A New Way to Lead the Free, Democratic World

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen

In 2021 The US and its allies have a golden opportunity that comes once into a generation to stop the global attraction of democracy, and to show the Ottoman border like Russia and China. But this will only happen if major democracies unite in defense of freedom.

President-elect Joe Biden aims to re-enter “better”. But it cannot return four years later to a threatening multilateral world, where allies are elected by autism, and exchange strategic investments or cheap energy with a steadfast loyalty to them.

Allowing allies to sell their economic security, in the mood that Uncle Sam ( The US) to act as their security guarantor, would open the doors to another insulation such as Trump to retake the White House after four years.

Instead, the US should focus on creating a new sense of trust in the democratic world, which often lacks free societies. As Secretary General NATO, I tried to build these connections across the free world, creating and strengthening partnerships with Indo-Peacelusor democracies like Japan, Australia and South Korea.

But after I left the public office, the world has seen a revival of authoritarianism, and technology has achieved such power that it can release or crush. Five years ago, an alliance of democracies was the most noble purpose. But today it is essential to solving the most pressing problems.

At the heart of this effort, it must be the established American leadership. Only the United States owns the capacity to do so. It also has a very strong democracy. This year's elections were a good test of American democracy.

She passed it, providing for a transfer of power, even when the head of state himself tried to delegate the process. President-elect Joe Biden, there's a line behind the door of tired American allies. We want an American leader set up.

And from his great political experience, I believe Joe Biden will take advantage of this chance.

In 2018, I hold the first democracy summit in Copenhagen, under the auspices of my foundation “Alliance of Democracy”. The summit gathers national leaders, activists of democracy and representatives of technology and civil society, and aims to strengthen democracy.

That summit opened up with Mr. Biden's word. In his speech, he stressed the need for restoration

The alliances and the rebuilding of democracy. “Democracy has to do with one more thing: freedom, freedom, freedom”- he said. During his election campaign this year, he pledged to organise a similar summit of democratic leaders, this time as president.

This effort will lead America, but it will not be alone. Democracys in Indo-Peace, from Taiwan to Australia, India and Japan, are also seeking friends of the same mind to counter China's aggressive stance.

In Europe, a Britain after Brex will host the G7 summit in 2021, gathering the world's largest democratic and economic powers. London aims to seize this opportunity, to do what an old politician told me, a “Christianity in the free world”.

Technology today presents an existential challenge for democracies. The world is in a figurative arms technology contest. Whoever wins it will dictate the establishment of rules, standards and standards for developing technology systems, from facial recognition to weapons of war.

If China wins the race, freedom will fade. The free world, must learn from its internal clashes on Chinese companies Huawei and TikTok, and build a digital alliance to prepare for the next group of challenges.

This includes establishing common privacy standards, transferring data needed to develop artificial intelligence, co-operation on how internet platforms are regulated, and combining the capacities to develop telecom networks, quantum calculations and artificial intelligence all faster, better, and cheaper than those that China offers.

Not every US ally is fully convinced of the need of a global democratic group. France and Germany, may worry that an alliance of democracies, would replace the global multilatheral system, represented by the United Nations.

And a revival of the trans-Atlantic alliance could weaken the need for Europe to develop its strategic independence from the US. I agree with both these concerns.

Strengthening the global democratic alliance would enable member nations to rebuild multi-latheralism rather than bypass it. We need to talk to China about climate change and other global battles, but let's do this from relatively stronger positions.

At the same time, Europe must continue to be more self-sufficient, and invest more for its security. Once a stronger Europe means a cheaper world. Thirty years ago advanced democracies were told they would see “the end of history”, and that continued progress of freedom was something inevitable.

It's actually the opposite: Liberty is retired, and America is attracted to its role as global leader. We may not see a better opportunity again to recover from the devastating disease of the West: only democratic change. The time has come to build an alliance of democracies.

Note: Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has been Secretary-General NATO in 2009-2014. It established the “Alliance of Democracy” foundation in 2017.