Promoting or Preventing Democracy? U.S. Foreign Policy and the Bankruptcy of the Ideals-vs-Interests Distinction

Speaker: Payam Ghalehdar, Postdoctoral Fellow, International Security Program

Under what conditions does the United States promote democracy abroad? From Western-style liberal democracy to outright authoritarianism, the historical record of U.S. regime promotion reveals a wide-ranging variation in promoted regime types. According to the standard narrative, this variation stems from a clash between the pursuit of hard-nosed self-interest and democratic values and ideals. This presentation challenges the misleading distinction between interests and ideals, arguing that both democracy promotion and democracy prevention can stem from national security considerations. To shed light on the variation in U.S. regime promotion, the presentation instead focuses on competing beliefs among U.S. foreign policy elites about the link between regime type and regime efficacy.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.