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America and democracy
Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy is not all that democratic
Which countries were invited reflects American politics more than democratic values
“DEMOCRACY DOESN’T happen by accident,” believes President Joe Biden. “We have to defend it, fight for it, strengthen it, renew it.” His efforts to do that will be on show this week at America’s “Summit for Democracy”, due to take place online on December 9th and 10th. At this meeting a “diverse group of the world’s democracies” will discuss defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.
Mr Biden’s invitation list includes 110 countries. But in selecting these his administration followed its own interests over objective measures. The list includes nearly all the “free” countries, which can safely be considered democracies, according to classifications from Freedom House, an NGO based in Washington. But another tranche of invitees, such as Zambia (52) and Moldova (61), are considered only “partly free” by Freedom House. Three states—the Democratic Republic of Congo (20), Iraq (29) and Angola (31)—are rated “not free”. Several countries which were not invited, such as Bolivia (66) and Sierra Leone (65), rank well ahead of others who were.