Biden’s Summit for Democracy in the shadow of Ukraine

In this seminar, leading international experts take stock of Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy initiative in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, which has exacerbated the tensions between democracy and authoritarianism.

On March 29-30, 2023, the United States hosted the second Summit for Democracy as a follow-up to the first Summit in December 2021. An initiative of the Biden administration, the Summit is part of a broader agenda to foster democratic renewal in the face of a global democratic recession and a rise of authoritarianism.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, immediately following the first summit, tensions between democracy and authoritarianism have been further exacerbated. The increasingly strained relationship between the US and China also adds to the tension. Geopolitically, the world has changed dramatically between the first and the second summit.
Last year, the EU’s Strategic Compass and the US National Security Strategy emphasized the link between democracy and security and stressed the need to strengthen the defense of democracy. Against this backdrop, what should we make of the Summits? How do we assess their impact on democracy? How have European countries responded to the initiative? What are the broader implications for transatlantic relations and the role of democracy in foreign policy?