Summary: The Biden administration has made supporting democracy globally a major foreign policy priority in response to a challenging international context marked by democratic recession, assertive autocratic powers, and the troubled status of U.S. democracy. The administration’s democracy policy is rooted in six main elements, each with a unique theory of change: countering autocratic challengers, engaging multilaterally on democracy, responding to democratic backsliding, helping democracy deliver, upgrading democracy aid, and reforming U.S. democracy. While these elements represent a serious response to democracy’s global challenges, they also face dilemmas and constraints. The lasting impact of Biden’s democracy policy will depend on how well these elements are integrated into U.S. bilateral policies, how they add up to more than the sum of their parts, and whether they can be sustained beyond 2024. Three open questions remain about the administration’s democracy policy: integration into bilateral policies, synergy among initiatives, and long-term success in institutionalizing and sustaining policies. The administration’s democracy legacy will be shaped by its ability to address these questions in the face of a challenging international and domestic environment.
The Biden administration’s efforts to support democracy globally are multifaceted and complex, reflecting the challenges of the current international landscape. The administration’s focus on countering autocratic challengers, engaging multilaterally on democracy, responding to democratic backsliding, helping democracy deliver, upgrading democracy aid, and reforming U.S. democracy all represent important elements of its democracy policy.
However, these efforts face significant challenges and trade-offs. The administration’s emphasis on countering China and Russia can sometimes lead to compromises on democracy promotion in certain countries where strategic interests take precedence. The multilateral engagement on democracy, such as the Summit for Democracy process, has yielded some positive outcomes but also poses risks of diverting attention from critical bilateral engagements. Responding to democratic backsliding requires navigating countervailing interests and asymmetric commitments, making it a complex and challenging endeavor.
The administration’s focus on helping democracy deliver and upgrading democracy aid are important steps in modernizing democracy assistance, but they also face limitations in terms of impact and reach. Finally, the efforts to reform U.S. democracy are crucial for strengthening America’s credibility as a prodemocratic actor internationally, but they face significant obstacles in a polarized political environment.
As the Biden administration’s democracy policy evolves, three key open questions remain. Can the administration integrate its thematic democracy initiatives into bilateral policies effectively? Can these initiatives be brought together to create a cohesive and impactful strategy? And can the administration institutionalize and sustain these policies beyond 2024 to ensure lasting impact? The answers to these questions will determine the legacy of Biden’s democracy policy and its effectiveness in advancing democracy globally.
