. While most of the respondents generally exhibited both shock and amazement to the events as they unfolded in the hallways of Congress, they did not believe that it would have a long-term deleterious impact on American democracy. Rather, most of those questioned believed that American democracy would continue to survive, even if it was in a somewhat diminished state. What is clear from those who witnessed the events on the Capitols steps, however, is that the United States no longer represents a beacon of hope for many and is badly in need of reform.

Ryan Alexander - SUNY Plattsburgh

Commentator