DEMOCRACY PROMOTION: THE CORNERSTONE OF AMERICA'S FOREIGN POLICY AFTER THE COLD WAR
DEMOCRACY PROMOTION: THE CORNERSTONE OF AMERICA'S FOREIGN POLICY AFTER THE COLD WAR

Summary/Abstract: The spread of democracy in the aftermath of the Cold War seemed destined to replace the policy of containment as one of the most quintessential guiding principles of America’s foreign policy. It was widely embraced in the academic policy-making as well as media circles, that the promotion of democracy was essentially the U.S’s mission in a post-Cold War world. This mission, primarily as a philosophy as well as a diplomatic strategy, is undoubtedly put into life by American idealism, which is nothing other than the belief in progress through reason and deeply enshrined in the Enlightenment’s liberal principles. And it is a absolute truism that a freer and more democratic world contributes to a more secure world, a stronger and more sustainable economic growth, as well as more resilient alliances that offer better lives for their citizens. The paper argues that America’s legacy in democracy promotion , i.e., liberal democracy has benefitted the citizens of the new democracies and ultimately created a safer world. Though democracy is not an event but rather a process that requires the inclusion of multiple stakeholders in a society, that are not necessarily animated equally across the globe , the U.S’s democracy programs have nonetheless contributed statistically as well as realistically for significant improvements in the realm of democracy worldwide, a legacy that cannot as yet be attributed to any other super power in a post-Westphalian world order.

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