In the Name of Democracy: U.S. Intervention in the Americas Today

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Over the past two decades, so-called democracy promotion has become a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Americas. This has justified, above all else, intervention of one sort or another in the electoral processes in Latin American countries.

“Democracy,” as several contributors to this Report remind us, does not refer only to elections. Beyond the ballot box, the term can characterize a wide variety of legal and social agreements that give people regular and transparent powers to participate in institutions that shape their lives. Understandings of democracy, of course, are key to its promotion, and Washington’s understanding of the democracy it promotes is a central focus of this Report, as is how that promotion is carried out.

The Report emerges from “In the Name of Democracy: U.S. Electoral Intervention in the Americas,” a conference held last April at Yale University that brought together strong defenders and acerbic critics of U.S. democracy promotion to debate its nature, motives and effectiveness.


http://www.nacla.org/art_display.php?art=2667