The United States has long pursued a policy of building democratic governments abroad. In addition to Germany and Japan, following World War II, over 80 countries have adopted some form of democracy since the mid 1970s with U.S. support. There are also significant challenges to this policy: resistance from non-democratic regimes, concerns over American interventionism, and charges of hypocrisy as American forces or agents have violated the rule of law or the U.S. has supported autocratic regimes when it is otherwise in its interest to do so.
This Project Discussion is exploring some underlying conceptual questions regarding America’s nation-building efforts (for example, “What is democracy? What are its values, goals, and dimensions? How might some of these values, goals, or dimensions conflict? Why promote it abroad?). This Project is also developing and exploring some possible new policy possibilities or approaches to democracy and American foreign policy.
Project discussions began in the summer of 2009, and they should conclude in the fall of 2010, with a new Discussion Report expected later that year.
Democratic Nation Building
Project Manager – Mark Notturno.
The United States has long pursued a policy of building democratic governments abroad. In addition to Germany and Japan, following World War II, over 80 countries have adopted some form of democracy since the mid 1970s with U.S. support. There are also significant challenges to this policy: resistance from non-democratic regimes, concerns over American interventionism, and charges of hypocrisy as American forces or agents have violated the rule of law or the U.S. has supported autocratic regimes when it is otherwise in its interest to do so.
This Project Discussion is exploring some underlying conceptual questions regarding America’s nation-building efforts (for example, “What is democracy? What are its values, goals, and dimensions? How might some of these values, goals, or dimensions conflict? Why promote it abroad?). This Project is also developing and exploring some possible new policy possibilities or approaches to democracy and American foreign policy.
Project discussions began in the summer of 2009, and they should conclude in the fall of 2010, with a new Discussion Report expected later that year.