Among the invited guests were Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte - who has been accused of organizing a “reign of terror and mass murder” - as well as the leaders of Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan. This event was just as ineffective as the “ Summit for Democracy” Biden hosted earlier this year, which was anything but a summit of democratic nations, and, arguably, produced no meaningful results. Regrettably, Biden’s only visible efforts on this issue were hosting the “ Summit of the Americas” last year, which sparked an outcry over the exclusions of major players in the region - Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela - and which some considered more of an embarrassment for the administration than a substantive conference. This has coincided with a destabilization of democracy in each Latin American nation, none of which has held a truly free or fair election in years. China has made inroads in Brazil, Venezuela and Nicaragua, while Russia has a strong presence in Venezuela and Cuba. In Latin America, China and Russia have used their economic preeminence to further their own geopolitical goals of bolstering authoritarian regimes. This would indicate that China, which continues to buy cheap Russian energy, is sending military equipment to Ukraine, despite its government denying doing so. Likewise, there is evidence that Chinese components have been present in Russian weapons used in Ukraine, in addition to the 1,000 assault rifles and body armor Beijing has sent. ![]() In February, Beijing released a “peace plan” for the war in Ukraine that echoed the Kremlin’s talking points, and China’s ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, recently claimed during an interview that “ex-Soviet countries do not have effective status in international law.” Under the weight of Western sanctions, Iran and Russia are forging closer economic and military ties, as evidenced by the Russian deputy prime minister’s visit to Tehran this week to discuss energy diplomacy.įurther, Iran, which is continuing to pursue the development of nuclear weapons, has supplied Russia with thousands of drones to use against Ukraine, while Russia is reportedly sending advanced SU-35 fighter jets to Iran, posing a direct threat to Israel and other American allies in the region.Ĭhina has also strengthened diplomatic ties with Russia in recent months. At the center of this alliance is a desire to dismantle the U.S.-led world order and a mutual rejection of human rights, freedom and democracy. ![]() While Biden’s rhetoric and actions with respect to this central conflict have met the moment, he is lacking a broader advocacy of freedom and liberty around the world and a recognition of the growing consolidation of autocratic forces globally.ĭriven by their shared quest for a global “redistribution of power,” Russia and China have formed an alliance of autocracies, so to speak, along with Iran. That said, the Russia-Ukraine war is just one piece - albeit, a central piece - of a much larger global struggle between democratic and autocratic powers.
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