Book Description

Despite growing interest in democracy promotion, the nature and extent of external factors’ impact on democratic transitions to date remains understudied. The question of what works under what circumstances is still intensely contested among academics, policy-makers, and practitioners. Liberal Interventionism and Democracy Promotion, edited by Dursun Peksen, contributes to the study of international democracy promotion, exploring the extent to which various forms of foreign interventions and policy actors that advocate political liberalization affect the spread of democracy. The contributors in this study specifically address issues highly relevant to the academic research and policymaking, including the evaluation of the efficacy of four major tools—economic sanctions, foreign aid, external armed interventions, and soft power—that are often used to advance political liberalization in authoritarian regimes. The book also assesses the performance of four major non-state actors—the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the European Union, and transnational human rights organizations—that have become increasingly influential in advocating the spread of civil liberties and political rights. Liberal Interventionism and Democracy Promotion’s comprehensive assessment of the efficacy of major policy instruments and actors that advocate political liberalization offers a greater understanding of what works best and when in the practice of democracy promotion. This collection is an essential contribution to the study of democracy promotion and international relations.