History and Theory of US Democracy Promotion in Foreign Policy

The Democratic Peace Theory (DPT): This theory has historically served as the central justification for American efforts to expand the number of democratic regimes globally.
Arguments for DPT: The theory posits that an increase in the number of democracies worldwide leads to:
    * More partners available for international cooperation.
    * More durable and long-lasting international settlements.
    * Higher levels of global trade.
    * An overall increase in international peace.
Role of Values: Democracy promotion is a value that has regularly motivated US foreign policy, though its relative importance compared to other strategic interests has fluctuated throughout history.

Woodrow Wilson and World War I: The first significant wave of using US foreign policy to promote democracy occurred under President Woodrow Wilson.
Strategic Leverage: Wilson sought to use the United States' participation in World War I as a tool to expand the global reach of democracy.
Case of Germany: Following the war, Wilson specifically helped facilitate a democratic transition within Germany.
Self-Determination: Wilson championed the principle of self-determination, which was intended to empower local groups seeking democratic rule and independence from colonial powers.

Containment over Democracy: During the Cold War, the actual practice of democracy promotion was often secondary to the primary mission of containing communism.
Ideological Rhetoric: The US maintained high-level rhetoric regarding the superiority of democracy as part of its ideological contest with communism.
Support for Authoritarianism: In practice, the United States frequently allied itself with friendly authoritarian regimes if those regimes were instrumental in preventing communist forces from gaining power.
Interventionism and Leftist Governments: The US actively worked to undermine governments that were democratically inclined but left-leaning, out of fear they would succumb to the influence of the Soviet Union.
Key Imperial/Geopolitical Examples:
* Iran: The US supported the right-wing anti-communist dictatorship under the Shah.
* Chile: The US supported the right-wing anti-communist dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet.

Convergence of Ideology and Security: The collapse of communism ended the perceived need for the US to choose between its ideological goal (democracy promotion) and its security goal (containing communism).
Direct Link to Security: The end of the Cold War suggested that the spread of democracy was directly correlated with increased security for the United States.
Internal Pressures as a Catalyst: Communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union collapsed largely due to internal pressure from citizens demanding more individual freedom and democracy, rather than through direct US military action.
Collapse of the Threat: The Soviet Union, the primary target of forty years of containment, disappeared as a consequence of democratic spread rather than military conquest.

The Clinton Administration: President Clinton justified foreign interventions, such as those in the former Yugoslavia, on two main grounds:
* Humanitarian Imperative: The need to stop genocide.
* Democratic Spread: The goal of expanding democratic governance.
NATO Expansion: Clinton utilized portions of the Democratic Peace Theory to justify expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into Eastern Europe.
Russia in the 1990s: This era was marked by high optimism for democracy in post-communist Russia under Boris Yeltsin, its first popularly elected president, despite the transition being somewhat chaotic.

The George W. Bush Administration: Under the influence of neoconservative arguments, democracy promotion became a central pillar of foreign policy.
War in Iraq: Regime change and the introduction of democracy to the Middle East were key components of Bush’s strategy to counter the threat of terrorism following the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Shift in Public Sentiment: The negative outcomes and domestic unpopularity of the Iraq War led to deep skepticism regarding the use of military force to promote democracy.

The Obama Administration: While still committed to liberal values, Obama focused on retrenchment, withdrawing troops from Iraq and avoiding long-term military engagements in places like Syria.
The Trump Administration: Trump's "America First" policy and efforts to reduce the economic burdens of hegemony significantly diminished the role of democracy promotion. Trump was more skeptical of intervention and more willing to build ties with authoritarian figures such as Vladimir Putin.
The Biden Administration: Biden represents a return to supporting democracy, particularly evident in the context of the war in Ukraine. The policy involves:
    * Investing substantial military and economic aid to preserve Ukrainian democracy.
    * An expectation that a conquered Ukraine would be integrated into Russia and lose its democratic character.
    * A focus on strengthening alliances specifically with other democracies.
Political Bifurcation: There is a continuing divide between the parties, with the post-neoconservative Republican Party (under Trump) being more skeptical of democracy promotion interventions, and the Democratic Party (under Biden) placing it as a centerpiece of foreign policy alliances.