The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Abstract

This concluding chapter discusses how international election monitoring has become the most prominent tool in the liberal effort to promote democracy and create a more stable and just world. After elections, media organizations everywhere hurry to the press conferences of the international monitoring organizations and headline their assessments. International leaders likewise rely on the monitors' information to justify their rejection or acceptance of newly elected governments around the world. Election monitors can be a force for good. Although they generally cannot bring about change singlehandedly, they can reinforce existing pressures on a country. They can help improve elections and increase turnover, and politicians sometimes do follow their advice and make real changes to the electoral process.