A Brief Survey of Democracy Promotion in U.S. Foreign Policy

Abstract

Democracy promotion is a popular tool for US national strategy. Of course, it is not a new tool. Throughout the 19th century, US foreign policy used a form of passive democracy promotion, rooted in John Quincy Adams' concept of the "beacon on the hill." In this context, America was the shining light: a model of excellence for others to follow if and when they so choose. Official government efforts were limited to expressions of moral support. In contemporary parlance, early America used soft power to promote democracy. As the United States entered the international scene at the dawn of the 20th century, the United States began democracy promotion via hard power; actively expending government resources with the intent of improving the level of democracy in a country. The means of democracy promotion (i.e., rhetoric, economic aid, and military intervention) varied over the years. As national security objectives changed within and between presidential administrations, the ways and means of democracy promotion were fine tuned in an attempt to align with changing objectives.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2014
Accession Number
AD1015104

Entities

People

  • Michael Fowler

Organizations

  • United States Air Force Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Commerce
  • Economic Sanctions
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Security
  • Market Economy
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Public Policy
  • Second World War
  • Treaties
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies