It is always hardest to have perspective in the fog of war. As tear gas smoke dissipated over the Capitol building in Washington, autocrats were quick to point to the insurrection as evidence of a broken system. They are missing the forest for the trees. Despite four years of constant deception by Donald Trump and his sycophants, America’s democratic institutions prevailed, yielding the highest participation in the electoral process since 1900. As a Hongkonger, I have seen the sharp contrast between what happened here and in the US. Where separation of powers protected the will of the American people, its denial in Hong Kong has led to the imprisonment of protesters and criticism that judges are going easy on those guilty of “thought crime”. Despite holding the most powerful position in the world, Trump failed to silence the press and the voice of the people, whereas here, press work visas are being denied , media outlets self-censor for fear of reprisals, individuals are summarily arrested, and journalists must live with the permanent physical trauma from unchecked police brutality . Hongkongers’ voices were ignored despite millions marching in the streets and a landslide victory at district council elections by the pro-democracy camp, while Trump will no longer be in power in less than two weeks. Most importantly, the rule of law prevailed in the US, whereas it was progressively substituted with rule by law in Hong Kong. However, the by-product of both Trump’s and the Chinese Communist Party’s attacks on democratic institutions has been revelations about which individuals and groups are autocrats-at-heart or enablers. Recognising this will be key for the next step in America. For there is work to be done to rebuild the trust in the democratic institutions for millions of Americans who still have some doubts about what happened in the past few months. After their nation came close to disaster, Americans are being offered an opportunity for change. It is their duty to the free world to learn from this experience. We did not have that same opportunity here, as we looked back at the freedoms that were lost. We must remember that democracy always trades short-term chaos for stability and progress in the long run. This election has proven that America remains “the Shining City on a Hill”. J.C. Clement, Jordan