Leave it to President Obama to stay on message even when that message is unambiguously muddled: Speaking at an event at Copenhagen on Friday, the former commander-in-chief said that the war in Ukraine underscores the importance of fighting for democracy. Danish newspaper Berlingske ran the headline, “Support for Ukraine is important, but the fight for democracy is worldwide.” It reported that Mr. Obama began his speech by saying that the war in Ukraine weighs heavily on his heart and mind and, surprising no one, averred that the war is far from over.  

In what could be construed as a pivot away from Ukraine, at least rhetorically, he also said that the fight for democracy is being fought not just there but all over the world. “If we want democracy to thrive, we must fight for it. We have to cultivate it,” Mr. Obama stated.

With what tools or materials democracy should be cultivated, the former president did not specify, but he added that it is his belief that democracies need to be rebuilt so they work better. “We have governments that either make it too difficult to vote or too difficult to see that one’s vote counts,” he said, emphasizing the importance of people to participate in the political process but also taking aim at the United States of America. 

Berlingske, the leading Danish daily, reported that in Mr. Obama’s view America is one of the countries where politics has strayed too far from the citizenry. “Democracy needs a service overhaul, otherwise it will not survive,” was Obama’s main message, according to the newspaper.

The former president’s speech bookended an event called the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which according to its website “is dedicated to strengthening the resolve of the world’s democracies by providing a high-level strategic forum exclusively focused on the cause of democracy.” 

Another participant was the prime minister of Lithuania, which was identified as “a country that has bravely stood up to authoritarian bullying from Russia, Belarus, and China.” Summit supporters included Google, Microsoft, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and the American Embassy at Copenhagen. 

The speech, which Politico reported was written with the assistance of Mr. Obama’s former foreign policy adviser, Ben Rhodes, was devoid of fireworks and delivered coolly, as is Mr. Obama’s wont. He made a point of taking aim not at cancel culture but those who criticize it, saying, “I have little sympathy for reactionaries who cynically condemn identity politics or cancel culture when really all they’re doing is trying to preserve existing privilege or excuse entrenched injustice, or bigotry.” 

Putting a period on that, he added, “The original identity politics is racism and sexism and homophobia. That’s nothing if not identity politics, and it’s done a lot more harm than some tweet from an aggrieved liberal.”

Mr. Obama will linger a bit longer at Denmark. Politico reported that he will be holding a “meet-up” on Saturday of more than 60 Obama Foundation leaders from across Europe. It added that the Copenhagen event was to be the first in-person meeting “of this cohort of Obama Foundation’s Europe program participants” since its launch in 2020.