Why is the US president hosting a global summit on democracy?

The United States portrays itself as one of the world’s greatest democracies.

But President Joe Biden says democracy is under siege from authoritarian regimes, so he is holding a two-day virtual summit to try and give democracy a boost.

The White House invited about 110 countries, but Russia, China, Iran and Hungary were not on the list.

Critics of the US say it has no moral authority while continuing to support autocratic rulers abroad and restricting voting rights at home.

What will the meeting achieve?

And does democracy need a rethink for the 21st century?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Scott Lucas – Emeritus professor at the University of Birmingham

Peter Neumann – Senior fellow at the Egmont Institute

Ross Feingold – Asia political risk analyst