U.S. Global Democracy Promotion: Change, Challenges, and Continuity

Abstract

Every recent presidential administration praises global democracy, but how do they do in funding democracy-supporting activities? Building on analyses of the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidencies, this essay looks at the disappointing landscape of international democracy, and then considers what the Donald Trump administration said, particularly in its National Security Strategy, and what it did in terms of funding of activities to support democracy abroad. Rooted in wider social science evidence, this analysis suggests that there are differences between top-down, bottom-up, and middle-range democracy promotion activities. It demonstrates that the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy privileged a holistic approach to democracy and human rights, and when it came to funding levels, according to government data, there was not the overall decline expected by many. The Trump National Security Strategy emphasized especially international religious freedom as fundamental to human rights and democratic governance in ways considerably different from previous administrations.