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Grant Golub in the National Interest considers the ideological framing of the Summit for Democracy and how it may impact upon the possibilities for escalations of conflict with Russia and China. Golub interprets the rhetoric expressed at the Summit as echoing that of the Cold War, in which the world is divided into two competing … Continued
The Economist reports on the recent release of the 2021 edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Democracy Index, which rates the state of democracy across 167 different countries based on five measurements (electoral process/pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, democratic political culture, and civil liberties). The pandemic continues to place a considerable strain on … Continued
Joseph Sany considers the recent coup attempt in Guinea-Bisseau, the fifth in nine months around the greater Sahel, and its implications for US assistance in Africa. Poor and authoritarian governance only continues to worsen instability and extremism in the region. Pro-democracy and peacebuilding specialists are crucial, and recommendations are made by experts in relation to … Continued
International IDEA expert Annika Silva-Leander shared her views on the challenges, potentials and limitations of the Summit for Democracy for the Robert Bosch Stiftung. Democracy is facing unprecedented challenges: we see a decline in the number of democracies, the quality of these democracies is declining, and more and more countries continue to move further into … 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
Mimaki Seiko considers the approach taken by the Biden Administration in terms of how well the Summit’s stated goals and invited countries accord with each other. Seiko contends that the Summit failed to demonstrate unity among democracies in the face of rising autocracy and increasing Chinese influence. These issues are attributed to two factors: unclear … Continued
Paul Massaro and Benjamin L. Schmitt in Foreign Policy consider the United States’ failure to pose sanctions against corrupt global actors, notably Russia after it’s latest escalation of its invasion in Eastern Ukraine in light of its commitments to anti-corruption that were released in the lead-up to the Summit. The authors praise the United States Strategy … Continued
Kemal Derviş in the Brookings Institution considers how autocrats may use democratic narratives regarding elections to justify their rule, while simultaneously delegitimising other democratic principles such as checks and balances and the separation of powers. There is a significant difference between non-democracies in which open, contestable elections do not exist, and those in which opposition … Continued
Tom O’Connor for Newsweek considers the impact of Turkey’s omission from the Summit on Turkey/US relations. Turkey was one of the only two NATO members to not receive an invitation, the other being Hungary. Both states have responded negatively to the perceived snub, with Turkey defending the quality of its democracy and Hungary claiming they … 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
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