Saving democracy

Commitment to liberal rules, at home and abroad, takes effort

US President Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy arranged for over 100 world leaders to speak about the importance of democracy and how important it is to defend it. For Mr Biden, the democracy summit has been a long-cherished ambition — he repeatedly spoke about it when on the campaign trail. It is part of what he says is his attempt to ensure the leadership of the free world regains its centrality in American foreign policy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at the summit, repeating familiar tropes about the strength of India’s democratic credentials.

Yet few can argue that, in democracies across