Summit for Democracy

[lpetrich]

Biden's "Summit for Democracy" includes some countries that hardly seem to qualify. - The Washington Post

Pakistan, the State Department warns sharply, has more than a dozen serious human rights problems, from “extrajudicial killings” to “forced disappearance by the government or its agents” to “political prisoners” to “severe restrictions of religious freedom” to “trafficking in persons.”

But on Thursday, Pakistan will join about 110 other countries at a two-day “Summit for Democracy” convened by President Biden, with the goal of rallying the nations of the world against the forces of authoritarianism.

...
By the State Department’s own account, the governments of both Pakistan and the Philippines, another invitee, are responsible for “unlawful or arbitrary killings.” Not making the cut are Hungary, a member of the European Union, and Turkey, a NATO ally, both of which have seen their democratic safeguards crumble in recent years.

It's not clear why some nations were invited and some were not. Jen Psaki: “Inclusion or an invitation is not a stamp of approval on their approach to democracy — nor is exclusion a stamp of the opposite of that, of disapproval.”

Some of the excluded countries aren’t buying that, however; leaders of Hungary, for one, complain that they are being penalized for their closeness to former president Donald Trump.

Last week, Hungary, as the only E.U. member left out, tried to block E.U. official Ursula von der Leyen from speaking on behalf of the bloc at the summit. Von der Leyen is speaking regardless, but the E.U.’s formal statement at the event, which requires buy-in from all of its members, will be pared back.

Trump did indeed like Viktor Orban of Hungary.

But Trump also spoke positively about Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and the Philippines’s Rodrigo Duterte, both of whom have been invited to the summit — and of Egypt’s Abdel Fatah al-Sissi and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who have not.

...
The three overarching themes of the summit are defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights. Attendees are asked to make meaningful commitments to furthering democracy in their countries, with a follow-up summit planned for next year.

Let's see if anything comes of that.

Two other notable, if unsurprising, omissions from the summit are China and Russia. In a November op-ed in the National Interest, the ambassadors to the United States from both countries excoriated the Biden administration, accusing it of a “Cold-War mentality” and warning that the summit “will stoke up ideological confrontation and a rift in the world, creating new ‘dividing lines.’ ”

Seems like they want the appearance of democracy even if not necessarily its substance.

The exclusion of China, and the inclusion of Taiwan, has infuriated Beijing, an outcome the Biden administration anticipated. But some Asian allies, worried about how China might view their participation in the summit, are also uneasy.

Like South Korea and Malaysia and Indonesia.

 

[lpetrich]

"Another challenge for the administration is that the United States itself is not a perfect example of a well-oiled democracy."

Freedom House gives the US a score of 83, down from 94 a decade ago.

The Economist's Democracy Index has also gone down, from 8.22 in 2006 to 7.92 in 2020 (worst: 1, best: 10). Its ranking has gone from #17 to #25.

The US's Fragile States index has gone up, from 25.8 in 2017 to 44.6 this year. It is currently #37.

Looking at V-Dem, briefing_paper_9.pdf the Republicans have gone from 0.25 in 2002 to 0.7 in 2018, while the Democrats have held steady at 0.12 (0 = democratic, 1 = autocratic). The Republicans are close to Fidesz of Hungary, Law and Justice of Poland, and the like.

Back to the WaPo.

Even local or state-level events, such as a Republican-led overhaul of the electoral process in Wisconsin, have prompted alarm among democracy activists.

Laura Thornton, director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, warned in a Washington Post op-ed Saturday that the United States would not tolerate behavior like Wisconsin’s in another country.

“If this occurred in any of the countries where the United States provides aid, it would immediately be called out as a threat to democracy,” wrote Thornton, who spent more than two decades overseas working on democracy and election issues. “U.S. diplomats would be writing furious cables, and decision makers would be threatening to cut off the flow of assistance.”

 

[lpetrich]

China claims to have ‘democracy that works’ ahead of Biden summit | Politics News | Al Jazeera - "Beijing has embarked on a media blitz in an attempt to claim its one-party state is more of a democracy than the United States."

On Saturday, China held a similarly-themed International Forum on Democracy as the powerful State Council issued a white paper called China: Democracy That Works, which described how China had developed its model of democracy.

While China is best known as a one-party state led by the Chinese Communist Party, the country does have its own legislature. The National People’s Congress has nearly 3,000 members chosen from across China’s regions and provinces and even the armed forces, the vast majority of whom are party members. Dismissed as a “rubber stamp parliament” by critics, all members of the NPC meet once a year, with most decisions made by a far smaller standing committee.

The country doesn’t have a free media or an independent judiciary — both of which are generally seen as crucial to a properly functioning democracy.

