A Real-World Approach to Democracy Promotion

URL: http://stanleyfdn.org/resources.cfm?id=278. From the 48th Strategy for Peace Conference. The struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan have underscored the difficulties of helping other nations to become democratic and led many to conclude that the United States does not belong in that business. Americans are beginning to question whether they want to be leaders of the free world, or even agents of freedom’s spread. The premise of the discussion at the Strategy for Peace Conference was that the proper response to recent woes is to redirect democracy promotion rather than abandon it. If we don’t want to simply leave the global future of democracy to fate, what will be the most fruitful approaches? How can we balance concerns about democracy with other foreign policy and national security imperatives—giving both our values and interests due consideration? What are the constraints and possibilities for an outside power such as the United States to leverage political and social change in other countries? These questions must be addressed urgently as the basis for effective US democracy promotion efforts.