Elected leaders must keep their promises of liberty and equality for their people
Since his election campaign last year, US President Joseph Biden promised to hold a “summit for democracy” To highlight the worrying trends of increasing authoritarianism around the world, and to strengthen democratic institutions that seem to be faltering. While the concerns are real, and Mr Biden successfully delivered on his promise last week, with a summit that Saw 110 countries invited should be creditedIt has also given rise to disturbing questions. The State Department’s decision to “arbitrarily” ban the list of invitees has sparked controversy. In South Asia, the inclusion of Pakistan along with India and Nepal, but the exclusion of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, raises serious doubts about the applicable norms. And, if the “quality of democracy” and the importance of human rights were criteria, the question is, which country deserves to make value-based decisions? As expected, the summit was criticized for its most notable exclusions: Russia and China. In a joint editorial, the Russian and Chinese ambassadors to the US claimed that their own states are democratic in practice, and criticized the US experiments in regime change and “democratic changes” in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. That the summit was held in a year when the latest democratic entrants, Afghanistan and Myanmar, reverted to autocratic regimes that rule by gun power, the efficacy of the international system in implementing democracy through external interventions. Do doubt.
In addition to a more inclusive guest list, as a result, the summit would have been better to begin with a globally accepted definition of democracy and a common understanding of the challenges. The Biden administration is committed to helping free media, ensuring free and fair elections, and women’s participation, and declaring specific goals on authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights violations listed as key challenges. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Mentioned the principles of “inclusion, transparency, human dignity, responsible grievance redressal and decentralization of power” as the key to Indian democracy. Many accused big tech companies and social media of “digital authoritarianism”, and some cited the devastating effects of COVID-19, climate change and rising economic inequality as major stumbling blocks. Few were willing to accept the shortcomings in their own democracies, however, notably the rise in hyper-nationalism, xenophobia and majoritarianism that perpetuate the very essence of representational, pluralistic and inclusive governance today. Democracy, like charity, begins at home, and instead of making international pledges at summit-level conferences, elected leaders must keep their promises of freedom and equality for the people or “demos” who make up their nations. .
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