US president invites 110 countries for virtual summit on democracy

US President Joe Biden has invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy which is supposed to take place in December. According to statement from the state department which contains list of invited countries, China, the United States’ principal rival, is not invited, while Taiwan is. Also, Turkey which like America is a member of NATO, is also missing from the list of participants.

Among the countries of the Middle East, only Israel and Iraq will take place in the online conference, scheduled for December 9-10. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, are also not invited.

Brazil is also invited even though it’s president, Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized as having an authoritarian bent and was a firm supporter of Donald Trump.

In Europe, Poland was invited to the summit despite persistent tension with the European Union over its human rights record but Hungary was not invited.

Joe Biden, US President

In Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria and Niger are among the countries on the list.

In announcing the summit back in August, the White House said the meeting would “galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.”

The Summit for Democracy will bring together leaders from government, civil society and the private sector to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.

An international alliance to promote Internet freedom, called “The Alliance for the Future of the Internet,” is one of the initiatives the Biden team is considering launching during the summit.

Dolupo Balogun

Written by BoomRadioNG