Democracy Promotion under Obama: The Complexity of Reengagement

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Among the many foreign policy challenges President Obama inherited from his predecessor, restoring the credibility of U.S. democracy promotion is one of the most complex. What have the new president and his foreign policy team done so far on this front? What opportunities exist for U.S. democracy promotion in a world where democratic retreat is as common as democratic advance? Can a new line on democracy be reconciled with the broader Obama policy of diplomatic reengagement, which entails reaching out to undemocratic regimes, like those in Russia and Iran? Thomas Carothers is vice president for studies and director of the Democracy and Rule of Law Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, based in Washington, D.C. Widely recognized as a leading international authority on democracy promotion, Carothers has worked on democracy assistance projects for many public and private organizations and carried out extensive field research on democracy-building programs around the world. He is the author or editor of eight books on democracy and rule of law promotion, including most recently Confronting the Weakest Link: Aiding Political Parties in New Democracies (2006) and Promoting the Rule of Law Abroad: In Search of Knowledge (2006), as well as many articles in prominent journals and newspapers. He has previously worked as an attorney at Arnold & Porter in Washington and at the Office of the Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the London School of Economics, and Harvard College.