Li Heng   Zhang Shu Hang)

In the face of major changes unseen in a century and the intertwining of epidemics in the century, when countries around the world need to unite and cooperate more closely to fight the epidemic, the United States convened the so-called "Renaissance of Democracy" as the goal of the Global Democracy Summit, and used the United States' own standards to devide the world into "democratic countries" and "non-democratic countries", a "black and white dichotomy" actually aiming at inciting accelerated global division and inciting confrontation. Under the guise of democracy, the United States is essentially doing things against it.

1. The essence and behind-the-scenes purpose of the United States holding the Global Democracy Summit: The Democracy Summit has nothing to do with democracy. It is the reality of undermining democracy in the name of democracy.

The direct purpose of holding the Global Democracy Summit is a clumsy performance of American hegemonism and power politics. US President Biden held the "Global Democracy Summit" from December 9 to December 10, 2021. The theme of the so-called Global Democracy Summit was "opposing authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights." The essence of the Global Democracy Summit is a geopolitical act. Based on its own interests, the United States draws lines according to its own standards. On the surface, it invites countries with the same values ​​to participate in the summit. In fact, it classifies half of the world’s countries and regions into the “democratic camp” and the other half into the “non-democratic camp”. Since it was a global democracy summit, the United States should have invited all democratic countries and regions in the world. Among the 110 countries and regions it invited, China, Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Hungary were not included. There is no NATO ally Turkey, and only Iraq and Israel are from the Middle East. This practice itself goes against the spirit of democracy and exposes the true intentions of the United States to advance geo-strategy and suppress dissidents under the guise of democracy. The summit focused on the challenges and opportunities faced by democratic countries, and provided a platform for leaders of some countries to make personal and collective commitments to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad. At the same time, the summit may formulate a positive agenda for democratic rejuvenation, through collective action to address the biggest threats currently faced by democratic countries. However, the United States continues to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries under the banner of democracy, violating the sovereignty of other countries and the basic principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations. The US-led Global Democracy Summit has nothing to do with democracy. It is the reality of undermining democracy in the name of democracy.

2.The behind-the-scenes purpose of the Global Democracy Summit-the United States continues to grossly interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

The United States is leading this global democracy summit under the cloak of democracy to promote group politics, to instigate camp confrontation, and to create a new "line of demarcation." The greatest performance of the United States is to blatantly interfere in the internal affairs and foreign affairs of other countries. For example, as far as Taiwan Province of China is concerned, although the United States intends to use "participants" in the list and avoids terms such as "countries or regions", in the final analysis it still wants to take the opportunity to play the "Taiwan card" for the purpose of containing China's complete reunification. This act of splitting national sovereignty side by side to support the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces itself violates its so-called "democracy." In addition to Taiwan Province of China, the United States has also been "quite thoughtful" in the plans of other countries invited. It even invited some countries whose democracy was internationally seen as regressed in recent years, further demonstrating that the so-called democracy of the United States only pulls what it considers as its "allies" into the same camp. For example, although Peru held democratic elections, they tried to impeach the president every week. Israel and Iraq were invited, and the United States used financial and military means to support the war in Iraq. This is undoubtedly an increase in autocracy and a retrogression in democracy. The so-called "democracy summit" to be held by the United States openly stated that it is opposed to China, Russia and other countries, and is full of Cold War mentality. The United States is trying to unify the world, making it regressive to the black and white tones of the Cold War period, which is not conducive to true democratic exchanges and development. Under the guise of democracy, the United States interferes in the internal affairs of other countries, infringes on the sovereignty of other countries, and does whatever it takes to achieve its own political goals.

