Democracy Promotion: Cornerstone of U.S. Foreign Policy

Abstract

One of President George W. Bush's stated reasons for starting the war in Iraq was to bring democracy to that country. He stated in December 2006 that [We] are committed to a strategic goal of a free Iraq that is democratic, that can govern itself, defend itself and sustain itself. More broadly, the Bush Administration has viewed democracy promotion as an instrument for combatting terrorism. Arguably, the lack of a clear definition of democracy and a comprehensive understanding of its basic elements may have hampered the formulation of democracy promotion policy and effective prioritizing of democracy promotion activities over the years. Also, the lack of definition may have complicated coordination of democracy programs and the assessment of U.S. government activities and funding. Further, without a consensus on democracy definition and goals, what criteria will determine when, if ever, a country has attained an acceptable level of democratic reform and no longer needs American assistance? Both the U.S. executive and legislative branches of government support democracy promotion in other countries. The Bush Administration has implemented both bilateral and multilateral programs to promote democracy, such as the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), and requested about $1.5 billion for democracy promotion in FY2008. Also, it identified governing justly and democratically as a key objective of its foreign aid policies. Congress appropriates funds, authorizes programs, and is responsible for oversight. In 2007, Congress considered, among other democracy promotion bills, the ADVANCE Democracy Act of 2007 (H.R. 982). It contains provisions to promote democracy overseas, calls for specific State Department actions and reports, aims to strengthen the Community of Democracies, and authorizes funding for democracy assistance for FY2008 and FY2009.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 26, 2007
Accession Number
ADA476107

Entities

People

  • Francis T. Miko
  • Nina M. Serafino
  • Susan B. Epstein

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Rights
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Department Of State
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Public Policy

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Strategic Security Studies