Crisis and EU foreign policy / Working Paper
Misunderstanding the maladies of liberal democracy promotion
25/01/2011 By Richard Youngs
Democracy promotion has lost traction around the world. Calls have become more audible for a fundamental rethink of what type of ‘democracy’ should be supported in different regions. Critics point to inflexible policies, with narrow conceptions of political reform.
This document argues that the problem with democracy promotion lies not in its unbending and overly zealous imposition of liberal norms. Rather, its most serious pathology is governments’ failure to defend core liberal norms in a way that would allow local variations in and choices over democratic reform – along with genuine civic empowerment and emancipation – to flourish.
Current criticisms of the democracy agenda risk pushing policy deliberations in exactly the opposite direction to their required improvement.
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Keywords
Civil society Democracy promotion European UnionRelated publications
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Bio author: Richard Youngs
Democracy promotion. EU foreign policy.
