The attack on the Capitol and the health of American democracy

March 12, 2021

The Attack on the Capitol & the Health of American Democracy | Author Anne Applebaum | GZERO World

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum had a disturbing takeaway from the Capitol riots of January 6th: An unignorable portion of the American population revolted against democracy itself. "That wasn't Republicans attacking Democrats," Applebaum argues. "What you saw was a group of people who were attacking the system itself."

And most alarming of all, Applebaum adds, polling showed that at least 10% of all Americans supported the rioters and—they're not going away. Applebaum's conversation with Ian Bremmer is part of the latest episode of GZERO World, which began airing on US public television stations nationwide on Friday, March 5. Check local listings.

Watch the episode: Authoritarianism's Enduring Appeal: Anne Applebaum Discusses

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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is flanked by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof as he hosts a 'Coalition of the Willing' meeting of international partners on Ukraine at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) in London, Britain, October 24, 2025.

Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS

The attack on the Capitol and the health of American democracy

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The attack on the Capitol and the health of American democracy

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More from GZERO Media

Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to talk about the risks of recklessly rolling out powerful AI tools without guardrails as big tech firms race to build “god in a box.”

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