The Russian ambassador to the United States has criticized US President Joe Biden’s decision to hold a second “summit for democracy” this week, dismissing the affair as an attempt by Washington to assert its interests worldwide, despite the US itself facing serious problems are faced at home.
The two-day virtual summit, scheduled to begin Wednesday, is the second of its kind following the first event in December 2021, which was attended by more than 100 leaders. While the Biden administration hailed the meeting as a crucial step in strengthening ties between nations committed to democratic governance, critics pointed to an uncertain criterion for who receives invitations, a lack of substantive agreements and the difficult experience of the United States with a peaceful transfer of power earlier this year.
Among the critics is Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who told Newsweek that the first forum “has been called the epitome of hypocrisy, even by a number of observers in the West.”
“Questions arose not only about the list of invited countries, many of which are considered ‘undemocratic’ here,” Antonov said, “but also, in principle, about Washington’s ability and, to a large extent, its moral right – to deal with many political and social Economic controversies at home – to impose his rules and way of life on others.”
The Russian envoy said that based on discussions with the participants of the first summit, Moscow identified three shortcomings.
“It turned out that many of them, first of all, had no idea what the essence of Washington’s enterprise was,” Antonov said. “Secondly, they realized how important it is to belong to a group of ‘leading democracies’ in the world. Third, as some diplomats have put it, the path of least resistance was taken.
“Nothing was asked for, and the establishment of another forum for discussions about democratic transformations had no consequences for their countries.”
Now, he said, “the situation at the second ‘summit’ is basically the same.”
“Many are asking themselves: What do they want from this assembly in Washington? What is the added value for world standards in democracy?” asked Antonov. “How can national differences in culture, history and religion be taken into account?
“Finally, some ‘dissidents’ among the ‘summit’ participants even take the liberty of questioning the legitimacy of the general line of imposing American values and standards on the ‘democratic community’.”
U.S. President Joe Biden takes the stage to deliver closing remarks for the Virtual White House Democracy Summit at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on December 10, 2021.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Controversy has already begun to surround the new summit. NATO allies such as the leaders of Hungary and Turkey were again spurned, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly continued to hold sway despite domestic unrest sparked by a proposed law that would give Parliament more leverage over the judicial system should speak at the event.
Rising tensions in Israel prompted the White House National Security Council to issue a statement of concern on Sunday, and NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby reiterated those concerns the following day.
“We remain deeply concerned by recent developments, which we believe have further underscored the urgent need for a compromise,” Kirby told reporters during a press briefing on Monday.
And while confirming that Israel is one of 121 countries invited to the forthcoming Pro-Democracy Summit, he said details of the agenda would be announced in the coming days. And he defended the principles of the summit at what he saw as a difficult time for democracies around the world.
“I think if you just look at the events of the last year,” Kirby said, “we can see democracies around the world because they’re open societies, because they’re based on government consent, because they believe in free speech and rule of law, they remain vulnerable to attacks from autocratic, authoritarian state actors as well as non-state actors.
“And so the whole idea of a Summit for Democracy is to stand up for that very idea of democracy and to recognize that maintaining democratic institutions takes a fair amount of work and effort, honesty, transparency and accountability.”
But Antonov argued that US errors ran deeper.
“Doesn’t America have problems with racism, gun violence, corruption and social inequality? Why are about 40 million people living below the poverty line in the richest country in the world?” asked Antonov. “Yet the 50 richest Americans are richer than half of the US population.
“There’s also a clear issue with freedom of expression, eloquently demonstrated by the ‘culture of abandonment’ that excludes people from public life for dissenting opinions. Many admit that the US election law also has certain flaws in that there is no institute for direct presidential elections.”
As such, Antonov argued that democracy was being replaced by “democratism”, a system in which “ruling elites enjoy virtually unlimited power, democratic norms are only declared, and democratic institutions are nothing but window dressing”.
He then cited a poll released by the Pew Research Center in October 2021, less than two months before the first Pro-Democracy Summit, in which he found that about 85 percent of US respondents wanted significant political reforms in the country. That, he argued, “should hardly be a role model”.
Antonov also criticized US attempts to actively influence or completely overhaul other nations’ systems.
“There are no perfect countries,” said Antonov. “The protection of human rights is not the exclusive prerogative of the West. Democracy is not built on templates but is a product of the internal development of a particular society. We have seen the disastrous results of attempts to forcibly export American democracy to Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.”