3. The impact of the United States' convening the Global Democracy Summit on South Asia

Firstly, the democratic summit is very likely to promote the further development of authoritarian movements in some countries and regions in South Asia. The US Biden administration has inherited the former Obama administration's "return to Asia" and the Trump administration's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategic Conception" strategy, maintaining its hegemony in Asia and the Western Pacific. The convening of the Democracy Summit is likely to give rise to authoritarian movements in some countries in South Asia, infringe on the freedom of speech and freedom of the press of South Asian people, and trigger political changes in some countries or regions. It is worth noting that religious extremism and violent terrorism are destroying the secular and democratic credibility of some countries and regions in South Asia, and are intended to create more major events that threaten social stability and national economic development. While the world is working together to tackle global issues such as the new COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, terrorism, etc., the so-called global democracy summit convened by USA violates the political laws of international cooperation, and its structure and agenda are contrary to the true democratic spirit. As an important development region in Asia, it is certainly important for South Asia to participate in global international cooperation. What is worthy of vigilance is that the "democracy summit" has been a consistent tactic of the United States since the Cold War. Any policy of the Democracy Summit may have an impact on South Asia and affect the development and stability of South Asia and even Asia.

Secondly, the democratic summit will further aggravate the geopolitical phenomenon in South Asian countries and regions. Compared with the attitude towards India, the attitude of the United States towards other countries in South Asia is completely different. Only four countries and regions have been invited. The side-taking behavior of the United States in holding a democracy summit makes democratic politics a tool. On the one hand, the United States generally regards other countries in South Asia as "undemocratic" countries. On the other hand, it will increase the gulf between invited countries and uninvited countries and polarize democracy in South Asia. As South Asia is a sub-region, it is quite outstanding in terms of democratic values and democratic systems. At present, democracy in South Asian countries or regions has three characteristics: democracy remains unchanged, democracy gradually deviates from the right track, and intact by democratic changes. This summit is a political manipulation for purely political purposes. It has the typical political characteristics of the United States dominating the world. It is a representative tool for the United States to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and maintain hegemony. In the future, the United States will attach importance to the development of alliances and partnerships politically, try to assume less international responsibilities, launch a global trade war, substantially increase spending on defense and security, and strengthen military deployment, which will further aggravate the geopolitical issues of South Asian countries and regions.

Thirdly, the democracy summit will cause South Asian countries and regions to reject American democracy. Democracy that does not integrate history cannot truly adapt to a country. Due to special historical reasons, other countries, except India, have adopted the model of sect state. That is, to establish a country with a single language, a single society, and a single religion. As a result, specific features, such as alienating ethnic minorities and causing ethnic conflicts to hinder the development of democratic politics, have taken shape. These factors cannot be eradicated solely by the ideas of the Democracy Summit. Unique democracy is deeply ingrained in the cultural practices of other countries in South Asia. Imposing American-style democracy in an attempt to safeguard so-called human rights and oppose authoritarianism will only be counterproductive. Under the banner of democracy, the United States divides camps and creates divisions in the world. The United States and its allies are neither qualified nor assumed to be "democratic beacons". The unfriendly actions taken by the United States in the international arena have caused the outside world to lose trust in them.

The fact that the way the Global Democracy Summit has been held shows that the United States only talks about procedures and forms of democracy internally, but ignores its essence and result. It imposes American democracy on others forcefully, divides camps by means of values, and interferes, subverts and invades under the banner of democracy. Capitalist democracy in the United States has always regarded itself as high-quality democracy, while democratic oligarchy, racial oppression, human rights violations, and foreign hegemonism can hardly be regarded as supporting evidence for high-quality democracy. They are highly hypocritical, provocative, misleading and deceptive. This violent interference of American democracy imposed on other countries in South Asia and other regions seems to be strengthening the promotion of democracy and the protection of human rights. In essence, it has deviated from the core of the democratic system and its original intention. The United States should judge the situation and rein in the precipice. It should stop its attempt to reset the standard, and take concrete actions to defend the principle of sovereign equality of all nations as stipulated in the UN Charter.

(Li Heng and Zhang Shu Hang are scholars at Southwest University of Political Science and Law)