On December 9 and 10, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, will convene, in virtual format, a “summit for democracy”, he announced this Wednesday, August 11, specifying that the heads of state and government and members of civil society will be invited.
According to a statement from the White House, a year later it plans to invite these same participants again, but this time in person. This meeting will be organized around three objectives: “to fight against authoritarianism, to fight against corruption and to promote respect for human rights”.
During these two consecutive summits, Joe Biden wishes to “speak frankly about the challenges facing democracy” in the world, it is specified. However, it does not give details of the list of countries invited to this summit. This is presented, without saying so, as an alternative to the G20 and as a challenge launched in Beijing.
The leaders of the G20, whose composition is determined by economic weight, and in which authoritarian regimes such as China or Saudi Arabia participate, will meet in Italy at the end of October.
“The challenge of our time is to show that democracies can improve the lives of their own citizens and respond to the great problems of the world,” the statement wrote.
The US president has repeatedly signaled his desire to once again assume the role of “leader of the free world” traditionally vested in the host of the White House, which his predecessor Donald Trump never wanted.