London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Biden's Summit For Democracy Attracts Authoritarian Eyre

Biden's Summit For Democracy Attracts Authoritarian Eyre

More than 70 years ago, Britain’s Winston Churchill warned that an iron curtain was descending across Europe dividing the continent into the throes of democratic states and the Soviet Union. In a speech in Fulton, Missouri, the great wartime leader urged free nations to “stand together in unity,” otherwise “adversity could overwhelm us all.”

His speech attracted the then Soviet leader Joseph Stalin who dubbed Churchill’s warning “a call for war”. But three years later democracies heeded Churchill’s rallying cry and NATO was born with the United States, Canada and several Western European countries signing a Collective Defense Charter that many historians believe. that the war on the continent of Europe was prevented from starting again.

This week, Joe Biden is hosting a Summit for Democracy, a virtual conference beginning Thursday in which more than 100 nations are participating, which the US leader hopes will help the United States and around the world. Will help to renew democracy, and one that will send a message of resolve to Moscow and Beijing.

Like Churchill’s Fulton speech, Summit for Democracy is provoking the ire of the Kremlin and this time also the Chinese government. Neither Russia nor China has been invited to participate. “The US calls itself the leader of democracy and organizes and manipulates the so-called Democracy Summit,” Xu Lin, deputy minister of the party’s propaganda department, told a news conference in Beijing on Saturday. “It breaks and disrupts countries with different social systems and development models in the name of democracy,” he said.

The intoxication of authoritarian disapproval began last month with a joint opinion article by Russian and Chinese envoys in Washington. He said the summit was a product of Cold War thinking and argued that it would lead to “ideological confrontations and rifts in the world, creating new ‘dividing lines’.” China appears particularly outraged by the inclusion of Taiwan, which it claims sovereignty over and says should be under its rule.

rising tension


But it looks like the “dividing lines” need a little help from the vertices. The virtual conference comes against the backdrop of rising tensions between the West and authoritarian governments in Moscow and Beijing.

The Kremlin has been accused of interfering in Western elections and of using propaganda to assassinate Russian dissidents and critics on European soil. US and Ukrainian officials say Moscow is increasing the number of troops along its shared border with Ukraine, the largest number of Russian troops, tanks and missiles since Russian occupation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and incursions into its Donbass region in 2014. There is movement.

Biden, who is due to speak with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday, has pledged “the most comprehensive and meaningful initiative to make it very, very difficult for Mr. “

And a virtual summit between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month has done little to quell strained US-China relations, fueled by Beijing’s crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and the repression of its Muslim minority in the Chinese province. are filled. Xinjiang, where the communist government has held more than a million Uighurs in detention centers, according to rights groups.

The US and other Western powers also accuse China of unfair trade practices and economic coercion, including encouraging poorer countries to take out large Chinese loans, which can then be taken by Beijing for political purposes, called loans. Known as -trap diplomacy.

Biden has repeatedly highlighted differences with China and Russia in his broad call for the US and its allies to demonstrate that democracies are ready to defend themselves and provide humanity with a better and more just path from autocracy. are able to do. A Treasury Department spokesman said that next week, the administration will announce a series of new sanctions to mark the summit for democracy, to highlight that democracy has teeth, against corruption, serious human rights abuses and Will target people trying to undermine democracy.

“The Treasury will take a range of actions to designate individuals who engage in malicious activities that undermine democracy and democratic institutions around the world, including corruption, repression, organized crime and serious human rights abuses,” he told reporters.

Administration officials expect other participants to demonstrate readiness to act against enemies, but will signal their readiness to renew and strengthen democracy in their own countries, adding that the focus of the summit is “democracies”. and will provide a platform for leaders to announce, both individual and collective commitments, reforms and initiatives to protect democracy and human rights at home and abroad.

US officials have sought to avoid framing the summit in the context of superpower conflicts and focus less on geopolitics and more on the lasting physical benefits of democracy. Since his presidential election campaign, Biden has spoken of the importance of leading America by example to unite the world in the face of common challenges. He has argued that Americans need to strengthen their own democracy and that other democracies need to do the same.

Hungary


One of the major objectives of the summit is to try to prevent democratic backsliding. The decision to exclude Hungary, the only EU member state not invited, was meant to send a clear message that Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán and other democratic backsliders cannot do Washington any favors, according to some analysts.

Steven Feldstein, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for the US, says: “As far as Hungary is concerned, its rapid democratic decline combined with the upcoming elections next year and the possibility that Orbán will seek a way to legitimize his re-election. Democracy summit, making Hungary a proper country to exclude.” Of the state

But Feldstein and others, who have attended from more than a hundred countries, worry that the summit may become a talking shop producing only few practical results.

“There is a risk that a large virtual gathering will generate far less tangible action,” said Feldstein, who is now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, a Washington think tank. “Biden’s team has tried to address this issue by calling for a ‘year of action’ after the summit that will attempt to turn the pledges into concrete commitments – it remains to be seen how effective this effort will be.”

However, Feldstein said, “by growing up, the summit is able to include more marginalized democracies that could benefit from more attention.”

