<span style="color: #222222;">President Joe Biden has invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy in December, including major Western allies incliding India. The US has invited   Iraq and Pakistan also, according to a list posted on the State Department website on Tuesday.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' China, the United States' principal rival, is not invited, while Taiwan and Turkey, missing from the list of participants.<br />'' Among the countries of the Middle East, only Israel and Iraq will take place in the online conference, scheduled for December 9-10. Traditional Arab allies of the US — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, are not invited.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Biden invited Brazil even though Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized as having an authoritarian bent and was a firm supporter of Donald Trump.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' In Europe, Poland was invited to the summit despite persistent tension with the European Union over its human rights record. Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was not invited.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' In Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria and Niger are among the countries on the list.<br />'' In announcing the summit back in August, the White House said the meeting would galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.</span><br />''