By: Ash Jain
What is the kernel of the issue?
The rules-based democratic order—led by the United States and its allies—faces a daunting set of challenges, from the rise of authoritarianism to disruptive technologies to climate change. Russia and China, in particular, are seeking to disrupt the international system and establish their own respective spheres of influence.
Why is the issue important?
Without closer alignment among leading democracies, it will be difficult for the US to solve the critical global challenges we face today. As President Biden recently stated, we are at an inflection point between democracy and autocracy. Beijing and Moscow are seeking to sow divisions between the US and its allies. To succeed in this era of great power competition, America must find new ways to work with its core allies and partners – transatlantic and transpacific – and harness their collective power and influence.
What is the recommendation?
The Biden administration should move to expand the G7 to become a new D-10, bringing together influential democracies across Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific, to serve as a global steering committee to forge common strategies to address global challenges. The D10 can foster coordinated strategies for dealing with Russia and China, set norms and standards for advanced technologies, and build a new architecture to support an open global economy. By aligning the world’s leading democracies, the D-10 can serve as a powerful instrument to advance a more peaceful, prosperous, and democratic world order.