President Biden is kicking off his second Summit for Democracy on March 29, pledging nearly $700 million toward bolstering other nation’s democracies. More than 100 global leaders have been invited to attend. The summit will last two days with the goal of strengthening like-minded governments around the globe, and advocating for reforms in autocratic-leaning nations.
The $690 million will fund programs that support a free media, combat corruption, advocate for human rights and support fair elections.
Biden held his first democracy summit in December of 2021. The outlook of the world has taken a tumultuous turn since. Russia invaded Ukraine resulting in the largest scale war in Europe since World War II, U.S. relations with China are strained on several fronts, including national security concerns and heightened military drills over Taiwan’s sovereignty, and North Korea is also at a military peak, threatening the U.S. over its alliance with South Korea.
Biden’s push to advance free societies in the world has struck a nerve with adversaries. Ambassadors from China and Russia have previously criticized Biden’s democracy summits, accusing Biden of causing a global divide and having a Cold War mentality.
