Biden's Summit for Democracy in the shadow of Ukraine

By pressing play you accept cookies and tracking from the external video-provider.

Watch the livestreaming here

On March 29-30, 2023, the United States is hosting the second Summit for Democracy as a follow-up on 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, both 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?

Speakers

Daniel Hegedüs, senior fellow, German Marshall Fund
Richard Youngs, senior fellow, Carnegie Europe
Rasmus Søndergaard, senior researcher, DIIS
Jon Clausen, communications officer and journalist, DIIS (moderator)

Programme

15.30-15.40     Welcome and introduction, Taking stock of the Summit for Democracy, Rasmus Søndergaard
15.40-15.50     Summit for Democracy process - (Central) Europe's missed opportunity?, Daniel Hegedüs
15.50-16.00     Is the Ukraine war a catalyst or obstacle to global cooperation on democracy?, Richard Youngs
16.00-16.30     Panel discussion, moderated by Jon Clausen
16.30-17.00     Q&A with the audience

The seminar was held and recorded at DIIS auditorium, 12 April 2023 15.30-17.00