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US Foreign Aid towards Democracy Promotion in the Middle East 2003-2013: A Case Study of Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan
Abdellateef Al-Weshah
Abstract
The study is important due to its immediate nature – the drawn conclusions can be applied to reflect on the contemporary policy of American aid and the US attitudes regarding the promotion of democracy worldwide. The main problem illustrated in the three respective case studies consists in the fact that democracy promotion is not a process driven by the sheer appreciation of the ideology related to the considered system of government. Allowing people to become involved in making decisions about country’s affairs frequently becomes secondary to other objectives, be them securing economic conditions, securing influences in a region or maintaining control. In this regard, the year 2003 marks the temporary departure of the USA from its post-Cold War bottom-up approach advocating the use of ‘soft’ solutions rather than military power. The study reveals that such shifts in democratization policies can prove counterproductive and costly to global superpowers. The performed analysis shows the progress made in three countries, each of which was assisted according to a different scheme. However, none of the cases is as complex as the situation in Iraq where hard power was employed. The campaign proved least predictable and highly resource-consuming requiring long-term presence of both military and civilian forces. Thus, the study also constitutes a constructive criticism of the top-down approach to democratization in the 21st century.- Record ID
- UAM7a8a64b89fe54cbdb1607b1a3b4437d2
- Diploma type
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Author
- Title in Polish
- Wsparcie Stanów Zjednoczonych skierowane na promowanie demokracji na Bliskim Wschodzie w latach 2003-2013 na przykładach Egiptu, Iraku i Jordanii
- Title in English
- US Foreign Aid towards Democracy Promotion in the Middle East 2003-2013: A Case Study of Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan
- Language
- (en) English
- Certifying Unit
- Faculty of Political Science and Journalism (SNs/WNPiD/FoPSaJ)
- Discipline
- media studies / (social studies) / (social studies)
- Scientific discipline (2.0)
- Status
- Finished
- Defense Date
- 20-10-2016
- Title date
- 20-10-2016
- Supervisor
- URL
- http://hdl.handle.net/10593/15017 Opening in a new tab
- Keywords in English
- United States, Middle East, Foreign Aid, democracy promotion
- Abstract in English
- The study is important due to its immediate nature – the drawn conclusions can be applied to reflect on the contemporary policy of American aid and the US attitudes regarding the promotion of democracy worldwide. The main problem illustrated in the three respective case studies consists in the fact that democracy promotion is not a process driven by the sheer appreciation of the ideology related to the considered system of government. Allowing people to become involved in making decisions about country’s affairs frequently becomes secondary to other objectives, be them securing economic conditions, securing influences in a region or maintaining control. In this regard, the year 2003 marks the temporary departure of the USA from its post-Cold War bottom-up approach advocating the use of ‘soft’ solutions rather than military power. The study reveals that such shifts in democratization policies can prove counterproductive and costly to global superpowers. The performed analysis shows the progress made in three countries, each of which was assisted according to a different scheme. However, none of the cases is as complex as the situation in Iraq where hard power was employed. The campaign proved least predictable and highly resource-consuming requiring long-term presence of both military and civilian forces. Thus, the study also constitutes a constructive criticism of the top-down approach to democratization in the 21st century.
- Uniform Resource Identifier
- https://researchportal.amu.edu.pl/info/phd/UAM7a8a64b89fe54cbdb1607b1a3b4437d2/
- URN
urn:amu-prod:UAM7a8a64b89fe54cbdb1607b1a3b4437d2