Defending the Gains?: Transatlantic Responses When Democracy Is Under Threat

The United States, the European Union and many European countries provide financial and political support to leaders and groups in many emerging democracies. Yet Europeans and Americans bring different sensibilities to bear in their democracy programs. The U.S. tends to focus more on political and civic development, while the EU tends to work more on deepening leaders’ capacities for good governance. How well do European and American approaches to democracy support contend with democracies under stress?

While there have been significant gains for democracy in the past two decades, not all developments have been positive. In some places, such as Russia, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, democracy has deteriorated, but there has not been a coup or clear political rupture. Do countries that support democracy have a responsibility to respond when democracy erodes, but does not collapse? In an era of close international scrutiny, leaders may choose less obvious forms of repression that intimidate opponents without triggering intervention by outsiders. As leading donors, the U.S. and EU need to be alert to this problem. This volume examines European, American and other international approaches to the erosion of democracy. Authors provide regional context and specific examples.

Esther Brimmer is deputy director and director of research at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University, USA. Her edited volumes for the Center include Transforming Homeland Security: U.S. and European Approaches (2006), The Strategic Implications of European Union Enlargement (coeditor, 2005), The European Union Constitutional Treaty: A Guide for Americans (2004), and The EU's Search for a Strategic Role: ESDP and Its Implications for Transatlantic Relations (2002).