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In Pursuit of True Multilateralism
The US-hosted “Summit for Democracy” is provoking confrontation
By Kirtan Bhana 丨ChinAfrica Web Exclusive ·2023-04-11


A man attends a protest against police brutality in Washington, D.C., the US, on 27 January (XINHUA)

Serious concerns are being raised about the state of the US politics, economy and international relations, not only outside the country, but also inside it. The so called “Summit for Democracy” hosted by the US in late March focussed attention on governance and governments. 

But the fact shows that this summit was not aimed at promoting world unity and democracy, but ponderously divided the world into democratic and non-democratic countries according to the so-called “American democracy” standard. It provoked confrontation. 

This modern era of instant communication, hi-tech commerce and 140-character diplomacy has posed many challenges to the current systems and processes of the so-called “democratic nations.” The US should be made aware that its calls and stance on democracy and human rights ring hollow, and it should truthfully examine the shortcomings of its own administration. 

Sovereign equality and non-interference into internal affairs are the basic principles of the UN Charter. The US selected some so-called “democratic countries” to convene the summit, which violated the norms of international order and multilateralism. As the world’s largest economy and most powerful country, the US should unite the world for common prosperity and bring more benefit to the people, instead of promoting its hegemonism. 

The word democracy originated from Greek words “demos” which means people and “kratos” which means power. Together, it can be translated as “people power.” The Greeks were credited for the invention of democracy although historical records and research show that native tribal structures in the Americas, Africa and elsewhere were organised and guided by consultation and consensus. As a system of governance, democracy evolved and developed and, in many instances, can be attributed to the progress of humanity. 

Democracy, in its essence, is about the popular will, and capitalism is individualistic. This dichotomy is currently being experienced in some developed countries with so-called advanced economies.  

Every country has the right to establish its own political system according to its national conditions. There is no one-size-fits-all model for all countries. South Africa has its democracy that fits its national development. China also has its whole-process people’s democracy. Many other developing countries have different forms of democracy, which the US just turns a blind eye to. 

Due to the imperative of elections, US politicians have become self-serving, beholden to corporations and big business who provide campaign funding and use it as a means to lobby the government. This type of manipulation is having profound consequences and has resulted in the adoption of flawed policies and positions in internal as well as external matters. The biased funding of research and analysis has led to a distortion of the facts and has created a deviation in the trajectory of real and true knowledge. 

Once the beacon of the world, the US has become a dark shadow of its former glory days. The nation has mutated into a “kleptocratic corporatocracy,” unrecognisable from the virtues of democracy and human rights that it espoused. Europe and the US share a history of slavery, imperialism and colonialism, one that has left many questions unanswered, in particular about the indigenous inhabitants and who did the new occupiers get their independence from and why.  

Humanity is seeing the benefits of multilateralism as people call for a fairer and more transparent system in all aspects of life, an authentic consultative, consensus-based system that is the expression of the will of the people. A just system enables all to exercise recourse, accept responsibility and be accountable. The vision of multilateralism can only be achieved if it is inclusive of all nations, including the US and Western nations that stand to gain from the progress and development of nations of the global South in true, conciliatory and complimentary interactions with a shared responsibility. People around the world are calling for a fairer and more transparent global system of governance. 

The author is director of the Diplomatic Society of South Africa   

  

      

  

  

  

  

  

   

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