U.S. 'coercion' and stage-managed democracy summits

The belligerent demand of the United States that it must remain the world’s unquestioned and dominating force has once more been on display.

To underline this demand, two not altogether unconnected events took place at the end of March.

The first was its decision to reject, out of hand, a rather reasonable UN Security resolution from Russia. It was to set up an independent inquiry as to the cause of the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. It was a reminder to the world of one of president Biden’s favourite remarks, that "it’s never ever a good bet to bet against America". America has already declared Russia to be the guilty party.

The second event was Washington’s second Summit for Democracy. This largely online gathering brought global leaders together; officially to showcase what is good about democracy and to focus on ways of strengthening democratic values. This is a fanciful take on the reality of the meeting and its purpose.

Its real purpose was for the United States to rally supportive regimes and potential vacillating states to its banner. It had the aim of isolating nations deemed to not uphold the values of the "rules-based order". Ultimately, such a gathering has less to do with democracy, or the promotion of human rights, than it does with threatening those states that do not accept U.S. hegemony.

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The Nord Stream pipeline was mined in September 2022. The Americans and their allies immediately lay the blame at the Kremlin’s door, although the logic of Russia destroying a pipeline that served its own financial ends was always dubious. Still, logic need never get in the way.

Award-winning American journalist Seymour Hersch (the man who broke the My Lai massacre in Vietnam) accused the U.S. Administration of responsibility for the sabotage. The journalist was summarily ridiculed by the western press and the U.S. leadership as a conspiracy theorist.

The Hersch view took on a new significance when Russia put a Draft Resolution to the UN Security Council to investigate the sabotage. Russia, China and Brazil voted for the Draft. All other Security Council members "abstained", thereby seeing the call defeated. The Russian ambassador to the UN reiterated some of Hersch’s findings and commented that he was not seeking a "trial" at the Security Council, but that it was better that the UN should conduct any inquiries. His American counterpart simply said that Russia was "abusing its position as a Council member" for using the Security Council to air "internet conspiracy theories".

It was clear that the U.S. was not about to engage in any serious discussion. The other "abstentions" took note and took their cue. For a vote to be successful, it would have needed nine votes. Isolating Russia was always to be the tactic.

China has since proposed that the Resolution might be put before the General Assembly. A simple majority of member states would see the resolution pass and an inquiry could conceivably be conducted. That, of course, makes sense and conforms with basic democratic principles. The U.S., however, sees the world in a different light.

Those differences in how democracy might be viewed were on full show at Washington’s Summit on Democracy. Biden may have trumpeted freedom and democracy when a fawning media covered his recent visit to Kyiv, and many lofty statements flowed at the Summit, but they all had a hollow ring to them.

The truth is that democratic rights and human rights are held in scorn by the leaders of the "free" and democratic states that nestle under America’s militaristic wing. Today, France is shrouded in teargas as President Macron crushes the democratic process, and yet, he was a keynote speaker.

Israel is convulsed with protests against a leader who is seeking to jettison any semblance of civil rule and yet it participated in the Summit as an upholder of the same democratic values. Polish legislators are among the most right-wing on the planet, and yet Poland was represented. Some Ukrainians welcome the annual celebration of WWII Nazi collaborators while outlawing socialist political parties, but it is well placed on the guest list, and a long list it was.

Australia has one of the OECD’s highest rates of homelessness, has 16 per cent of children in poverty and an Indigenous life expectancy rate considerably lower than white Australia. New Zealand has a homeless rate more in line with a developing nation than an advanced economy. All of these states attended the summit and none seemed to notice the irony, or the hypocrisy, of criticising nations that were excluded from participation because they do not toe the U.S. line.

The host nation, the United States has an appalling record of human rights abuses and is, at best, a failing democracy. Since the Columbine school shootings in 1999, there have been 376 school shootings. 12 children, on average, die in gun violence every day. Homelessness, poverty, racism, closed borders and fear are the daily staples in the "land of the free" and yet the U.S. president and his cohorts regularly lecture the world about democracy, freedom and the merits of their "rules-based" order.

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The Summit agenda was a full one. President Biden chaired a session on "delivering global challenges". The world has seen how the U.S. responds to what it decides are "global challenges".

Secretary of State Antony Blinken chaired a session on "peace in Ukraine". Peace, in this context, means war without end, funded and promoted by the U.S.

South Korean President Yoon chaired a session on how democracy was delivering economic growth and shared prosperity. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that global growth for 2023 will be 2.7%. China, which was not invited, can expect a growth rate (according to the IMF) of about 5%. The additional irony of the South Korean leader chairing this session is that there have been acknowledged cases of North Korean defectors who have starved to death in Seoul.

An important panel discussion was devoted to "media freedom as a cornerstone of democracy". Fine words, but the fact remains that we have an increasingly controlled media and there is always the inconvenient shadow of Julian Assange that must be ignored.

It was a packed three-day agenda completed without one blush of embarrassment at the lies and distortions carried out in the name of democracy and human rights. Few will turn a critical eye or ear to the shenanigans in the Security Council or at Biden’s Summit. But then it is hard to do so when the media works its magic so deftly.

Dr William Briggs is a political economist. His special areas of interest lie in political theory and international political economy. He has been, variously, a teacher, journalist and political activist.