We’re stoked to introduce the first series of the Readout: Democracy. Hosted by Lab CEO Bridi Rice, this short series takes you behind the scenes of our latest project, investigating what US President Biden’s Summit for Democracy will mean for the Indo-Pacific.

Nationalism, populism, political polarisation and identity politics are challenging liberalism and institutions in democracies worldwide. More countries are abandoning democracy than embracing it. Overlay all of this with geostrategic competition, and a potential ‘clash of systems’ between liberal democracy and autocracy is brought into sharp focus.

President Biden argues that democracy must ‘prove itself,’ reasoning that this will be key to competing with China and Russia. But development experts warn against weaponizing democracy, instead favouring a nuanced investment in governance, service delivery and accountability in developing regions by donors.

Caught amidst the debate are policy-makers unsure where to invest their aid dollar – promote democracy and risk being accused of intervening in the sovereign affairs of another nation, or do nothing and be accused of standing by amidst egregious human rights violations?

In this series, we’re speaking to academics, practitioners, and regional leaders as we work through what the Summit for Democracy will mean for our region. Watch out for the Lab’s publication on this topic, Develop, featuring four essays from some of the guests you get to know in this series.

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