Biden’s Democracy Summit 2.0: Ukraine War Spurs Globalized Format

“This summit takes place against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Ukrainians’ ongoing demonstration of democracy’s resilience,” says Carisa Nietsche, an associate fellow in transatlantic security and threats to democracy at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

Their battle “is an inspiration to democratic forces around the world,” she says. Ukraine’s staying power and the solidarity it has awakened among other democracies, she adds, “provide a strong counternarrative to what we heard coming out of the pandemic – that autocracies were better at addressing big challenges.”

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Ms. Nietsche highlights the focus the U.S. is placing on initiatives that aim to make technology a partner in strengthening democracy. She notes that the summit process will launch diverse initiatives, among them connecting civil society with messaging technologies, limiting exports of surveillance technologies to autocracies, and developing rare-earth synthetics to address dependencies on autocracies like China.

“A big emphasis we’re going to see coming out of this summit will be countering the misuse of technology,” she says.

Yes, “pageantry” will no doubt be part of Mr. Biden’s democracy summit, Ms. Nietsche says.

But noting that the process will result in hundreds of projects “aiming for measurable outcomes” and led by leaders, business, and civil society, she adds, “If we have to take a little bit of pageantry along with the initiatives aimed at advancing democracy going forward, I think it’s well worth it.”

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