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Richard E. Feinberg considers for Global Americans how the initiatives spearheaded by the Summit may impact governance and democracy in Latin America in view of the Biden administration’s wider foreign policy approach to the region. He notes that a main challenge to development and assistance is the fragmented state of politics both domestically in the … Continued
Lauren Mooney writes in Just Security about how Biden’s Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal can better account for conflict and fragility in certain states. Major complex challenges for democracy assistance in fragile states include violence, an underlying lack of public trust in governance institutions, and deep societal divides. The US’ approach to democracy assistance in … Continued
Annika Silva-Leander (with the support of Elisenda Balleste-Buxo) of International IDEA made an initial analysis of the (verbal) country commitments made at the Summit. It was conducted by coding the written transcripts of the official statements made by countries and is aimed as a resource for civil society and other actors to aid in their … Continued
Jamie Shea for Friends of Europe considers democratic prospects for the Year of Action throughout 2022 in the leadup to the follow-up Summit in December 2022. He emphasised the importance making commitments public and channelling this transparency towards useful civil society oversight in monitoring commitments and pressuring governments to uphold said commitments. Promising areas of … Continued
Jason S Calder and Lauren van Metre write in Foreign Policy, considering the gaps in the Summit’s discussion regarding the impact on democracy building in fragile states US approach to countering terrorism and violent extremist groups. The authors argue that incorporating commitments on anti-corruption, human rights and opening civic spaces into the US counter-terrorism approach … Continued
Cas Mudde looks back on the trajectory of illiberal forces in 2021 and considers prospects for illiberal forces in key elections in 2022 in RightNow!, the blog for the University of Oslo’s Center for Research on Extremism. He argues that illiberalism is not inevitable, emphasising the need for consistent and inspiring liberal democracy. 2021 saw … Continued
Joseph S. Nye in ASPI’s The Strategist considers the China/US dynamic at the end of 2021 through the lens of hard and soft power. He frames Biden’s holding of the Summit, and China’s reaction to its non-invitation as a “great-power competition over soft power”, whereby countries attempt to influence others through attraction. Soft power comes … Continued
The Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC) released a statement giving their first thoughts on commitments and associated rulemakings announced in the lead up to and at the Summit. While significant actions will be taken at home, it remains to be seen how the US will fare where country interests clash with their own. Domestically, the US … Continued
Witney Schneidman considers the future for American support and investments in Africa. During his electoral campaign, President Biden made bold statements rooted in cooperation and democracy. The US Secretary of State, Senator Anthony Blinken, stated that infrastructure projects would build upon democratic principles, echoing the main themes of the Summit. Schneidman considers the broader context … Continued
Silvana Rodriguez in New America highlighted encouraging signs for more democratic use of new technologies that will better respect and uphold fundamental rights. The Summit consistently emphasised that our current digital systems present many unique challenges for democracy, and may be exacerbating social and economic inequality. Useful priorities highlighted by the Summit include the encouragement … Continued
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