From Democracy Summit to Global Democratic Agenda?

Executive Summary:

The decision of the US administration to hold a Summit for Democracy has enlivened debates about international democracy support. A virtual summit in December 2021 will lead to a year of follow-up initiatives and then an in-person summit in late 2022. Some observers are skeptical about this new process, while others see a chance to shape a more effective global democratic agenda. Whether the outcome is positive or inconsequential will depend on how multiple actors influence the process in the months ahead.

There are many aspects of the summit process that remain open for debate and will need to be resolved. This policy brief focuses on one very specific element: the question of how the involvement of Asian, African, and Latin American democracies can best be encouraged and ensured. Keen to signal its return to supporting democratic values internationally, the US proposed and has led the summit preparations. Other democracies have both welcomed this lead and expressed some unease. A key question is whether democratic countries other than the US will engage fully with the process.

If they are to do so, they will need genuine influence over shaping a fully global approach to democracy support. In return, democratic countries will need to upgrade their own so-far tepid and ultra-cautious approaches to democracy support, as well as tackle their internal democracy shortcomings. We offer five ideas for how this bargain might be taken forward, both making the longer-term summit process more genuinely global and galvanizing non-Western democracies into more meaningful commitments to supporting democratic values internationally. The process’s regional and non-governmental dimensions will be of particular importance in this regard.

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