International IDEA
Democracies are capable of grand strategy. Arguably, they have produced the most successful grand strategies of modern history. However, democracies’ grand strategies must reflect the values and navigate the checks and balances of open societies, notes Michael J. Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Thus far the best proposal to weave together the domestic, transnational, and balance-of-power elements of the Biden administration’s mission has been under the rubric of a “grand strategy of resilience,” one feature of which should be to help allies and partners take the lead. For example….
Rather than hosting a democracy summit and deciding in Washington who is and who is not invited, the Biden administration should empower Indonesia, South Korea, or other partners to host and help develop the agenda. The definition of democracy may not be as precise as experts in Washington would prefer, but this approach will draw in more countries and unleash more resources and effort from middle powers that have themselves recently gone through democratic transition.
