Democracy is on the decline worldwide. The democracy index, with which the American NGO Freedom House measures the state of the rule of law and codetermination, has fallen for 15 years in a row. US President Joe Biden sees this as evidence that a race is taking place between democratic and authoritarian systems. “We are at a fork in the road,” said Biden on Thursday at the opening of a summit for democracy to which he had invited more than 100 governments. “The decisions we make today will fundamentally determine the direction in which the world will develop over the next ten years.”
Now Biden is trying to rekindle the spirit of freedom with the summit, symbolically set on December 9th and 10th, the anti-corruption and human rights days. Together with the fight against authoritarianism, the two topics form the core of the two-day meeting, which is taking place virtually because of the pandemic.
The aim of the summit is for the participating governments to deliver concrete promises on how they want to advance democracy. For some, it comes at the right time. Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, used the summit as a lever to remove internal resistance to reforms, such as Politico described. Other countries hope for mutual strengthening through expressions of solidarity.
But what effect can such a summit achieve beyond individual examples? The most pressing question arises from the invited governments with a dubious understanding of democracy – for example those of Pakistan, India or Brazil. High American officials point out that these countries demonstrate their willingness to reform by attending the summit. However, what is ultimately implemented is decisive. Skeptics therefore expect lip service above all from states with authoritarian tendencies. They would have preferred to have welcomed activists and opposition figures from illiberal countries to the summit to give them their backs.
The problem is homemade
It should not be overlooked that the USA is not only organizing the summit to promote democracy, but also to cultivate old alliances. Biden needs the allies because the struggle for democracy is, in his understanding, a contest against China and Russia. In order to keep his allies in line, he accepts contradictions at the democracy summit. Knowing that this is not exemplary behavior for the spread of democracy, which requires trust and transparency.
In any case, the Americans cannot present themselves as champions of democracy in the world. Donald Trump’s demeanor has damaged the reputation of the oldest modern democracy: in an international poll by Pew Research recently, only 17 percent said the USA is an exemplary democracy. American media rightly asked how self-critical Biden would be. For example, he did not manage to set guard rails at the federal level for the right to vote, which numerous states have restricted. He also finds it difficult to combat disinformation on the Internet. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken tries to present the difficult starting position as an advantage. “The fact that we stand by our challenges gives us credibility. That can be a source of strength and progress,” he quoted as saying Politico.
China and Russia are piqued. Your US ambassadors recently complained in a joint opinion article that they had not been invited. The US fell into a Cold War mentality, pretending to be the judge of democracy. Their own states are also democracies, a daring claim when measured against common definitions.
Biden’s list is a disappointment
Despite all the criticism, the summit could also achieve success, most specifically in the fight against corruption and in the defense against cyber attacks, which pose existential threats to open societies. However, the host’s promises were a disappointment: Self-criticism cannot be seen in Biden’s projects to strengthen democracy. He wants to invest 424 million dollars; internal reforms are not included.
Biden wants to help finance independent media and journalists, provide money for their criminal defense and curb corruption – all abroad. It’s easier than repairing your own democracy through hard work.