Promote Democracy and Protect Human Rights
A third perspective is concerned above all with promoting democracy and human rights. Winning the Cold War was a historic moral victory. But if fledgling democracies fail in the former Soviet Union, Latin America and elsewhere, what was gained could still be lost. The United States must renew its commitment to promote democracy and protect human rights around the world. This is the perspective that best reflects America's values and ideals. Ultimately, this is also the most practical way to promote world peace, and to expand markets for U.S. goods abroad.
What Should be Done?
Increase foreign aid to struggling countries.Be prepared to take an active role in disciplining and isolating nations that abuse human rights.Combat antidemocratic forces, and use every opportunity to nurture democratic regimes. Be prepared to sacrifice other goals, including U.S. economic interests, to promote human rights as our primary commitment. Be prepared to act alone, when necessary, to deter antidemocratic forces and deal with human rights abuses.
Arguments For This Approach
Defending democracy and human rights worldwide is our primary obligation and our overriding concern. America must be prepared to defend something more than our strategic needs and our economic self-interest.With the end of the Cold War, we have a historic opportunity to advance democracy around the globe.If the U.S. doesn't take the role of defending democracy and human rights, no other nation will defend those values. Promoting democratic regimes is the best way to ensure stability over the long run, and to expand markets for American-made goods.
Arguments Against This Approach
Given the amount of instability around the world, this approach is hopelessly unrealistic. The U.S. has a limited ability to end world suffering and resolve tensions that lead to civil war and regional strife. Problems in other parts of the world are complex and often cannot be understood through the lens of our own expectations, moral judgments and ideological preferences. Making the U.S. the global champion of democracy and human rights will result in endless entanglements in the internal affairs of other nations, and it will put the lives of U.S. soldiers at risk. If we want to help poor nations, we should export our economic system, not our political system. Authoritarian governments, when they are run by benevolent leaders, are often better able than democratic regimes to meet the needs of poor countries with low literacy rates. The U.S. cannot on its own enforce human rights when there is little consensus worldwide about defining those rights and enforcing them.
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