The Atlantic Democracy is under attack, and we need to protect it. January 21, 2021 Getty / The Atlantic As I sat in my Capitol Hill office two weeks ago, watching a violent mob storm the symbol and seat of our democracy, I was reminded of my distant past. As a child, I saw my birth country of Somalia descend from relative stability into civil war, overnight. The spaces where people felt most secure—their homes and workplaces—suddenly became battlegrounds, torn by gunfights and bombings. Violent targeting of political leaders—once unheard-of—became commonplace. I never expected to experience a direct assault on democracy in the United States, one of the oldest, most prosperous democracies in the world.