As a young student activist in 1980s Communist Poland, Tomasz Siemoniaklike many pro-democracy campaigners world-widelooked up to America as a beacon of freedom.
We were fascinated by democracy, especially by American democracy, said Mr. Siemoniak, who later served as his countrys defense minister and is currently an opposition lawmaker.
Then came the Nov. 3 election and an American president who sought to overturn the results with claims of systemic electoral fraud and egged on supporters who then stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Bidens victory. There has been no evidence of widespread electoral fraud.
What has happened shows that nothing is forever, that history has not ended, and that even the foundations of the world are changing, Mr. Siemoniak said.
With President-elect Joe Biden set to be sworn in on Wednesday behind a screen of heavy security, democratic leaders and those fighting for democracy around the world say the upheaval in the U.S. has left them shaken. And authoritarian governments, like those of Americas biggest strategic rivals China and Russia, are touting what they say is the superiority of their own political systems.
