One of the core themes of Joe Biden during his presidential campaign was the protection and promotion of democracy, be that on US soil and abroad.
One of the things the candidate of the Democrats pledged was holding a Summit for Democracy, a promise that was actually delivered as the summit is set to take place on 9 and 10 of December, with official invitations sent to 110 states.
The US Department of State published the invitation list, which included Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and after deep controversy added even Kosovo and Serbia. The only Balkan country left out was Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The main recipients of the invitations sent from across the Pacific were the traditional Western allies. As expected, Russia and China were not invited, but Taiwan was, a move that could significantly heighten tensions with Beijing who considers the province as part of its territory. Hungary was also left out, with many dubbing its strongman Viktor Orban as “mini-Putin”.
The summit will bring together government leaders, Civil Society groups, and the private sector.
The Summit, a first in its sort, will seek to address three key themes:
- Defending against authoritarianism
- Addressing and fighting corruption
- Promoting respect for human rights
