Democracy under siege? At summit, there’s more to the story.

Farmers in India, voters in Honduras and Gambia, even protesters in communist Cuba – what they have in common is some recent victory secured through the exercise of rights guaranteed in democratic governance.

As President Joe Biden hosts more than 100 countries for his promised Summit for Democracy Thursday and Friday, much of the talk in Washington and other capitals is on how this summit is something like a firetruck responding to a raging global blaze – of democratic backsliding, proliferating coups, and disaffection with democracy’s ability to deliver.

But events in India, Honduras, Gambia, Cuba, and indeed many other countries suggest a more positive role that the summit needs to play as well. For all the frustrations with democracy and evidence of authoritarianism’s march, many people in all parts of the world still have