BANGKOK -- While the world was preoccupied with combating the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the U.S. has drawn a contentious line in the sand over democratic values.
President Joe Biden invited leaders from some 110 countries and regions to an online Summit for Democracy on Dec. 9 and 10. But the summit, which has been criticized by some foreign policy experts for exacerbating global divisions, sent mixed signals to Asia.
