Description
Book SynopsisThe Americanization of European Union Democracy Promotion: Ideology, Diversity, and United States Hegemony is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of the origins, development and growing prominence of international democracy promotion in the past hundred years.
Building upon the vast literature on the topic, chapters look at the EU as a global governance actor and map its multilevel governance system in democracy promotion, contextualising and comparing this with the United States hegemonic design, which has become a fundamental instrument of national foreign policy in the past two decades. Creating a comprehensive understanding of the similarities and differences between the EU and US approaches, José M. Magone examines various EU models of democracy, analysing how different national democracy understandings in Europe coexist with the technocratic liberal European one. The book ultimately argues that since 2004 the EU has aligned with a more aggressive ideological US hegemonic model of democracy promotion that has its roots in Wilsonian international liberalism.
Considering the pivotal role of the United States’ hegemonic design on EU democracy promotion, this book will be invaluable to students and scholars of international relations, European and US politics, global governance and democratization. It will also prove vital for policymakers looking into the role the EU could play in strengthening non-national global governance in the long run.
Trade Review‘This original and provocative study enlightens us not just about democracy promotion but about policy diffusion and Europe’s most important institution. It is an ideal blend of sophistication and accessibility and deserves a wide audience.’ -- Nancy Bermeo, University of Oxford, UK
‘Professor Magone's excellent new book analyzes the EU's gradual abandonment of its neutral democracy promotion policy. Magone rightly claims that the only way forward is a new form of democracy promotion that is truly neutral, pluralistic, and respectful of the democratization efforts of the EU's neighbors. This compelling book is a must read for policymakers and scholars alike.’ -- Morten Heiberg, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
A valuable roadmap of European democracy promotion as a multilevel governance system, critiquing its evolution from an overly technocratic approach towards an American model driven by US security: the former’s failure in Tunisia, and the latter’s involvement in war in Ukraine, provide a highly topical, thought-provoking read.' -- Peter Burnell, University of Warwick, UK
Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1 Introduction: the multilevel governance of the European Union’s democracy promotion 2 Exploring the models of democracy in the European Union 3 The European Union as a global governance actor 4 The origins of global democracy promotion: the pivotal role of the United States 5 The European Union as a global actor: the case of international democracy promotion 6 European multilevel governance in international democracy promotion: the European dimension 7 The European multilevel governance of international democracy promotion: the national dimension 8 European Union democracy promotion in the Mediterranean: failing in Tunisia 9 The Americanization of EU democracy promotion in wider Europe: the pitfalls of Wilsonian democratism in Ukraine 10 Conclusions: the Wilsonian turn of EU democracy promotion Bibliography Index
