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Democracy promotion / Backgrounder

Democracy promotion during Zapatero's government

15/02/2008 By Kimana Zulueta-Fülscher

Foreign policy has been a divisive issue during the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and is likely to remain so in the campaign leading up to Spain's elections on March 9. One of the central questions of this debate has been over Spain’s commitment to democracy promotion in third countries.

In the context of the new sectoral strategy on governability, a realistic overview of policy outcomes over the last four years is necessary. Without claiming to be a complete or in-depth report of democracy promotion policies, this paper attempts to clarify some salient points and reach some conclusions that might help to improve a cooperation policy that is constantly developing.

The common acquis of Spanish foreign policy on stabilisation and political development towards democracy is one of the strongest assets of the country’s policy. The country’s transition meanwhile brings added value in terms of experience and empathy towards the different democratisation processes.

This Backgrounder aims to provide overarching factual data on Spanish democracy assistance under the 2004-2008 administration. The objective is to provide a factual foundation from which a broader assessment can be made of the PSOE's international support for democracy since 2004. The document's analysis remains “below the level of party politics”, and instead focuses on the progress made and weaknesses that remain in Spain's democracy promotion programmes.

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Keywords

Democracy promotion Europe International relations Spain

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Bio author: Kimana Zulueta-Fülscher

PhD in Political Science and International Relationes (University Autónoma, Madrid), she is a graduate in Humanities (University Carlos III, Madrid) and in Philosophy (UNED, Spanish Distance University)