The Backlash Against Democracy Promotion
Thomas Carothers, March/April 2006 Foreign Affairs

In the March/April 2006 issue of Foreign Affairs, Thomas Carothers argues that the credibility and effectiveness of Western-backed democracy promotion efforts have been undermined by a mounting backlash fueled by the perception that Western-funded democracy activities, such as those that led to the color revolutions of Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, amount to meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign states.  

Most recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill allegedly undermining democracy by requiring NGOs operating in Russia to report all activities to the Russian government in advance. Other regimes have imposed restrictions on western aid to NGOs in their nations. The “backlash” against democracy promotion has also been prominently expressed in China, Zimbabwe, and in Venezuela. 

Carothers places much of the blame on the Bush Administration. By conflating democracy promotion and regime change, the Bush administration has evoked fear and distrust among autocrats, who have responded with hostility to democracy promotion efforts. U.S. credibility as a proponent of democracy is further harmed when it engages in undemocratic practices at home, Carothers argues. He points to the torture of prisoners Iraq and the contested status of the Guantanamo Bay detainees as examples of American ‘double standards’. The U.S., he argues, must strike a better balance between fighting terrorism and preserving the civil liberties essential to its democratic character.

Carothers calls for U.S. democracy promoters to work in a more multilateral fashion with European groups and international organizations like the OSCE and UNDP, and to emphasize that their aim is to seek compliance with democratic norms rather than an attempt to control the outcomes of political processes.  Furthermore, to show that the U.S. is truly committed to democracy in principle, Washington will have to show more consistency by pressuring pro-U.S. autocrats, such as those in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, to open up.