Opinion Today: The storming of the Capitol, in context

Times Opinion examines what led to, and what will stem from, the events of Jan. 6.

View in browser|nytimes.com January 6, 2022 Ashley Gilbertson/VII/Redux By Ezekiel Kweku Politics Editor, Opinion An easy mistake to make when analyzing the ramifications of an event as viscerally disorienting as the one that occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, is to focus too much on the details of the event itself, rather than the broader lessons to be drawn from it. In planning our coverage for the anniversary of the storming of the Capitol, I felt that what Times Opinion could bring to bear was sharp arguments about the confluence of factors that created the environment in which the 6th was possible and about what it augured. Which is to say, we wanted to place Jan. 6 in context. If the storming of the Capitol was a symptom, then what is the diagnosis of and prognosis for the underlying disorder? No piece in this collection of essays aims to be entirely comprehensive; they represent a range of perspectives on Jan. 6 that sometimes overlap with and contradict one another. Guest essays from Jedediah Britton-Purdy, a historian, and Osita Nwanevu, a writer and a contributing editor at The New Republic, discuss the ways in which the events of the 6th can be interpreted as attacks on America's democratic institutions but were ultimately produced by the same institutions. The essayist Rebecca Solnit situates the problem in an electorate increasingly willing to believe lies and politicians eager to tell them. Sohrab Ahmari, a contributing editor at The American Conservative, argues that the storming of the Capitol was an impotent and misguided expression of well-founded populist anger. Francis Fukuyama, a political scientist, places the disruption of the peaceful transfer of power against a backdrop of global democratic erosion. And former President Jimmy Carter warns that America is not immune to this international trend and outlines how to back away from the precipice. I hope these and the other articles we're publishing about the lessons we can learn from Jan. 6 help you think about what brought us to that moment — and what will happen next. Read more on Jan. 6 below: The Editorial Board Every Day Is Jan. 6 Now Though we yearn for peace and quiet, things in America are far from normal. By The Editorial Board Guest Essay Jimmy Carter: I Fear for Our Democracy Even established democracies can fall to military juntas and despots. We can't let that happen here. By Jimmy Carter Guest Essay The Republican Party Is Succeeding Because We Are Not a True Democracy What's often called the crisis of American democracy is the result not of too much democracy but of too little.  By Jedediah Britton-Purdy Guest Essay Trump Isn't the Only One to Blame for the Capitol Riot Our institutions, from the Electoral College to the media, have convinced conservatives that they are denizens of the real America.  By Osita Nwanevu Guest Essay One Single Day. That's All It Took for the World to Look Away From Us. The Jan. 6 attack on Congress marked a significant decline in American global power and influence. By Francis Fukuyama Guest Essay Why Republicans Keep Falling for Trump's Lies Authoritarians don't just want to control the government, the economy and the military. They want to control the truth. By Rebecca Solnit Guest Essay Christian Nationalism Is One of Trump's Most Powerful Weapons And it is still being wielded in service of Trump's fictions. By Katherine Stewart Guest Essay Jan. 6 Looks Different Through the Lens of 'American Carnage' The nation has festering problems. Trumpism did not go to the true roots of them. By Sohrab Ahmari Guest Essay How Jan. 6 Might Look in 2086 As curators at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, we are regularly confronted by hard physical evidence of just how slippery the past can be. By Jon Grinspan and Peter Manseau Opinion Audio One Year After the Jan. 6 Attack, Parler's C.E.O Grapples with Big Tech and Trump George Farmer doubles down on his efforts to revive a right-leaning social media company that was taken offline a year ago. By 'Sway' You can read the full Opinion report here. Subscribe Today New York Times Opinion curates a wide range of views, inviting rich discussion and debate that helps readers analyze the world. This work is made possible with the support of subscribers. Please consider subscribing to The Times with this special offer. Games Here is today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. 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