March 12, 2021

How the United States can protect democracy from China and Russia

The administration has made bolstering democracy abroad a key foreign policy priority. President Biden has declared that the United States must ensure democracy prevails in this moment of resurgent authoritarianism fostered by China and Russia. The two countries with disinformation and interference campaigns undermine democracy all around the world. The United States needs to demonstrate the benefits of democracy, but also dedicate revitalized efforts to helping partner countries inoculate those political systems against the advance of illiberalism. This should involve tackling such threats to democracy from China and Russia.

Beijing and Moscow present distinct challenges and use different tactics to pursue their goals. But both contest democracy as the best model for governance and undermine its practice. China exploits and exacerbates governance holes in vulnerable countries, using corruption and a lack of transparency to conduct deals that undermine political trust. Russia has similar strategic corruption tactics to back its allies within countries and undermine actors with ties to the United States and Europe.

The United States needs to demonstrate the benefits of democracy, but also dedicate revitalized efforts to helping partner countries inoculate those political systems against the advance of illiberalism.

Both China and Russia often subvert this political process for democracy with their interference in elections and providing direct financial support to friendly autocrats. Russia interferes in elections across Europe while it exploits societal fissures in countries with democracy, and China injects its dark funding into political campaigns and does timely investments to bolster the fortunes of numerous autocratic regimes all over.

Read the full article from The Hill.

  • Podcast
    • December 13, 2024
    What Can Europe do in Syria?

    After 54 years of brutal rule in Syria, the al-Assad family’s reign came to an end last week. Following 13 years of devastating civil war, which saw over a million refugees fl...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

  • Podcast
    • November 22, 2024
    Trump and the War in Ukraine with Michael Kofman and Robert Lee

    More than 1000 days into the War in Ukraine, questions about continued support for the Ukrainian effort and the prospect of a negotiated settlement in the months to come have ...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Rob Lee & Mike Kofman

  • Podcast
    • November 13, 2024
    The Future of Russia and China in Central Asia

    Despite the many proclamations that Russian and Chinese interests would collide in Central Asia, Moscow and Beijing continue to work together in service of their shared object...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend

  • Podcast
    • October 25, 2024
    Russia and the Rise of BRICS

    This past Tuesday, Russia hosted a high-profile summit of the BRICS group in Kazan, Russia, demonstrating its growing determination to challenge the Western-led international ...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Kate Johnston

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia