Synopses & Reviews
European and American experts systematically compare U.S. and EU strategies to promote democracy around the world - from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, to Latin America, the former Soviet bloc, and Southeast Asia. In doing so, the authors debunk the pernicious myth that there exists a transatlantic divide over democracy promotion.
Review
'This fine collection of European and American scholars has a particular relevance against the background of the democratization movements in the Arab Middle East (the so-called "Arab Spring"). In spite of the stereotypes in the IR literature, according to which "Americans are from Mars, and Europeans from Venus" the authors in this book argue convincingly that Europe and America share a high degree of normative consensus and convergence, both in strategies and in their goals, regarding the promotion of democracy in several regions of the Third World and the post-Soviet sphere.' - Arie M. Kacowicz, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
'The Arab Spring reminds us once again how important processes of democratization (successful and unsuccessful) actually are for comparative politics and international relations theory. In this fine collection, some of the world's leading experts on the subject shed new light on the international dimensions of democratization. This book represents the only systematic comparative analysis of American and EU efforts to encourage the development of democracy and the rule of law in regions of the world still lacking them - including North Africa and the Middle East. As such it is indispensable reading for students, scholars, and practitioners alike.' - Leonardo Morlino, President, International Political Science Association
Synopsis
Are Americans and Europeans united or divided over the goal of promoting democracy and the rule of law around the globe? What strategies and instruments do they wield in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East in an effort to achieve these goals? And what do their successes and failures reveal both about the challenge of encouraging the spread of freedom and the nature of American and European foreign policies in the 21st century? These are some of the pressing questions tackled in this volume by a distinguished group of analysts from both sides of the Atlantic. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the authors demonstrate in detail that the U.S. and the EU share many common features in their democracy promotion strategies, including shared 'double standards'. This is a much anticipated study - one that provides the first systematic, comparative analysis of American and European efforts to transform governance in developing countries.
About the Author
AMICHAI MAGEN is W. Glenn Campbell National Fellow at the Hoover Institution and aLecturer in Law atStanford Law School. He is also anAffiliated Scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law (CDDRL) atStanford University.
THOMAS RISSE is Professor of International Politics at the Freie Universität Berlin and Coordinator of the Research Center "Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood" at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
MICHAEL MCFAUL is the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law (CDDRL), all at Stanford University.
Table of Contents
Foreword; R. Morningstar
1. Introduction: American and European Strategies to Promote Democracy; A.Magen and M.A.McFaul
2. Venus Approaching Mars? The EU's Approaches to Democracy Promotion in Comparative Perspective; T.A.Börzel and T.Risse
3. Governance and Foreign Assistance; D.M.Girod, S.D.Krasner and K.Stoner Weiss
4. Europe, the United States, and Middle Eastern Democracy; R.Youngs and T.Cofman Wittes
5. Comparing EU and US Democracy: Promotion in the Mediterranean and the Newly Independent States; V.van Hüllen and A.Stahn
6. Democracy or Stability? EU and US Engagement in the Southern Caucasus; T.A.Börzel, Y.Pamuk and A.Stahn
7. Latin America is Different: Transatlantic Discord on How to Promote Democracy in 'Problematic' Countries; S.Gratius and T.Legler
8. U.S. and EU Strategies to Promote Democracy in Indonesia; R.Kleinfeld
9. Conclusions: Towards Transatlantic Democracy Promotion?; T.Risse