Biden invites 110 countries including India to a virtual summit on democracy

President Joe Biden has invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy in December. According to a list posted on State Department’s website, the US along with inviting its allies from the west it has also invited Iraq, India, and Pakistan.

While China is not invited, USA’s move to invite Taiwan will enrage Beijing. Turkey, which like America is a member of NATO, is also missing from the list of participants.

Among the countries of the Middle East, only Israel and Iraq are set to participate in the online conference, which will take place on December 9-10. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which are traditional US Arab allies, are not invited.

Biden invited Brazil even though its far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been lambasted for his authoritarian tendencies and was a staunch backer of Donald Trump

Despite ongoing tensions with the European Union over its human rights record, Poland was also invited to the summit. Hungary, led by hardline nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was not invited.

Moreover, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, and Niger in Africa are among the countries that are on the list.

In announcing the summit back in August, the White House said the meeting would “galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.”