As the United States steps back from diplomacy and aid aimed at supporting democracy abroad, new analytical tools are needed to assess how the new U.S. administration will impact democracy globally
The effects of the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on U.S. democracy are attracting intense analysis and debate. An equally important but less explored question is what effects the president and his new administration will have on democracy globally.
The United States has long viewed itself as, and has in many ways tried to be, a positive international force for democracy, through the power of its example and diplomatic, security, economic, and assistance policies aimed at strengthening democracy and limiting autocracy. These efforts have frequently been inconsistent, undercut by U.S. policies that, for the sake of various U.S. economic or security interests, have bolstered some autocratic leaders. But on balance, for the past eighty years, the United States has been a net contributor to democracy’s global fortunes. With a new U.S. administration that is raising doubts about its commitment to democratic norms and practices at home and taking significant steps to curtail U.S. tools for supporting democracy abroad, that position is now in doubt.
It is too early in the new administration to reach a definitive conclusion about how it will impact democracy around the world. But it is not too early to map out a framework for analyzing the effects the administration is having so far and will continue to have on global democracy as it puts its domestic and foreign policies fully into…
