US and EU Strategies of Democracy Promotion

The strategies of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) for promoting democracy are part of the 'international' dimension of democratization, which refers to all of the external factors than can influence democratic changes of political regimes. It was only with the end of the Cold War that international actors, such as states, started to engage more actively and systematically in promoting democracy. In the first part, the chapter presents the main turning points in US and EU democracy promotion, as part of their foreign policy. In the second part, the main foreign policy tools and norms for promoting democracy are compared. The analysis shows that, even if democratization by force and democratization through integration are the characteristic tools of democracy promotion by respectively the US and the EU, the most widely used tool is democracy assistance for both actors. In terms of the democratic norms promoted, both actors have shifted from a formal model of democracy (democratic elections) to a more substantive one, which includes the strengthening of institutional and administrative capacity, judicial independence and efficiency, and a vast array of human rights.