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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
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
Mehmet Ozay considers the implications of the invitee list in the Asia-Pacific. Notably left off the list were Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, considered de facto allies of the United States and important for its interests in the region, while Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines were invited. This division has led many in the region to … Continued
Birgitta Ohlsson considers how democracy supporters can help bring about a fourth wave of democracy for the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Useful initiatives could include democratic political parties uniting against anti-democratic forces, brining more women and young people into politics, and positively supporting democratisation rather than fighting against backsliding. Read the full piece here at … Continued
Jaap Hoeksma relates the eurofederalist vs euroskeptic debate that the European Union (EU) often finds itself embroiled in to the democratic principles which structure its functioning. The EU was the only international organisation to receive an invitation to the Summit, signalling that the Biden Administration views the EU as a functioning democratic orgaisation. Hoeksma argues … Continued
Dov S. Zakheim in the Hill criticises the exclusion of Singapore from the list of invitees in consideration of the wider context in the Asia-Pacific region. Singapore was recently described by the US State Department as, “one of the United States’ strongest bilateral partners in Southeast Asia and [one that] plays an indispensable role in … Continued
Alex Folkes for the Foreign Policy Centre discussed the wider implications of the framing of the Summit based on two different possible framings of the Summit: an alliance of democracies intended to counter authoritarian forces such as China and Russia, or a summit for better democracy more generally. While not mutually exclusive, Folkes recommends that … Continued
Charles W. Dunne writes for the Arab Center Washington DC (ACW) considers the limited impact of the Summit in the Middle East, with only Israel and Iraq appearing on the list of invitees. While the Summit made modest successes, the lack of voices from the Middle East left few opportunities for support and commitments in … Continued
The US Administration released a summary of proceedings at the Summit for Democracy. Additional details on participating governments’ Summit commitments will be made available in January 2022. Read the full summary here.
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