Joshua Kurlantzik, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, is less optimistic than Feldstein, saying the Biden administration may have hindered its own summit. “It invited more than 100 countries, including many states that do not fit the definition of democracy—Pakistan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, the Philippines, and others. In other words, they freely and fairly don’t contest elections from the U.S., and don’t allow enough civil liberties.”

He suspects that some countries were invited for strategic reasons and not because they are democracies.

But officials in the Biden administration say the summit is an opportunity for the United States to highlight civil liberties, freedom of conscience and peaceful dissent at a time when democracy around the world is in a fragile state.

Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
You Are So Beautiful
Rob Schneider explains California reparations legislation.
Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
Who knew badminton could get so intense?
An old French tune (by Georges Brassens) Pomplamoose ft. John Schroeder
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Sattahip Motor Show 20
London's Iconic British Telecom Tower Sold To Become Hotel
SONATE AU CLAIR DE LUNE - Moonlight sonata
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
A kiss to build a dream on
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Russia Claims UK Cultural Agency Spied for Ukraine
Mean Blues
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
La Chansonnette
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
Pattaya Addicts
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum - Love Dream
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Dream a little dream of me
New video
Unchained Melody sung like you've NEVER heard!
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Dave Brubeck - Take Five
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
Édith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (Sofie)
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Rondo Alla Turca
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
Kiss of fire
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Tom Jones - I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 1967, 1989, 2001
Prince William Urges End to Gaza Conflict
Israel Cachao López - Guajira Clásica
UK court to hear Assange's final appeal against extradition to the US, where he faces charges related to his journalistic work—the publication of a classified video in 2010 that exposed US war crimes against humanity.
Edward Maya - Stereo Love (feat. Vika Jigulina) (Extended Mix)
About 50-60% kids either chose to be YouTuber or influencer
Strauss - Radetzky March - Karajan
A viral video of Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce lying on a Canberra footpath is celebrated by his media mates.
La vie en rose
European Countries React to Navalny's Death by Summoning Russian Diplomats
The Temptations - My Girl (Smokey Robinson Tribute) 2006 Kennedy Cent
Israel has gone ‘beyond self-defence’ in Gaza, says Labour’s Streeting
Orlando Cachaito Lopez Redencion
English farmers to be offered ‘largest ever’ grant scheme amid food security concerns
Edith Piaf - NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN
Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation
RADETZKY MARCH-2008-Wien, New Year Concert
EU Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza Conflict
Only you (And you alone)
EU Vows To Hold Putin "Accountable" After Meeting Alexei Navalny's Wife
Strangers In The Night
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
Charles Aznavour - La Boheme
The EU Initiates Naval Mission to Defend Red Sea Trade Routes
Summer time
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Sting and Stevie Wonder - Fragile (from Sting's 60th birthday concert)
Brazil's Lula Likens Gaza Operation to Holocaust, Israel Says "Red Line" Crossed
Aux Champs Elysees
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Stand By Me - Ben E. King (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Microsoft-backed OpenAI valued at $80bn after company completes deal
La Mer (Beyond the Sea) – Avalon Jazz Band
‘Alexei would want to tell Russia not to give up fighting’
She
Rwandan Footballer's Dismissal Sparks Concerns Over UK Asylum Plan
Nathalie Song by Enzo Petrachi Stjepan Hauser Cello
Whisky Challenges China's Baijiu Market During New Year Celebrations
Shape of My Heart - Sting (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
Radiohead - Creep
Putin Critic Alexei Navalny's "Killers" Refusing To Hand Over Body, Say Allies
Quizás,Quizás,Quizás - Andrea Bocelli - Jennifer Lopez
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Multi-Couples
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Pentatonix Havana
20 Tech Giants Sign Effort To Fight AI Election Interference Across Globe
Paula Cole - Autumn Leaves
Joe Biden Accuses Putin of Causing Navalny's Death
Oscar Benton Bensonhurst Blues
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
OH NANANA vs ABUSADAMENTE
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
Nina Simone - ”I Put A Spell On You”. Vezi aici cum cântă Jeremy Ragsd
Julian Assange's Wife Warns of His Death if Extradited to US
NIGHTWISH - The Phantom Of The Opera
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Motorshow 2016 Tanjay Negros Oriental
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Monica Bellucci - Ti Amo
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Milena The Voice France 2018
In Britain Homeowners are receiving CPO’s (Compulsory Purchase Orders) so their homes can be redistributed to migrants
Michael Buble (Help Me Make It Through The Night) feat Loren Allred
Memories Canon In D - Maroon 5 (Boyce Avenue piano acoustic cover)
Matteo Simoni - Marina
Maroon 5 - One More Night