Freedom House gives Communist China a low score: 9 (max 100). The Economist gives it 2.27 (max 10), ranking 151 out of 167. But it's halfway in the Fragile States Index.

 

[lpetrich]

Diana Mickeviciene on Twitter: "Oh we had both participation and satisfaction rates like this in Soviet Union times! But at least they did not call it democracy back then..." / Twitter
noting
Andreas Fulda on Twitter: "What a ridiculous comparison. (pic link)" / Twitter

Also
Global Times on Twitter: "#GTGraphic: Why Chinese #democracy is more extensive, more genuine and more effective than American democracy? Check out the graphic for more: (pic link)" / Twitter
Described by Twitter as "China state-affiliated media". I've OCRed its picture:

Comparison of election systems between China and the US

Voter Turnout
China: 90% -- Since the reform and opening-up, China has held 12 direct elections for deputies to the people's congress at the township level and 11 elections at the county level, and the turnout has been maintained at about 90%.
US: 66.3% -- 66.3% of eligible Americans cast ballots in the 2020 election.

Extensive election
China -- There are deputies to the people's congress in every region, every industry, every field and every ethnic group.
US -- The US politicians represent interest groups instead of the interests of the majority of voters and the country as a whole.

Sources of election funds
China -- The election expenses of people's congress deputies are appropriated by the state treasury, which effectively ensures that money cannot interfere with the election.
US -- Self-funded, including political contribution

Supervision
China -- People's congress deputies are subject to strict and effective supervision during their term of office, and the law stipulates the rights and procedures for removal.
US -- Once elected, there is almost no system or institutional arrangement under the supervision of voters to remove lawmakers during their term of office.

Satisfaction rate
China: 93% -- A report by Harvard University based on its survey in China spanning 13 years shows that the Chinese people's overall satisfaction toward the central government exceeds 93%.
US: 65.1% -- Citizen satisfaction with federal government services plummeted to 65.1 (out of 100) in 2020, the lowest level since 2015, according to ACSI Federal Government Report 2020.

Conclusion: Chinese democracy is more extensive, more genuine and more effective than American democracy

Source: Global Times

 

[lpetrich]

More from Al Jazeera:

During the Trump administration, as the White House pulled out of major global initiatives, such as the Paris agreement on climate change, and threatened to leave the World Health Organisation, China painted itself as a global, multilateral leader, unlike the US.

In contrast, Biden, who took office in January, has spoken frequently about the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism — a major theme at this week’s democracy summit.

Representatives from 111 countries have been invited, including Norway, New Zealand and Canada, all of which were among the top five in the EIU’s Democracy Index.

The guest list also includes “several states with authoritarian characteristics”, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace noted. Three countries attending — Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Iraq — are considered “Not Free” in the 2021 Freedom in the World report by Freedom House, while a further 31 are considered “partly free”.

“Rather than limit participation to a core group of committed democracies, Biden’s team opted for a big tent approach,” Carnegie said.

China has sometimes been more blunt in its criticisms of US democracy:

Shortly after the US Summit For Democracy was announced in late November, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin called US democracy a “disastrous state” that has “privatised” democratic values.

On Sunday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a critical report about the state of democracy in the US, which also said a single “yardstick” should not be used to “measure diverse political systems in the world”.

 

[lpetrich]

While on the subject of quality of democracy, let us look at the top-rated countries. Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia, Taiwan, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Uruguay, United Kingdom, Chile, Austria, Costa Rica, Mauritius, Japan, Spain, South Korea, France, United States.

From what many of them have, we can come up with a composite picture of a high-quality democracy.

• A parliamentary system, where the legislature picks the acting executive.
• Proportional representation for electing the legislature.
• A ceremonial head of state, either an elected president or a monarch.

The US is lacking in all three of these.

 

[lpetrich]

As Biden promotes democracy abroad, advocates urge him to focus on fixing US elections - CNNPolitics

President Joe Biden kicked off the inaugural White House "Summit for Democracy" on Thursday by sounding alarms about challenges to democracy around the globe as authoritarian governments gain ground.

But advocates say much more work is needed at home to shore up America's democracy, nearly a year after a violent attack on the US Capitol aimed at halting the certification of Biden's victory. In the months since, 19 Republican-controlled states have passed a raft of new laws that restrict access to the ballot, election officials have faced relentless threats of physical violence and former President Donald Trump and his allies have continued to stoke distrust in the election system.

Election officials also are lobbying to secure the federal funding they say is needed to administer future elections.

"We've been watching a slow-motion insurrection taking place in front of our eyes for the past 11 months, and President Biden doesn't seem fully aware of what this county is up against," said Cliff Albright, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter.

