Transatlantic Democracy Assistance: Promoting Different Models of Democracy

Description

The approaches of EU institutions and the US to democracy assistance often vary quite significantly as both actors choose different means and tactics. The nuances in the understandings of democracy on the part of the EU and the US lead to their promotion of models of democratic governance that are often quite divergent and, in some respects, clashing. This book examines the sources of this divergence and by focusing on the role of the actors’ "democratic identity" it aims to explain the observation that both actors use divergent strategies and instruments to foster democratic governance in third countries. Taking a constructivist view, it demonstrates that the history, expectations and experiences with democracy of each actor significantly inform their respective definition of democracy and thus the model of democracy they promote abroad. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners in democracy promotion, democratization, political theory, EU and US foreign policy and assistance, and identity research. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Illustrations Figures Tables 1 Introduction A common goal (?) The essential contestability of democracy Contextualizing democracy promotion Ethics, identity and democracy promotion Book structure Notes 2 Typology of approaches to democracy assistance Political versus developmental Top-down versus bottom-up Substantive versus procedural The typology in perspective Notes 3 Narratives and self-images for the world stage America’s clear sense of mission The EU’s technocratic origins and the search for an international role Notes 4 Democratic identity: what is the proper role of the government? The liberal tradition in America Democracy through the prism of a limited state The social tradition in Europe Democracy through the prism of a welfare state The search for legitimacy to govern Notes 5 The American model of democracy for export The Reagan administration’s promotion of “limited” democracy Promoting “market democracies” The ADVANCE Democracy Act and the meanings of democracy The QDDR – more substantive conceptualizations of democracy? Notes 6 The EU model of democracy for export Following the US example, but altering substance “Governance” and EU development support Institutionalizing democracy assistance into EU primary law The push for a “European consensus” on the definition of democracy “Arab Spring” and the concept of “deep democracy” The post-Arab Spring “Strategic Framework” Notes 7 The architecture and focus of US democracy assistance instruments The NED family’s support for bottom-up democratization USAID’s political aid programs Democracy assistance programs of the executive branch US democratic identity and instruments in perspective Notes 8 The architecture and focus of EU democracy assistance instruments The first post-Cold War democracy assistance instruments The second half of the 1990s and contemporary instruments EU democratic identity and instruments in perspective Notes 9 Conclusion Notes 10 Postscript: enter Donald Trump What has been said Budgets, programs and language Outlooks and implications Notes Bibliography Primary documents News articles Monographs Journal articles Discussion, policy and conference papers Reports Index