Democracy is on the decline globally. The number of democratic countries is crumbling, as is the quality of democracy in many of them. Despite everything, democracy is resilient and remains an ideal that mobilizes people all over the planet, including in authoritarian countries.
It is in such a context of urgency to act that the summit for democracy will open on December 9 and 10. An initiative of US President Joe Biden, this first virtual exchange will be followed by a “year of action” and a face-to-face summit next year.
For a global renewal
The summit aims to develop a common basis for global democratic renewal. Ambition is essential. But to achieve this, it will be necessary to go beyond rhetoric and put in place tools and initiatives up to the challenges and the historic moment.
Let us recall a reality that we often tend to forget: although international factors and actors can exert a certain influence, democracy is built first and foremost on the national scene, by national and local actors. Attempts by the international community to bring democracy to a country are seldom successful if the people and national political leaders do not take ownership of the goal and the process.
This is why the participation of civil society at the top is absolutely critical, as is that of cities and other levels of government.
The main task of this first summit should therefore be to generate initiatives that can stimulate the advancement of democracy by the driving force of each country. A set of incentives, support measures and pressure.
In addition to a collective commitment around a common declaration as well as commitments specific to each country, it would therefore be necessary to set up national and international reporting, monitoring, support and support mechanisms, as well as initiatives to face new challenges such as those associated with new communication technologies and social media.
Democrats must go on the offensive without neglecting the defensive. We must indeed protect ourselves against attacks on democracy. This is often weakened from within, in particular through the erosion of press freedom and the erosion of institutions, including the judiciary. It is also well known that autocratic regimes attempt to destabilize democracies through disinformation, computer attacks and attempts to influence, polarize and corrupt national actors.
Hence the relevance of setting up an early warning system to detect problematic situations and react to them. Equally useful would be a protection mechanism and a collective response to external challenges. Thus, if a country sees its democracy under attack from outside forces, other democratic countries could band together for a response, ranging from denunciation to more aggressive measures, such as sanctions against a country at the origin of such attacks.
Beware of the democratic ideal
The summit is not without risk, including that of giving a veneer of democratic legitimacy to certain political leaders who do not deserve it. What is more, everyone is aware that democracy and geopolitics seem intertwined. But it would be in our interest for the summit to focus on democracy as such, rather than on the broader interests of democratic countries which also encompass other sensitive issues such as international trade and security. It would also be appropriate to temper the rhetoric with regard to “strategic competition”, failing which we risk discrediting the democratic ideal, losing potential partners along the way, and more than necessary exciting the brotherhood of authoritarian regimes. .
Finally, let us remember that the host of the summit is a weakened democracy and that its leadership could weaken even more with a possible return to power of Trumpism in 2025. If the United States took the initiative of the summit, it It is important that other countries take leadership.
In this context, what will Canada do? Beyond Prime Minister Trudeau’s participation, what will our national and international commitments be? Will Canada seize the opportunity to launch political and practical initiatives that could enhance its international posture and contribute to the advancement of democracy? As the need for a real foreign policy grows, it will be interesting to see if the summit will give any clues as to the place democracy could occupy in Canadian priorities.