- Defining Democracy | This week, the U.S. held the Summit for Democracy, which observers in China have called “hypocritical”, arguing that the U.S. should use the summit as a chance to learn about democracy from the other countries in attendance. On December 4th, China released a white paper on the state of its democracy claiming that a country's democratic status should be determined by its own people.
- U.S. Boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics | The U.S. has announced an official diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympic games. Neither President Biden nor any U.S. government officials will be in attendance. The boycott was soon followed by the U.K., Australia, and Canada. These decisions have been met with criticism for politicizing an event that is meant to focus on athletics.
- Biden and Putin Meet to Discuss Ukraine | U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met virtually on Tuesday this week to discuss Russia’s military build-up, as it assembles 175,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. Biden made it clear that the U.S. supports Ukrainian sovereignty and called for de-escalation. Experts are weighing the cost and benefits of the U.S. implementing economic sanctions on Russia.
Read the full version here.