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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
Corinne Graff of the United States Institute of Peace considered the potential for the Summit to have a positive impact in fragile states. While the Summit focussed on several of the governance challenges that affect fragile states, notably anti-corruption, only 18 out of the 111 invitees were conflict-affected. Given that civil wars are increasingly shaped … 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.
Yasmeen Serhan critically considers in the Atlantic how far diplomacy can go in effecting more democratic governance, emphasising that for lasting change to occur, the impetus and drive must come from within. Diplomacy “can pressure and promote more democratic practices, but it is not what drives democracy forward”, as democratisation is a process that occurs … Continued
Max Bergmann of the Center for American Progress addresses some common criticisms of the Summit, arguing that the initiative is a valuable effort that holds great potential for supporting democracy. Success hinges on the momentum set off by the initiative for leaders to feel empowered and democracies across the globe to support each other in … Continued
Aarya Nijat of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) discusses the Summit with different voices from South Asia. The discussion reflects on five questions: challenges to democracy in the region, the relation between South Asia and the global trend of democratic backsliding, opportunities for reversing the trend, the role South Asian countries can play … Continued
Gregory Kearns outlines in Modern Diplomacy concrete ways for the Summit to advance democracy in Africa. He begins by considering the state of democracy in Africa, before moving on to concrete suggestions to which the US and its allies should commit. Suggestions include promoting intra-party democracy and the inclusion of minority groups (notably youth and … Continued
John J Stremlau in the Conversation considers the African context regarding the participation of the seventeen African country invitees to the Summit. The immediate context in Africa is considered in terms of the three issues on the agenda: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting human rights. Read the full piece in the Conversation here.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace gathers voices from across the world to consider how different regions and countries perceive the Summit, and what it will take for it to be a success. Inputs are given from Africa, Europe, Japan, Latin America, South Asia and the United States. The piece ends with a consideration of crucial … Continued
Kalypso Nicolaidis and Richard Youngs write in Carnegie Europe as a part of their European Democracy Hub Initiative an analysis of the EU’s approach to democracy promotion, making concrete suggestions for its reform moving forward. It is increasingly clear that traditional models of external democracy support need to change, with many lessons to be learned … Continued
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