On July 21, the leaders of five countries with leftist progressive governments gathered in Santiago, Chile, with the aim of propelling the global battle against the rising anti-democratic far right. The cause was indeed worthy, but as an effort to energize a movement, the event fell far short of inspiring.
Latin America is an apt place to launch a campaign to save democracy, having given the world the term almost universally used for a specific type of dictatorship: junta. But the “Democracy Always” summit in Santiago, which brought together the leaders of Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Spain, lacked the gravitas and focus that we normally associate with consequential international summits.
It was the second meeting of the fledgling group, which was formed on the sidelines of last year’s United Nations General Assembly under the rubric, “In defense of democracy: fighting against extremism.”