La démocratie peut-elle être promue de l'extérieur ?

Résumé du document

Democratization studies presents two main actors involved in the building of democratic institutions: the people and the elites. Since the 1980s, a third dimension is becoming more present in the processes of democratization: the influence from outside. It corresponds to impulses from actors which are not part of the developing democracies, like other countries -most of the time western states-, international institutions, or also political parties and NGOs from western states. However can democracy really be promoted from outside?

This essay will reflect upon key questions related to democratic promotion: Is it interesting to try to promote democracy from "above"? Is it possible? Are the methods not effective? What is quite effective and what is not effective at all? I will focus my study on two categories of actors who tried to export democracy: Western states, with the example of the United States, and international institutions, more precisely the European Union. Hence, I will try to present democratic assistance and democratic promotion according to what has been done by the US and the EU. This will suggest that perhaps, the promotion of democracy corresponds only to idealistic principles, which are not realistic and also not desirable. I will try to give a more modified answer, showing that depending on different types of democratic promotion, it can be beneficial or not to pursue democratic promotion programs. In fact, showing the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of those actors can then make it possible to understand which approaches are the most beneficial.

Extraits

[...] This leads them in tends to react after a crisis has begun rather than help prevent it. Hence, Jennifer McCoy, underlines the weaknesses in the institutional architecture of democracy promotion in International Response to Democratic Crisis in the Americas, 1990–2005' (Julia Buxton, 2006) Moreover, this lack of capacity creates a coordination failure: McCoy argues that there is an absence of detailed research on the democracy promotion capacities of regional and international bodies. As a result, there is little understanding of what needs to be done in order to strengthen hemispheric responses and enhance coordination between different actors. [...]

[...] Hence, I will try to present democratic assistance and democratic promotion according to what has been done by the US and the EU. This will suggest that perhaps, the promotion of democracy corresponds only to idealistic principles, which are not realistic and also not desirable. I will try to give a more modified answer, showing that depending on different types of democratic promotion, it can be beneficial or not to pursue democratic promotion programs. In fact, showing the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of those actors can then make it possible to understand which approaches are the most beneficial. [...]

[...] On the contrary, it should be studied more in order to find out how the actors of democratic promotion can evaluate undemocratic situations and choose the most appropriate tool to promote democracy, according to the historical, social and economic context and above all, according to he degree of democratization. References Buxton, Julia (2006) 'Securing Democracy in Complex Environments', Democratization, 13: - 723 De Zeeuw, Jeroen (2005) 'Projects do not create institutions: The record of democracy assistance in post-conflict societies', Democratization, 12: - 504 Grugel, Jean, Democratization a critical introduction, (chapter Basingstoke: Palgrave. Karen E. Smith, (2003), European Union, Foreign Policy in a changing world, 122-143 Scott, James M. and Steele, Carie A. [...]

[...] For the US, democratic promotion makes it possible to up-hold ideological and material interest. Latin America, for example, prodemocracy policies served to contain nationalist pressures and maintain an asymmetrical relationship based on US dominance (Grugel, 2002) Democracy promotion became a more central element of the US foreign policy. As explain Scott and Steele, Bill Clinton considered the support of democracy elsewhere as best strategy to ensure our security and to build a durable peace” (Bill Clinton in his 1995 State of the Union address) Even more recently, George W. [...]

[...] The EU is not ready to give money without condition and become a bank to finance the policies of others. This is the cause of a big problem: NGOs are extremely donor dependent. As explains Jeroen De Zeeuw, focus of most human-rights NGOs' activities is not demand driven, but predominantly reflects the interests of the main donor organizations” It is a cause of inefficiency because the international community has a preference for funding the cheapest activities, which are not always the more necessary. [...]