Thread by @DCTwining

THREAD: The U.S. needs a global democracy strategy to win the great-power competition.

1/ In 2018 the U.S. identified great-power competition as the core of its National Security Strategy—a shift away from decades of U.S. foreign policy focused (mostly) on combating terrorism.

2/ What does this look like? For authoritarian regimes like the #CCP and the #Kremlin: Debt trapping, disinformation campaigns, restrictions on independent media, to name a few. The goal? Undermine democracies that threaten their geopolitical interests.

3/ Enter #COVID19. Countries rely now more than ever on effective and transparent governance—from service delivery to fiscal transparency, these services now mean life or death for citizens.

4/ True, #COVID19 has created a strategic window for authoritarians. But it has also exposed the dangers these great-power authoritarians pose—to their citizens & the rest of the world.⁦⁦
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5/ This represents an opportunity to bend the post-pandemic world’s democratic trajectory sharply upward.

That's why the U.S. must take the lead in shaping a more democratic global order, as @patrickwquirk & I argue in @aminterest: bit.ly/gpc-post-pande…

6/ How can the U.S. achieve this? First, counter great-power authoritarians' attempts to degrade global democracy. Support truth-seekers from civil society to journalists. They keep governments accountable to citizens. @IRIglobal’s report on this: bit.ly/35UmhGW

7/ Second, bolster democracy where it is vulnerable. Via foreign assistance & diplomatic efforts, the U.S. can support the strengthening of political parties, help build the capacity of local champions & strengthen legislatures, among others. For example: bit.ly/2VIEjsp

8/ Third, win the war of ideas. Counter the robust disinformation campaigns of the #Kremlin by advancing a clear counter-narrative about why democracies deliver for their citizens—while highlighting the failures of dictatorships.

9/ Lastly, reform multilateral institutions influenced by authoritarian states. From #CCP's influence on the @WHO to their seat on the UN Human Rights Council, we must ask ourselves: Can we risk being led into another global crisis? I believe the answer is no.

10/ There was another time when authoritarians appeared ascendant. In 1982 @RonaldReagan called for a global campaign for democracy. A decade later the USSR was gone. Reagan's words weren't a prophecy—they were part of a coordinated global campaign.

11/ We can and must embark on such a campaign again. #COVID19 has created urgency and opportunity. We should seize the moment and the U.S. should lead the way. Here's how: bit.ly/gpc-post-pande…