It's time Washington reflected on its own problems

The United States is at it again. As it did in late 2021, the White House is gearing up to host the second so-called Summit for Democracy, an event that is neither a summit nor about democracy, but rather an outright attempt by the administration of US President Joe Biden to line up and indoctrinate key partners against countries it perceives as rivals.

Leaders from 110 countries and territories were invited to the 2021 event. Some, like former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who spurred the Jan 8 riots in Brazil that sought to overturn Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's election as Brazil's president, chose to attend, while others, like the leaders of Pakistan and South Africa, declined the invitation in the face of discriminatory US policies. Still some others decided to politely accept the invitation but preferred to stay on the margins. That was the case for the leaders of 17 out of the 25 invited countries from Latin America and the Caribbean who participated but chose not to submit written commitments.

Washington is now hosting a second show. But as performative as this event may seem, it in fact comes with serious risks.