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Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday told CNN that America's ability to champion democracy and human rights worldwide was damaged via the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.

Citing the "major challenge" President Joe Biden faces in responding to the recent coup in Myanmar, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked Blinken how the US can "speak with authority on democracy when people around the world saw our Capitol attacked and our democratic institutions pushed to the brink?"

The top US diplomat said, "There's no doubt that our ability to speak with that strong voice for democracy and human rights took a hit with what happened on January 6th and happened at the Capitol."

But Blinken went on to express optimism about the US, stating that he sees the "glass as half full on that" because "we had a peaceful transition of power pursuant to our Constitution."

He underscored that in spite of the attack on the Capitol, which resulted in five deaths, congressional lawmakers still returned and certified Biden's Electoral College victory as part of a constitutionally-mandated process.

"Throughout our history, we've had incredibly challenging moments, and sometimes we've taken our own steps backward. But what's made us different is our willingness, our ability, to confront these challenges with full transparency. We in front of the entire world. And that's very unlike other countries," Blinken added. "When they face challenges, they try to sweep everything under the rug, ignore it, repress it, push it back. We're doing this all out in the open."

Blinken conceded that the nature of American democracy can be "ugly" and "difficult," but emphasized that he still believes the US has a "strong story to tell about the resilience of democracy, the resilience of our institutions, and the determination of this country to always try to form a more perfect union."

The Biden administration has made restoring America's global standing a top priority after the Trump era, during which the US often took a unilateral approach to foreign affairs while routinely insulting key allies. Biden has already taken steps to join multinational efforts, including moving to rejoin the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization.

"Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy," Biden said in a speech at the State Department on February 4. "We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday's challenges, but today's and tomorrow's ... We've moved quickly to begin restoring American engagement internationally and earn back our leadership position, to catalyze global action on shared challenges."

But after the major blows US democratic institutions took under former President Donald Trump, the new commander-in-chief faces significant challenges and limitations in defending democracy worldwide. This has already become evident with the Myanmar coup as well as the recent arrest and conviction of Kremlin-critic Alexei Navalny. There are growing doubts, which Blinken alluded to in his CNN interview, about America's ability to influence such situations.

There are signs the Biden administration is considering imposing sanctions in response to Myanmar's coup and the Navalny incarceration, but history has frequently shown they don't inflict enough of a cost to move the needle.

"We have fallen into this trap that sanctions are the easy answer to every problem," Ivo H. Daalder, the former US Ambassador to NATO and current president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, recently told the New York Times. "They demonstrate that you care, and they impose some price, though usually not sufficient to change behavior.''

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Blinken says America's promotion of democracy and human rights 'took a hit' with the Capitol attack - Business Insider