Assessing Democracy Assistance: The Case of Romania

Carothers, Thomas

Book

Assessing Democracy Assistance: The Case of Romania

This landmark study, an examination of U.S. democracy assistance efforts in Romania, is the first comprehensive analysis of the workings—and failings—of U.S. democracy assistance in one country.

By Thomas Carothers

Published on Jan 1, 1996

Source: Washington

In recent years, assistance aimed at promoting democracy abroad has become a major component of U.S. foreign aid and of the U.S. government's post-Cold War policy of seeking to enlarge the international community of democratic nations. Despite its rapid growth, however, democracy assistance remains poorly understood in practice, and its value is frequently questioned.

This landmark study, an examination of U.S. democracy assistance efforts in Romania, is the first comprehensive analysis of the workings—and failings—of U.S. democracy assistance in one country. Based on the author's extensive field research, the study provides widely applicable answers to key questions about the value, strategies, methods, and future of such assistance.

Advance Praise

“This is a thoughtful account of how projecting the values of one culture into another for the best of motives can go wrong, and it deserves to be read by all those committed to seeing East Europeans enjoying the life chances and liberties that we take for granted in the Atlantic democracies.”
—Europe–Asia Studies

About the Author

Thomas Carothers

Harvey V. Fineberg Chair for Democracy Studies; Director, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Thomas Carothers, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, is a leading expert on comparative democratization and international support for democracy.

Recent Work

Paper
The Effects of U.S. Democratic Backsliding on U.S. Power
- Thomas Carothers
Paper
Post-U.S. International Democracy Support: Aspiration in Search of Substance
- Richard Youngs, Thomas Carothers

Eastern Europe

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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