Antonov also saw the tactics attempted against Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, when “Western colleagues, in conversation with us, absolutized the principle of human rights in every possible way in order to achieve a concrete political goal”.
“Russia has been forced to accept standards of state-building and governance that are beneficial to the West but mean serious losses to our country,” he said. “We have drawn conclusions.”
Ukrainian soldiers fire a 155mm TRF-1 at Russian positions on March 27, 2023 amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images
Relations between Moscow and Washington have only deteriorated since the last summit, particularly after Russia launched a war against neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The US has increasingly supported Ukraine in the conflict, and Antonov argued that Washington and other Western powers were using human rights issues as a weapon to turn Moscow into an aggressor.
Now, he said, “the organizers of the second ‘summit’ are urging others to include vile anti-Russian language in the draft final joint statement.”
“Draft texts for the upcoming meetings give the feeling that this year Washington has set itself the goal of forming a human rights coalition against Russia and dragging partners into anti-Russian traps under the guise of a noble idea of developing democracy,” Antonov said.
“It is obvious that the drafted statement will later be manifested as a common international position condemning my country for preserving national sovereignty and defending the democratic freedoms of the Russian people in Eastern Europe.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend a pre-summit event hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, where the Ukrainian leader will discuss “his vision for a just and lasting peace,” according to the State Department.
The virtual meeting was intended to “provide an opportunity to hear different perspectives on the elements needed to end Russia’s war and establish a lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the principles contained in the UN Charter.”
During the last summit, Zelenskyy defended Ukraine’s progress in fighting corruption and protecting human rights as Russian troops and tanks rallied on his country’s borders, saying: “Together we must make this world freer, safer and more democratic. “
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The invitation to Taiwan is also likely to be controversial this time. Though the US has no official ties with the self-governing island, Washington has expanded its political and military support for Taipei in the face of Chinese territorial claims and the threat of possible violent reunification.
Tensions over Taiwan have played out between the US and China in tandem with growing efforts by the Biden administration to limit its key global competitor’s access to certain technologies.
For his part, Antonov expressed distrust of the inclusion of “subjects as independent as technological development” during the pro-democracy summit.
“A thesis is being pushed that in order to cut off undesirable countries from progress, it is necessary to restrict access to advanced technologies for ‘authoritarian’ regimes,” Antonov said. “But behind that rhetoric lies Washington’s cold calculation — a quest to seize global control of the innovation market and single-handedly distribute whatever benefits suit its own interests.”
The pro-democracy summit was to come a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded their own summit in Moscow. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two men in two weeks before the conflict in Ukraine, when Putin and Xi marked the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Antonov noted how the joint statement that emerged from the latest meeting “expressed their commitment to a multipolar world order, rejected the idea of ’superior democracy’ and condemned the creation of a flawed narrative about dividing the world’s peoples into chosen ones and the outcast.” Both sides, he stressed, “demand respect for the diversity of cultures and civilizations.”
“It is extremely dangerous for people to cultivate the idea of their exclusivity, regardless of the motives,” Antonov warned.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast at a reception following their talks at Moscow’s Kremlin March 21, 2023. PAVEL BYRKIN/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images
In this regard, the Russian envoy argued that “the protection of democracy and human rights should not be used as a tool to put pressure on others, especially undesirable countries”. Such “politicization of these issues,” he claimed, “only leads to increased tension in international relations.
“Each state has its achievements and shortcomings,” Antonov said. “Therefore, efforts to eliminate imperfections can only be universal, not based on coalitions with the slogan ‘Whoever is not with us is against us’.
Referring to his own nation, Antonov said that “Russia has consistently followed the democratic path, taking into account its historical experiences and traditions”. This includes “opposing the imposition of gender-biased approaches and the LGBT agenda, as well as drug liberalism, the cult of consumerism and excess – to the detriment of family values”.
“Nevertheless,” he added, “we do not impose our own views on others.”
And just as Antonov previously criticized the first pro-democracy summit in a joint commentary with then-Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, now China’s foreign minister, the Russian ambassador once again sounded the alarm over what he saw as a move away from maintaining more of the UN -Charter than towards it.
“I am convinced that attempts to use human rights doctrine to play geopolitical games that destroy states’ sovereignty and justify Western political, financial, economic and ideological dominance should stop,” Antonov said. “In today’s complex and turbulent world, it is important to protect and preserve such fundamental principles of international unity as sovereign equality and non-interference in the affairs of other states.
“This would be a real manifestation of democracy and would prevent a slide into chaos. Russia is ready for such work.”