Gonul Tol: America must continue to make the moral case for democracy

Source:Financial Times Date:08May2024

The Biden administration might think that de-emphasising freedoms and rights in partner countries stuch as Turkey is a price it must pay to contain Russia and defend democracy. In reality, the administration’s policy undercuts that goal. Much of the world sees Washington’s partnerships with autocracies as proof that American actions in Ukraine are not about protecting freedom but rather about advancing its geopolitical interests.

This not only undercuts the credibility of US support for democracy but also prevents non-democratic allies from joining efforts to isolate Moscow. What the Biden administration could do instead is cast the war as a battle not for democracy but international law, since Russian aggression is a blatant violation of the UN Charter. This would allow the administration to continue to work with democratically challenged allies such as Turkey to contain Russia.