• The U.S. State Department’s second Summit for Democracy, running from Tuesday to Thursday this week, was a disappointing affair — snubbed outright by Pakistan and mocked by the rising authoritarian powers of China and Russia.
• Pakistan pulled out of the summit at the last minute, stating it could “promote and strengthen diplomatic principles” just fine on its own. Foreign policy analysts suspected the real reasons Pakistan bowed out were internal turmoil, as former prime minister Imran Khan rallies support in the streets for his bid to return to office, and a desire to placate China.

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