Maroon 5 - Memories
Mark Knopfler - Brothers In Arms (Berlin 2007 Live)
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Romeo And Juliet (Real Live Roadrunni
Marina, Marina - The LUCKY DUCKIES intimist live concert at Guimarães
Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On Mauranne The Voice France 2016
Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet - Joslin - Henri Mancini, Nino Rota
LoLa & Hauser - Love Story
Linkin Park Jay-Z - Numb Encore (Live 8 2005)
Hallelujah Mennel Ibtissem, The Voice France Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love
Leonard Cohen & Natasha Rostova - Dance me to the end of love
La casa de papel - Bella Ciao
La Camisa Negra
L'italiano (Toto Cutugno) - The Gypsy Queens
Juanes - La Camisa Negra
Jonathan and Charlotte - Britain's Got Talent 2012 Live Semi Final - U
John Powell - Assassin's Tango
Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On (LIVE in Dortmund)
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart 2002 Live
Joe Cocker - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Jay Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind LIVE
Jason Mraz - Im Yours (live)
Jarrod Radnich - Bohemian Rhapsody - Virtuosic Piano Solo
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
James Blunt - You're Beautiful & Bonfire Heart (Live at The Nobel Peac)
If You Go Away - Helen Merrill & Stan Getz (Tribute to Virna Lisi)
I'LL BE MISSING YOU
I Say a Little Prayer
Hotel California ( Eagles ) 1994 Live
Historia de un amor - Luz Casal. Vezi interpretarea Biancăi Sumanariu
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover) on Spot
Heart - Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin - Kennedy Center Honors
HAVANA by Camila Cabello Zumba Pre Cooldown TML Crew Kramer Pastra
HAUSER and Señorita - I Will Always Love You
HAUSER - Waka Waka
HAUSER - Sway
HAUSER - Lambada
HAUSER - Historia de un Amor
HAUSER - Despacito
Great Pretender
Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice Samba to 'Volare' - Strictly Come
Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues
GIPSY KINGS VOLARE Penelope Cruz
Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
French Latino - Historia de un Amor
For A Few Dollars More The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Live)
Flashdance • What a Feeling • Irene Cara
Filip Rudan - “Someone You Loved” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sez
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Enya - Only Time
Enrique Iglesias - Bailando (English Version) ft. Sean Paul
Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos
Elena Yerevan Historia de un amor
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You (Official Music Video)
Ed Sheeran - Perfect Symphony [with Andrea Bocelli]
Ed Sheeran - Perfect (Official Music Video)
Easy On Me - Adele (Boyce Avenue 90’s style piano acoustic cover) on S
ERA - Ameno
ELENA YEREVAN- Cancion Del Mariachi-IN STUDIO-2017 DPR
Dust In The Wind - Kansas (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Despacito x Shape Of You - Pentatonix
Deep Purple - Child In Time - Live (1970)
David Foster When A Man Loves A WomanIt's A Mans World (SealMichael Bo
Dance me to the end of Love ( Pi-Air Design )
Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) [Official Music Video]
Conquest Of Paradise (Vangelis), played on Böhm Emporio organ
Cielito Lindo
Chico & The Gypsies - Bamboleo
Canción Del Mariachi - Antonio Banderas, Los Lobos • Desperado
Camila Cabello - Havana (Audio) ft. Young Thug
Camila Cabello - Havana ( cover by J.Fla )
California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas José Feliciano (Boyce Ave
Buster Benton - Money Is The Name of The Game
Hallelujah Pentatonix
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy (Official Music Video)
Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Emilia The Voice Kids France
Besame Mucho - Cesaria Evora
Ben E. King - Stand by Me Sax Cover Alexandra Ilieva Thomann
Bella Ciao
Bella Ciao - INSTRUMENTAL
Beautiful in White x Canon in D (Piano Cover by Riyandi Kusuma)
Bad Romance - Vintage 1920's Gatsby Style Lady Gaga Cover ft. Ariana Savalas & Sarah Reich(1)
BELLA CIAO 2020 - KARAOKE ITALIANO
BAMBOLEO - Gipsy Kings • Antonio Banderas, Katya Virshilas
BAILANDO (original)
Awesome Ukrainian yodeler - SOFIA SHKIDCHENKO (with English subtitles)
Avicii - The Nights
Atom - The Great Gig in the Sky
Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Official Ly
Antonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi (Desperado)
André Rieu - Zorba's Dance (Sirtaki)
André Rieu - Can't Help Falling In Love
André Rieu & Mirusia - Ave Maria
Andrew Reyes Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down The Voice 2020 (
Andreas Kümmert Whiter Shade Of Pale The Voice of Germany 2013 Showd
And I Love You So
All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
Alan Walker - Faded (Piano Cover)
Ain't No Sunshine -- Bill Withers (cover by Canen 12 y.o.)
African music
Adriana Vidović - “Creep” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
Adriana Vidović - “Believer” Nokaut 3 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
A Fistful of Dollars - The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Tuva
4 Beautiful Soundtracks Relaxing Piano [10min]
2CELLOS - Whole Lotta Love vs. Beethoven 5th Symphony [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
2CELLOS - Smooth Criminal (Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo)
2CELLOS - Smells Like Teen Spirit [Live at Sydney Opera House]
2CELLOS - Despacito [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
13 Year Old Girl Playing Il Silenzio (The Silence) - André Rieu
094.All About That Bass
00 - SADNESS PART 1
(Ghost) Riders In the Sky (American Outlaws Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (Boyce Avenue ft. Conn
What a wonderful world
Moon river
×