The U.S. should start with the reconstruction of its own democracy before preaching to others. —
No 2806 by fw, December 12, 2021 —
My synopsis of key ideas Professor Alfred de Zayas discusses in his paper, reposted below
Biden’s ill-conceived virtual “Summit for Democracy” will not gain the U.S. any new friends. The U.S. should start with the reconstruction of its own democracy before preaching to others. This year’s summit is supposed to prepare selected participants for a follow-up summit next year. It’s interesting to see who was invited and who wasn’t. Biden’s summit catered to allies, excluded millions, and reflected double standards and puzzling selection criteria.
What exactly is Biden’s understanding of the word “democracy”? It is illusory to pretend Biden’s summit can be considered democratic. This summit has been called by a President who routinely ignores UN decisions and frustrates its actions, especially re Israel. What are the qualities of a “true democracy”?
Biden has chosen to go outside the UN system to propose an “exclusive club”, reflecting a Cold War mentality. Biden’s selective summit ignores the key differing functions between International and Domestic democracies. It’s time to send a wakeup call to the U.S., UK, and EU to understand what “democracy” and “value-based diplomacy” truly mean. Fatuous slogans like “America is Back” and “MAGA” reflect America’s “imperial arrogance” History will judge Biden’s summit for what it is – phony self-praise targeting China, Hungary, and Russia. Practicing the tenets of the UN Declaration of Human Rights would earn US respect again. —Professor Alfred de Zayas, in Truthout
Professor Alfred de Zayas is the former United Nations independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order from 2012-18 and the author of Building a Just World Order (Clarity Press, 2021).
The above synopsis features my selected excerpts from Professor de Zayas’ recent article in which he explains why Biden’s virtual “Summit for Democracy” reflects his deep misunderstanding of the meaning of the word “democracy’, and the U.S. President’s real reasons for hosting this self-delusory event.
Below is my slightly abridged repost of de Zayas’ article, featuring my added subheadings, text highlighting, some bulleted reformatting, images, and links to 2 related articles. Alternatively, read the piece on Truthout’s website by clicking on the following linked title.
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Biden’s ill-conceived virtual “Summit for Democracy” will not gain the U.S. any new friends
President Joe Biden’s ill-conceived virtual “Summit for Democracy” on December 9-10 is really a public relations extravaganza that’s likely to backfire on the United States because democracy is not a commodity, nor is it a Kalashnikov to be aimed at geopolitical rivals. President Biden is using an obsolete playbook, and his advisers should have told him that the stunt will convince only those who already believe in the myth of U.S. democracy. It will not gain the U.S. any new friends.
The U.S. should start with the reconstruction of its own democracy before preaching to others
According to the U.S. Department of State website, the Biden administration has proclaimed that renewing democracy in the U.S. and around the world is essential to meeting the challenges of our time. That sounds good, but what does it mean concretely? We can agree with President Biden in recognizing that, “No democracy is perfect, and no democracy is ever final. Every gain made, every barrier broken, is the result of determined, unceasing work,” but we should start with the reconstruction of our own democracy before pretending to dictate to other states how they should practice it.
This year’s summit is supposed to prepare selected participants for a follow-up summit next year
Biden will host not one but two Summits for Democracy, with the participation (and targeted exclusion) of leaders from government, civil society and the private sector. The announced goal is “to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.” The summit is supposed to launch a “year of action” in preparation for a follow-up summit in 2022.
It’s interesting to see who was invited and who wasn’t
It is interesting to see who is invited and who isn’t. According to the State Department website, 110 countries were invited, among them notorious “democracies” such as:
Biden’s summit catered to allies, excluded millions, and reflected double standards and puzzling selection criteria
What credibility can Biden’s summit have when it excludes millions of people from participation? Biden’s team opted for what the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace calls a “big-tent approach,” which inevitably means catering to geopolitical allies, favoritism, double standards, inexplicable distinctions, and accepting the adverse diplomatic pushback by those nations and peoples excluded.
What exactly is Biden’s understanding of the word “democracy”?
Further, what exactly does Biden understand under the word “democracy”?
It is illusory to pretend Biden’s summit can be considered democratic
It is the participation by all stakeholders that makes democracy work. Similarly, it is the participation of all states that would give legitimacy to the summit. It is a misnomer, an oxymoron, to pretend that this exclusionary event can be considered democratic.
This summit has been called by a President who routinely ignores UN decisions and frustrates its actions, especially re Israel
A true “democracy summit” can and should be convened by the UN and be all-inclusive, based on multilateralism and sovereign equality. In the light of repeated North Atlantic Treaty Organization provocations against Belarus, China and Russia, what the international community urgently needs is cool heads and détente. No one needs a divisive summit launched by a host who systematically ignores decisions of the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council and frustrates action in the UN Security Council by vetoing more than 80 resolutions, mostly to shield Israel from criticism or sanctions.
What are the qualities of a “true democracy”?
A truly inclusive summit took place at the UN in 2005 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter. The UN World Summit ended with its “outcome document” unanimously adopted as General Assembly Resolution 60/1, which reaffirms
Biden has chosen to go outside the UN system to propose an “exclusive club”, reflecting a Cold War mentality
A Democracy Fund at the UN was established in 2005. Here is where the U.S. could make a significant contribution, rather than going outside the UN system and proposing an “exclusive club” of “good guys” to confront the “bad guys.” This is an obsolete Cold War mentality.
Biden’s selective summit ignores the key differing functions between International and Domestic democracies
It’s time to send a wakeup call to the U.S., UK, and EU to understand what “democracy” and “value-based diplomacy” truly mean
Fatuous slogans like “America is Back” and “MAGA” reflect America’s “imperial arrogance”
Biden’s “America Is Back” reminds us unpleasantly of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” — both slogans suggesting that the U.S. persists in its imperial arrogance and will continue ordering people around.
History will judge Biden’s summit for what it is – phony self-praise targeting China, Hungary, and Russia
This counterproductive “summit” will be forgotten by most as soon as it has ended. History will judge it as a PR stunt — a phony exercise in self-praise and a provocation against other cultures, including the Chinese, Hungarian and Russian.
Practicing the tenets of the UN Declaration of Human Rights would earn US respect again
It is easy to make the U.S. respected again. It suffices to practice the tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which then-President of the UN Commission on Human Rights Eleanor Roosevelt advanced so successfully in 1948.
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