"You can't sell something globally that you can't even protect at home," he said.

noting
'Democracy needs champions:' Biden kicks off first 'Summit for Democracy' at White House - CNNPolitics

 

[lpetrich]

Remarks By President Biden At The Summit For Democracy Opening Session | The White House
and
Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Summit for Democracy | The White House

Neither of them said very much.

Here's the event's home page:
The Summit for Democracy - United States Department of State
talking about "the Biden-Harris Administration".

Participant List - The Summit for Democracy - United States Department of State

I compared that list to  Democracy Index for 2020

Invited:
Norway 9.81, Iceland 9.37, Sweden 9.26, New Zealand 9.25, Canada 9.24, Finland 9.20, Denmark 9.15, Ireland 9.05, Netherlands 8.96, Australia 8.96, Taiwan 8.94, Switzerland 8.83, Luxembourg 8.68, Germany 8.67, Uruguay 8.61, United Kingdom 8.54, Chile 8.28, Austria 8.16, Costa Rica 8.16, Mauritius 8.14, Japan 8.13, Spain 8.12, South Korea 8.01, France 7.99, United States 7.92, Portugal 7.90, Estonia 7.84, Israel 7.84, Italy 7.74, Malta 7.68, Czech Republic 7.67, Cape Verde 7.65, Botswana 7.62, Cyprus 7.56, Slovenia 7.54, Belgium 7.51, Greece 7.39, Latvia 7.24, Malaysia 7.19, Panama 7.18, Trinidad and Tobago 7.16, Lithuania 7.13, Jamaica 7.13, Timor-Leste 7.06, South Africa 7.05, Colombia 7.04, Slovakia 6.97, Argentina 6.95, Brazil 6.92, Poland 6.85, Suriname 6.82, Bulgaria 6.71, India 6.61, Philippines 6.56, Peru 6.53, Namibia 6.52, Croatia 6.50, Ghana 6.50, Mongolia 6.48, Romania 6.40, Dominican Republic 6.32, Indonesia 6.30, Serbia 6.22, Paraguay 6.18, Ecuador 6.13, Papua New Guinea 6.10, Albania 6.08, Mexico 6.07, Guyana 6.01, North Macedonia 5.89, Ukraine 5.81, Moldova 5.78, Montenegro 5.77, Malawi 5.74, Fiji 5.72, Senegal 5.67, Armenia 5.35, Liberia 5.32, Georgia 5.31, Nepal 5.22, Kenya 5.05, Zambia 4.86, Pakistan 4.31, Nigeria 4.10, Angola 3.66, Iraq 3.62, Niger 3.29, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) 1.13

Uninvited:
Tunisia 6.59, Hungary 6.56, Lesotho 6.30, Sri Lanka 6.14, Thailand 6.04, Singapore 6.03, Bangladesh 5.99, El Salvador 5.90, Bhutan 5.71, Madagascar 5.70, Hong Kong 5.57, Honduras 5.36, Tanzania 5.10, Bolivia 5.08, Morocco 5.04, Guatemala 4.97, Uganda 4.94, Sierra Leone 4.86, Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.84, Benin 4.58, Gambia 4.49, Turkey 4.48, Haiti 4.22, Kyrgyzstan 4.21, Lebanon 4.16, Ivory Coast 4.11, Mali 3.93, Mauritania 3.92, Palestine 3.83, Kuwait 3.80, Algeria 3.77, Burkina Faso 3.73, Jordan 3.62, Nicaragua 3.60, Gabon 3.54, Mozambique 3.51, Ethiopia 3.38, Russia 3.31, Qatar 3.24, Zimbabwe 3.16, Kazakhstan 3.14, Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) 3.11, Cambodia 3.10, Rwanda 3.10, Comoros 3.09, Eswatini 3.08, Guinea 3.08, Myanmar 3.04, Oman 3.00, Vietnam 2.94, Egypt 2.93, Afghanistan 2.85, Cuba 2.84, Togo 2.80, Cameroon 2.77, Venezuela 2.76, Djibouti 2.71, United Arab Emirates 2.70, Azerbaijan 2.68, Guinea-Bissau 2.63, Belarus 2.59, Sudan 2.54, Bahrain 2.49, China 2.27, Iran 2.20, Eritrea 2.15, Burundi 2.14, Uzbekistan 2.12, Saudi Arabia 2.08, Libya 1.95, Yemen 1.95, Tajikistan 1.94, Equatorial Guinea 1.92, Laos 1.77, Turkmenistan 1.72, Chad 1.55, Syria 1.43, Central African Republic 1.32, North Korea 1.08

There's a lot of overlap.