Promoting Democracy and the Rule of Law: American and European Strategies (Governance and Limited Statehood)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0230220061 ISBN 13: 9780230220065

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009

European and American experts systematically compare U.S. and EU strategies to promote democracy around the world – from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, to Latin America, the former Soviet bloc, and Southeast Asia. In doing so, the authors debunk the pernicious myth that there exists a transatlantic divide over democracy promotion.

About the Author:

Thomas Risse is Professor of International Politics at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. He is co-ordinator of the Research Center 'Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood' and of the Research College 'The Transformative Power of Europe', both funded by the German Research Foundation. His research interests include international relations theories, European integration, and transatlantic relations.

Review:

"This fine collection of European and American scholars has a particular relevance against the background of the democratization movements in the Arab Middle East (the so-called "Arab Spring"). In spite of the stereotypes in the IR literature, according to which "Americans are from Mars, and Europeans from Venus" the authors in this book argue convincingly that Europe and America share a high degree of normative consensus and convergence, both in strategies and in their goals, regarding the promotion of democracy in several regions of the Third World and the post-Soviet sphere." - Arie M. Kacowicz, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

"The Arab Spring reminds us once again how important processes of democratization (successful and unsuccessful) actually are for comparative politics and international relations theory. In this fine collection, some of the world's leading experts on the subject shed new light on the international dimensions of democratization. This book represents the only systematic comparative analysis of American and EU efforts to encourage the development of democracy and the rule of law in regions of the world still lacking them - including North Africa and the Middle East. As such it is indispensable reading for students, scholars, and practitioners alike." - Leonardo Morlino, President, International Political Science Association