Democratic Summits: An Attempt to (Re)shape Democracy and the Global Order?

• In Event: Democracy vs. Autocracy

Abstract

Why are Global Democratic Summits and gatherings of democracies advanced at the international level? Abundant research in Comparative Politics has studied how domestic coalitions are built and are relevant for democratization. Nonetheless, the study of the formation and motivations of international democratic coalitions has received less scholarly attention. This study's main objective is to expand this agenda into International Relations and explore two understudied democratic groupings as case studies: The Community of Democracies (CD) and the Summit of Democracies (SD). For this purpose, it focuses on its leading advocate, the United States (U.S.), and extends its analysis to examine the ideational and material benefits for countries participating in these organizations. Through a comparative analysis of these initiatives, which emerged under distinct global political and economic conditions, the paper sheds light on the main motivations driving the advancement of these global democratic forums.
This work draws on survey data, official documents from the CD and SD, media reports, and officials' discourses as empirical evidence. The study employs a mixed method analysis, combining process tracing and text-as-data, to discern the relative strength and evidence supporting competing explanations for the creation and promotion of these global initiatives. The study concludes by analyzing the debates within these settings, assessing the consensus about the organizations' goals, and exploring the implications for democracy and the Liberal International Order that arise from these global democratic engagements.

Author

• Andres Schelp, Northwestern University