中新網評：“民主峯會”還是“霸主峯會”？
中新網北京12月6日電(蔣鯉) 美國總統拜登近日公佈，將於12月9日至10日舉行首屆“民主峯會”。拜登政府挑選了110個國家和地區作為參會成員，表面上是要“推進民主”，實質上是打着“民主”的旗號拉幫結派，強行推行自己的模式，維護自己的霸主地位。
《華盛頓郵報》稱，這次峯會主要用意之一是聯合全球“民主政府”對抗中國，反制中國在經濟、政治和軍事上的影響力。
從公佈的名單來看，美國發起的這場邀約，以其自身戰略利益為指導。比如在亞洲，日本、韓國等一些美國盟友受到了邀請，而泰國、越南、新加坡則不在邀請名單上。中東地區的國家，只有以色列和伊拉克受到了邀請。
什麼是民主，一個國家是否民主，絕不是由另一個國家説了算，而是應該由當事國的人民説了算。
冷戰結束至今，美國一直是全球唯一的超級大國，不願意看到世界上出現能夠和它抗衡的國家。但是，自2001年9.11事件以來，美國的全球領導力不斷衰退。由於應對新冠疫情不力，美式民主的聲望在全球範圍內呈“斷崖式”下降。皮尤研究中心最近的一項調查顯示，全球57%的受訪者、美國國內72%的受訪者認為美國“不是民主的良好樣板”。
美國人對自己國家更有發言權。哈佛大學肯尼迪學院政治研究所本週公佈的一項新民意調查顯示，大多數美國年輕人對美國的民主狀況感到擔憂。其中， 52%的年輕人認為美國的民主陷入困境或者是失敗的。
美國的兩黨製表面上看似民主，然而他們並不是勁往一處使，心往一處想，而是彼此傾軋，互相拆台。從疫情一開始，民主黨和共和黨就在是否應該戴口罩等各種防疫問題上爭執不休，錯過了抗疫最佳時期，最終導致國內疫情失控。截至11月底，美國的新冠病毒死亡人數突破77萬，使美國成為全世界因新冠疫情死亡人數最高的國家。
面對不斷遭受到的質疑，美國政府沒有反思自身存在的缺陷，而是依然以“民主代言人”自居，打着推進“民主”的旗號，拉攏一些追隨者，打壓、排擠他國。
世界是多元的，民主不是一種教條，實現民主也不可能只有一種模式，更不能強制推行某一種模式，甚至要求有着不同文化傳統、歷史、國情的國家都套用這一模式，不符合這種模式的國家，就被判定為“不民主”，這種用一己標準壟斷對民主的定義，充當民主“判官”的做法，實質上是一種“霸主”心態，是對民主精神的踐踏，是最大的不民主。
當今世界迫切需要的，既不是拉幫結夥排斥異己召開所謂的“民主峯會”，也不是建立什麼“民主國家聯盟”，而是放下“霸主”心態，包容並蓄，尊重各個國家自己的選擇，共同發展，合作共贏。(完)
'Summit for Democracy' a pretense for imposing hegemony？
By John Lee
(ECNS) -- U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that he will host a virtual "Summit for Democracy" on Dec. 9 and 10. The Biden Administration has invited 110 countries and regions to join the summit, claiming to promote democracy yet, in essence, it is trying to impose its "democratic model" and maintain hegemony.
The event is an attempt to "unify democratic governments in opposition to China" and counter China's "economic, political and military influence," said the Washington Post.
The invitation list reveals its ambition to expand its strategic interests. In Asia, for example, U.S. allies Japan and South Korea were invited, while Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore were not. Of the countries in the Middle East, only Israel and Iraq were invited.
The issues of “What is democracy?" and “Whether a country is democratic or not" shouldn't be decided and judged by a certain country. Rather, it should be done by the people who live there.
The majority of young Americans believe that democracy in their country is either failing or in trouble, according to a Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics poll on Wednesday.
The United States has remained the world's sole superpower since the end of the Cold War. Its global leadership has gradually declined since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. The reputation of the U.S. model of democracy has also dropped dramatically due to its ineffective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Global Attitudes Survey this spring, Pew surveyed 18,850 adults in 17 advanced economies about their views of American society and politics. Few people view American democracy as an example for the rest of the world to follow, its survey shows. Outside the U.S., 57 percent said that American democracy “has not been a good example for democracy in recent years.” An additional 23 percent said the United States has never been a good example for democracy.
The figure is as high as in the U.S., where about 72 percent of American respondents said their country has not been a good example for democracy in recent years.
U.S. bipartisanship appears democratic, yet Democrats and Republicans are always at odds and try to drag the other down even when there is need for cooperation. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out they squabbled over various issues, including whether a mask mandate was necessary, missing the best time to contain the pandemic and creating an out-of-control situation.
By the end of November, the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 in the U.S. had passed 770,000, making it the country with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world.
In the face of doubts concerning its global leadership, the U.S. government did not reflect on its own shortcomings, but tried to woo followers and subdue countries with different types of governance in the name of promoting "democracy.”
The world is a diverse planet and democracy is not a dogma. There cannot be only one model of democracy, and it's unrealistic to impose one model on countries with different cultural traditions, histories, and national conditions.
It is a "hegemonic" mentality to call a country "undemocratic" if it does not conform to this model.
What is urgently needed today is neither a "summit for democracy" nor a "coalition of democracies.” Instead, the focus should be on mutual understanding, inclusiveness, and respect for each country's own choices.