First modification:
The invasion of Ukraine, misinformation and the rise of authoritarianism are the central themes of the second Summit held by the President of the United States. The meeting, which will be mainly virtual, will have four co-hosts in different latitudes of the planet: Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia. Investment announcements for 690 million dollars were made from the White House for programs that “promote democracy.”
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, opens the second Summit for Democracy this Wednesday, March 29, with promises of investments of 690 million US dollars in areas that allow “reinforcing democratic programs.” “Pro-democracy” technology, transparent governance, support for independent media and “fair” elections.
Unlike the first summit, which took place in December 2021, the White House managed to arrange with other hosts on different continents and will hold the meeting amid political tensions in a Latin American region with governments that are, for the most part, distant to Washington; Social tensions in the streets of Israel, before the judicial reform promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the territorial invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
This meeting, which is part of the Democrat’s campaign promises, will have hybrid meetings this Wednesday, March 29, and this Thursday, March 30.
“Around the world, we see how autocrats violate human rights and suppress fundamental freedoms,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday in a virtual meeting before the Summit.
A summit with ‘darts’ and accusations of “Cold War mentality”
António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, assured this Wednesday that, as is being seen in Israel, “autocratic leadership does not guarantee stability.” “Israel has shown time and time again that autocratic leadership is not the guarantor of stability, it is a catalyst for chaos and conflict,” Guterres said in a pre-recorded video.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured that “it is time for a national consensus” referring to the judicial reform that he announced would suspend its proceedings in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) on March 27, until after jewish passover
“We are in the middle of this very strong debate, I think we have a historic opportunity, an absolute opportunity to strengthen democracy to restore a proper balance between the three branches of government, because that is what protects the rights of the majority and the rights individuals,” said the Israeli leader.
From South America, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but also alluded to other interventions: “the invasion must be an international crime, but not only this one (the one from Russia to Ukraine), all invasions.”
Both leaders, historical allies of the United States, in their respective regions.
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou criticized the international justice system and stated in his video that it should be “clear”. He added that the international system lacks “coercive power.”
French President Emmanuel Macron intervened virtually, urging countries to rethink multilateral institutions: “We need strong and legitimate institutions. Our current system was founded in 1945 and then we didn’t have 193 countries and we didn’t have the crises we face today.”
The British Prime Minister also intervened and highlighted the military support that his country has offered to Ukraine. “We stand together with Ukraine against Russia’s relentless attack on Ukrainians, their sovereignty and their democracy,” he also denounced “efforts to subvert democracy” in Georgia and Moldova.
From Moscow, this Wednesday, March 29, the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, questioned “the seriousness of the event” and described the countries that had accepted the invitation as “students”.
New guests: a bid to get closer to Moscow and Beijing allies
In this second edition, the United States extended the invitation to countries that have not historically been close to Washington, such as Pakistan. Among other guests who had been excluded in 2021 such as: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gambia, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Liechtenstein, Mauritania, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Pakistan announced, as in 2021, that it had received an invitation but would not be at the summit. This is due to its proximity to China.
The holding of these conferences on democracy coincides with the trip of the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, to the United States. Argentina is also present at the conference and issues of economic cooperation between Biden and Fernández will be discussed.
