This article was originally published in Talking Points Memo.

Americans watching events unfold in Brazil last Sunday could be forgiven for experiencing an unsettling feeling of déjà vu. We’ve recently seen supporters of an electorally defeated president violently storm government buildings while demanding that legitimate election results be overturned. The events of January 8, 2023 in Brasília had so many parallels to the events of January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. that the comparison was practically cliché before the rioters had even been cleared out by law enforcement.

Both shocking events were deplorable; political violence has no place whatsoever in a healthy democracy. But — as far as we know at this point — the two events are different in ways that are crucial to acknowledge.

Read the full article on Talking Points Memo.