Forum2000 online Chat – Charles Edel: The Summit for Democracy, between controversy and hope

Forum 2000 sat down with Charles Edel, the Australia Chair and a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to discuss the Summit and its associated launched initiatives. Main takeaways included:

• After the image of American democracy was tarnished during the Trump presidency, under the leadership of President Biden, it is now back as a defender of democratic values
• The Trump presidency also illuminated many of the shortcomings in American democracy, and American elites are now more sensitive to protecting it.
• While the invitee list sparked many controversies, Edel points out that it was inclusive on purpose to enable a broader framing of the Summit, and would have raised controversy no matter which countries were invited.
• The Summit is only one part of a broader plan by the Biden Administration to strengthen democracy worldwide.

Read the full interview synopsis here. A full recording of the interview is available above.