The scenes of thousands of violent supporters of United States President Donald Trump storming and vandalising the US Capitol - the equivalent of Parliament here - and disrupting the formal certification of Mr Joe Biden as the country's next president were beyond shocking. The episode was reminiscent of what typically happens in some Third World countries where democracy has shallow roots and mob power is able to sway outcomes. It was unimaginable that it would even be attempted in the US, which prides itself on being the beacon of democracy. That has been dealt a damaging blow.

In hindsight, the incident - aptly described as an insurrection rather than a protest - should not have come as a huge surprise. Ever since losing the presidential election last November, Mr Trump himself and some of his political allies and enablers have been inciting pro-Trump elements to reject the results, and more recently, to march on the Capitol to protest against their certification by Congress - all of which was amplified by conspiracy theorists. Some analysts had warned of similar scenarios.