President-elect Joe Biden鈥檚 foreign policy will be anchored in the traditional pursuit of America’s international role and interests. Biden has had a lengthy career in the Senate, where he served as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He also served as vice president under Barack Obama for eight years. Biden鈥檚 many speeches and comments indicate he supports democratic values in this country and around the world.
The best expression of Biden鈥檚 beliefs can be found in his at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on June 22, 2018. He argued that 鈥渄emocracy can be messy and inefficient鈥� but, 鈥渨hen everyone gets a say鈥� and 鈥渨hen citizens are empowered to hold their leaders to account,鈥� then 鈥渋nnovation and creativity and new ideas succeed.鈥� As per Biden, this is 鈥渨hy democracies outperform autocracies鈥� and that, as 鈥渃itizens, it is our duty to defend our democratic values and freedoms.鈥� He concluded his speech with a stirring call: 鈥淚f we do not stand up for our democratic values, and our democratic future 鈥� no one else will.鈥�
Getting Qatar鈥檚 Tourism Sector Back on Track After COVID-19
It seems that Joe Biden鈥檚 commitment to democracy has been noticed elsewhere. On November 3, the day Biden appeared to be set to become the 46th US president, Qatar announced a major move toward democratization. In his address to the opening session of the Shura Council, Qatar鈥檚 Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani proclaimed that the Gulf state would hold for its advisory body in October 2021. The Emir declared: 鈥淭his is an important step towards strengthening Qatari advisory traditions and developing the legislative process with wider citizen participation.鈥�
This move is important not only for Qatar and the region, but also the United States and the rest of the world. Qatar hosts the , which is the largest American military base in the Middle East. It serves as a logistics, command and basing hub for US operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the region. Doha wields tremendous soft power around the world, especially in Arab and Muslim countries, because of the Al Jazeera news network. The country鈥檚 democratization could act as an exemplar to other states and would be good news for the US.
Currently, all 45 members of the Shura Council are selected by Qatari rulers. By October 2021, 30 of the 45 members of the council will be elected by the public. After the elections, the council鈥檚 power is expected to be expanded in accordance with the constitution. Among other things, it would have the power to dismiss ministers, approve the national budget and propose legislation.
The emir’s speech generated intense interest among Qataris and others in the Gulf region. It provoked a lively debate on the meaning of democracy and its processes. Many noted that the elections are likely to receive great international attention because they will take place shortly before Qatar hosts the 2022 World Cup. The elections will change the political life of the country. They may also impact other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, especially if they are tempted to follow Qatar鈥檚 lead.
At first glance, the emir鈥檚 comments appeared to be relatively spontaneous. In reality, the elections have been planned for nearly two decades. Qatar鈥檚 2004 provided for elections as well as greater power for the Shura Council. Since Sheikh Tamim came to power in 2013, Qatar has undergone several reforms, from improved workers’ rights to greater representation of women. Last year, Sheikh Tamim set the wheels in motion by creating a committee to organize the election process.
Qatar is now all set for its first national elections. In the past, Qataris have cast ballots on constitutional reforms and voted for municipal councils. The announcement of elections to the Shura Council is a great step forward for democracy not only in the country, but also the region.
The announcement has won international praise. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the new 鈥渋nclusive, participatory measures.鈥� At a time when worries about the health of democracy abound, Qatar offers hope. The move toward elections in 2021 will increase citizen public participation, include women in political positions and give greater powers to elected leaders.
Importantly, Sheikh Tamim has put his country in the good books of the incoming Biden administration. In geopolitical terms, the emir is valuable because he strongly supports international counterterrorism efforts. He also promotes free speech in the region through Al Jazeera, which has won much respect for its high-quality coverage. Now, Qatar has embraced a democratic future and become more of a natural American ally as a president who champions democratic values enters the White House.
The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.
Support 51吃瓜
We rely on your support for our independence, diversity and quality.
For more than 10 years, 51吃瓜 has been free, fair and independent. No billionaire owns us, no advertisers control us. We are a reader-supported nonprofit. Unlike many other publications, we keep our content free for readers regardless of where they live or whether they can afford to pay. We have no paywalls and no ads.
In the post-truth era of fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles, we publish a plurality of perspectives from around the world. Anyone can publish with us, but everyone goes through a rigorous editorial process. So, you get fact-checked, well-reasoned content instead of noise.
We publish 3,000+ voices from 90+ countries. We also conduct education and training programs
on subjects ranging from digital media and journalism to writing and critical thinking. This
doesn鈥檛 come cheap. Servers, editors, trainers and web developers cost
money.
Please consider supporting us on a regular basis as a recurring donor or a
sustaining member.
Will you support FO鈥檚 journalism?
We rely on your support for our independence, diversity and quality.
Iran鈥檚 Revenge Against Israel Will Be a Long Game
Tehran will not jeopardize its strategic goals for the short-term satisfaction of a revenge attack for Israel鈥檚 assassination of Mohsen...
Commenting Guidelines
Please read our commenting guidelines before commenting.
1. Be Respectful: Please be polite to the author. Avoid hostility. The whole point of 51吃瓜 is openness to different perspectives from perspectives from around the world.
2. Comment Thoughtfully: Please be relevant and constructive. We do not allow personal attacks, disinformation or trolling. We will remove hate speech or incitement.
3. Contribute Usefully: Add something of value 鈥� a point of view, an argument, a personal experience or a relevant link if you are citing statistics and key facts.
Please agree to the guidelines before proceeding.