Anatoly Antonov is the Russian ambassador to the United States. Qin Gang is the Chinese ambassador to the United States. They coauthored an article that sends a set of messages to the White House. They did so in an article that came under the title: “Respecting People’s Democratic Rights”.
Published in the National Interest on
November 26, 2021, the ambassadors’ article also came under a subtitle that
summarizes the essence of their messages. It is the following: The upcoming
American-led online Summit for Democracy will stoke ideological confrontation.
Faced with an array of global challenges, countries urgently need to strengthen
coordination and cooperation for common progress”.
It is evident from the content of the article
that the Russians and the Chinese do not view the upcoming summit as an end in
itself, but a hammer with which America will want to batter other systems of
governance. Worse still, they see America use the summit as a weapon with which
to start engaging other systems of governance in a new cold war.
The two ambassadors did not formulate such
views out of thin air, but did so based on their study of America’s behavior
for many years. And so, as it turns out, their article is designed to expose
what America has done that was inappropriate in their view, and rebut each item
as a preemptive respond to what they expect will develop at the summit. Here is
how the ambassadors started the conversation:
“The
United States will be empowering itself to define who is a democratic
country and who is not. This trend contradicts the development of the
modern world. It could not prevent the shaping of a global polycentric
architecture but could strain the process”.
And here are the areas where the ambassadors
are rebutting America’s contentions:
1. Peace, Freedom, democracy and the like,
are universal values that belong to everyone, thus are not the monopoly of one
country or a bloc of them. And neither are these values developed by one system
at the exclusion of others. On the contrary, each country is different, and has
unique needs that can be provided for only by its people in accordance with the
system of democracy they develop for themselves by themselves. Here is what the
ambassadors said in that regard:
“Democracy can be
realized in one of many ways, and no model can fit all countries. Ultimately,
it relies on the support of the people and will be proven by its contribution
to human progress. A basic criterion of democracy should be about the people:
whether they have the right to govern their country, whether their needs are
met, and whether they have a sense of fulfillment and happiness”.
2. Democracy is not an undertaking that can
be performed through the automatic ritual of waking up periodically to cast a
vote, then go back into political hibernation, and stay there till the next
wake up period comes upon us, at which time we repeat the ritual. Here is what
the ambassadors said in that regard:
“If the people are
awakened to cast their votes, then sent back to hibernation after the voting,
if they are served with slogans in campaigns but have no say after the
election, if they are wooed during canvassing but left out in the cold after
that, this is not a genuine democracy. By contrast, China has an extensive,
whole-process democracy that reflects the people’s will, suits the country’s
realities, and enjoys strong support from the people. In China, the people can
get deeply involved in national governance, exercising their power through the
People's Congresses at the national and other levels”.
3. The purpose of Democracy is not for one
country to realize the benefits of this form of governance at the exclusion of the
others. On the contrary, Democracy is the attempt to see the fruits of this
system spread throughout the world. It is a mission that can be accomplished
only by respecting the differences exhibited by the other systems. Here is what
the ambassadors said in this regard:
“It has been proven that
the process of democracy works well in China. It is why the country calls for
building a community with a shared future for mankind. As residents of the same
global village, we should handle international affairs through consultation. So
believes Russia, which is a democratic, law-governed state where the
development of democracy is related to culture and traditions. Like China,
Russia’s Democracy is not just about domestic governance; it is also reflected
in international relations. That’s because a truly democratic government will
support democracy everywhere. It will not foster hegemony and division abroad
while building democracy and unity at home. The path to the prosperity of
nations goes through respectful cooperation with each other, despite the
differences in views on particular issues”.
4. And so, instead of coercing others into one
form of Democratic governance, China and Russia propose that America adhere to
the established norms. They were developed over the decades, and have worked
well for the human race ever since. Here is what the ambassadors said in this
regard:
“International affairs
should be handled in accordance with the principles of extensive consultation,
joint contribution, and shared benefits, and should be decided in the spirit of
true multilateralism. There is only one international system in the world with
the United Nations at its core. There is only one international order that’s
underpinned by international law. And there is only one set of rules based on
the purposes and principles of the UN Charter”.
And so, the Summit for Democracy will come and go. Given that the world is in no mood to follow America into yet another harebrained venture, the summit will leave behind a short-lived legacy in terms of its effect on the world. But it will also leave a record that future students of history will view as a last-ditch American effort to make itself relevant … an effort that turned out to be worthless.