The Taming Of Democracy Assistance: Why Democracy Promotion Does Not Confront Dictators

The book "The Taming of Democracy Assistance" examines the shift in focus of government programs that aid democracy abroad. Instead of promoting regime change, these programs now tend to focus on technical assistance and avoid confrontation with dictators. The author argues that this change is due to the survival instincts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that implement democracy assistance. The book provides evidence from project-level data, case studies, and NGO archives to support this argument. It also explores the implications of this shift for foreign influence and moral actors in world politics, with a focus on democracy in the Middle East.

Few government programs that aid democracy abroad today seek to foster regime change. Technical programs that do not confront dictators are more common than the aid to dissidents and political parties that once dominated the field. What explains this 'taming' of democracy assistance? This book offers the first analysis of that puzzle. In contrast to previous research on democracy aid, it focuses on the survival instincts of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that design and implement democracy assistance. To survive, Sarah Bush argues that NGOs seek out tamer types of aid, especially as they become more professional. Diverse evidence - including three decades of new project-level data, case studies of democracy assistance in Jordan and Tunisia, and primary documents gathered from NGO archives - supports the argument. This book provides new understanding of foreign influence and moral actors in world politics, with policy implications for democracy in the Middle East.