The urgent work to defend global democracy needs more than a Zoom call.
It is easy to point out all the problems with the US-led Summit for Democracy taking place this week (28-30 March). For a start, several participants are in the process of dismantling their democracies.
Israel has been plunged into crisis by Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to weaken the country’s independent judiciary. Allies of Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, have expelled the opposition leader Rahul Gandhi from parliament, and he could well be jailed before next year’s elections. Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, is pushing through legislative reforms that will undermine electoral oversight and could threaten the country’s already fragile democratic system.
While the summit has certainly drawn attention to the erosion of democracy in several parts of the world, it is no longer enough for leaders to simply express concern about these trends. The pressing challenge for global democracy is not just recognition but action—action that goes beyond lofty statements and addresses the root causes of democratic decline.
The summit has also been criticized for being disconnected from the reality faced by the countries it purports to support. The idea that democracy can be defended through a virtual meeting, with representatives logging into Zoom calls from their respective capitals, seems inadequate in the face of real-world threats to freedom and human rights.
If the US is serious about defending democracy on the global stage, it must move beyond symbolic gestures and focus on concrete measures. The summit could have served as a platform for mobilizing resources, offering diplomatic support, and creating a framework for tangible action to help those nations facing authoritarian backsliding.
But instead, the Summit for Democracy risks becoming a platform for self-congratulation and finger-pointing, without addressing the critical work that needs to be done. At a time when democracy is under siege in various regions of the world, the US and its allies need to lead by example and take action that shows their commitment to preserving democratic values.
In the end, the real problem with the Summit for Democracy is that it falls short of the urgency and commitment needed to protect the world’s democratic institutions. Time is running out, and the clock on democracy’s future is ticking.
