A year ago a mob led by unscrupulous politicians attacked the Parliament building, almost halting the transfer of democratic power. Our four former presidents unanimously condemned their actions and affirmed the legitimacy of the 2020 election. What followed was brief hope that the rebellion would shake up the country and lead to a resolution of the vicious polarization that threatens democracy.

Yet a year on, the lie peddlers of the stolen general election have come to dominate a political party and fanned the flames of distrust in our electoral system. With the power and influence of endless disinformation, these forces are still turning the American people against each other. According to the Center for American Life Research, 36 percent of Americans -- or nearly 100 million adults of all political stripes -- believe that "the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may need to save it by force." The Washington Post recently reported that about 40 percent of Republicans believe that violent action against the government is sometimes justified.

In my home state of Georgia, and in places like Texas and Florida, politicians used the mistrust they created to enact laws that empowered partisan legislatures to meddle in the electoral process. They will do whatever it takes to win, and many Americans have been persuaded to think and act the same way. The very foundations of our stable democracy are threatened with imminent destruction. I worry now that the gains we've fought so hard for around the world -- the right to free and fair elections, not blocked by strongmen who just want to expand their power -- have become dangerously fragile here at home.