Biden’s Democratic Summit begins Thursday. Find out who is participating and the controversies involving the event | Globalism

Due to the Covid pandemic, all meetings will be held remotely.

The idea is for the summit to serve as a platform for leaders to “announce new commitments, reforms and initiatives” based on three pillars: defending democracy against tyranny, fighting corruption and respecting human rights, he said on Tuesday (7). ) a US government official who requested anonymity.

Before the event even began, he sparked controversy due to his criteria for invitations. Some important countries, such as China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, have been excluded, which may lead to the belief that countries that do not respect human rights will be avoided.

• Biden reveals the contradiction in the list of invitees to the democracy summit

Although the, As columnist Sandra Cohen points out,Pakistan and the Philippines, which do not have an exemplary record on this issue, were invited to participate. The difference will be some of the partnerships these countries maintain with United States of America.

Eight Latin American countries also left the list: Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Haiti.

Regarding Venezuela, however, opposition leader Juan Guaido was invited. The latter, in turn, included opponents from other countries in its official delegation, such as the Nicaraguan Berta Valley and the Cuban Rosa Maria Paya, which drew intense criticism from Cuba.

Brazil is on the guest list.

“It is very likely that these absences from the summit will be counterproductive both to the interests of the United States and to democracy in the region,” Michael Schifter, president of the American NGO Dialogue, told AFP.

The excluded could explain that the US implements a policy of “if it’s not with me, it’s against me” and ends up in two groups, “democracies and others,” says Christopher Sabatini, a researcher at Chatham House.

“If you don’t act with caution,[Biden]can create two blocs” without necessarily having an ideological affinity, so that “the good guys club gets diplomatic advantages and recognition in the White House, and the others are left behind,” he explains.

Another issue discussed by the American press on the eve of the event is the state of democracy within the United States itself, and whether the country is, at this moment, the best example of a full and effective democracy.

Local elected officials are resigning at an alarming rate amid clashes with angry voices at school board meetings, polling offices and city halls, the Associated Press reports.

In addition, states pass laws to limit access to ballot papers, making it difficult for Americans to vote. The January 6 attack on Capitol Hill also left many Republicans clinging to Donald Trump’s false allegations of election theft.

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