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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 30 March 2023
Biden: World ‘turning the tide’ after backslide on democracy

Continued from Front The U.S. hosted the last
summit on its own. This
“Today, we can say, with time, it recruited four co-
pride, democracies of the hosts — Costa Rica, the
world are getting stronger, Netherlands, South Korea
not weaker,” Biden said. and Zambia — after am-
“Autocracies of the world bassadors from China and
are getting weaker, not Russia criticized the first
stronger. That’s a direct re- summit and accused Biden
sult of all of us.” of causing a global divide
The summits, which Biden with a Cold War mentality.
promised as candidate in Still, some countries would
2020, have become an rather not get between
important piece of his ad- Washington and Beijing, an
ministration’s effort to try to increasingly important eco-
build deeper alliances and nomic and military player.
nudge autocratic-leaning Pakistan announced, as it
nations toward at least did in 2021, that it received
modest changes. an invitation but would skip
He said the U.S. will spend the summit, a move seen
$690 million bolstering de- in part as an effort by the
mocracy programs — sup- impoverished Islamic na-
porting everything from tion to assuage longtime
free and independent me- President Joe Biden speaks during a Summit for Democracy virtual plenary in the South Court ally China, which was not
dia to free and fair elec- Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Washington. invited.
tions — around the world. Associated Press The Biden administration
He said he also wanted ciples for how the gov- restricting the U.S. govern- virus pandemic and Rus- has also expanded its invi-
to use the summit to foster ernments should use sur- ment’s use of commercial sia invaded Ukraine, the tation list. Bosnia-Herzegovi-
discussion about the use of veillance technology, spyware tools that have largest-scale war in Europe na, Gambia, Honduras,
technology to “advance according to a senior ad- been used to surveil human since World War II. Ivory Coast, Lichtenstein,
democratic governance” ministration official who rights activists, journalists Ukraine’s president, Volo- Mauritania, Mozambique
and ensure such technol- spoke on the condition of and dissidents around the dymyr Zelenskyy, pushed and Tanzania were invited
ogy is “not used to under- anonymity to preview the world. back at those suggesting this year after being left off
mine it.” agreement before its for- Since Biden’s first democ- it was time for a negotiat- the list in 2021.
The U.S. has come to an mal announcement. racy summit in Decem- ed settlement with Russian Costa Rica will focus on
agreement with 10 other Earlier this week, Biden ber 2021, countries have leader Vladimir Putin. “We the role of youth in demo-
nations on guiding prin- signed an executive order emerged from the corona- should get rid of the illusion cratic systems. The Dutch
that compromising with are taking on media free-
evil can give something to dom. South Korea is look-
freedom, and enemies of ing at corruption. Zambia is
democracy must lose,” Zel- centering on free and fair
enskyy told the summit. elections
The Dutch prime minister, The U.S. is no stranger to
Mark Rutte, said the inva- the challenges facing de-
sion was a jolting moment mocracies, including deep
for the world’s democra- polarization and pervasive
cies. misinformation.
“For decades, the idea Lies spread about the
of war in Europe seemed 2020 presidential election
unthinkable. But we were by then-President Donald
wrong as Russia’s brutaliza- Trump and his supporters
tion of Ukraine has shown have convinced a majority
we cannot assume that of Republicans that Biden
democracy, freedom and was not legitimately elect-
security are givens, that ed, normalized harassment
they are eternal,” Rutte and death threats against
said. election officials, and been
Kenya’s president, William used to justify efforts in Re-
Ruto, said building democ- publican-controlled legisla-
racy was was essential to tures to adopt new voting
the growth of developing restrictions.
nations. Ruto was the win- Later this year, the U.S. Su-
ner last year of Kenya’s preme Court will rule in a
close presidential race in case from Alabama that
which opposition candi- voting rights advocates
date Raila Odinga had al- fear could virtually disman-
leged irregularities. Kenya’s tle the nearly 60-year-old
Supreme Court unanimous- Voting Rights Act. Con-
ly rejected the challenges. gressional efforts to shore
“This is our path to sustain- up that federal law and in-
able development,” Ruto crease voting access have
said. failed.q