Abstract
The promotion of norms and institutions associated with liberal democracy constitutes a core element of mainstream peacebuilding strategies. According to a broadly accepted definition, democracy promotion refers to all measures of external actors that aim explicitly and directly at establishing, strengthening, improving or defending democracy in a given country. With a view to the actual practice of democracy promotion, which is dominated by North-Western governments including the European Union, this implies that democracy promotion usually means liberal democracy promotion. This chapter explains that these challenges to democracy promotion result inter alia from a multiple crisis of legitimacy, and that this crisis of legitimacy can be traced to fundamental normative problems with which the overall idea of promoting democracy from the outside is confronted. Whether the aim is to promote democracy or to build peace, political experience and academic research tells us that what external actors can achieve is rather limited, while the potential for collateral damage is considerable.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.