Reconciling Our Rhetoric and Our Actions on Democracy Promotion (Michael McFaul)
Over the course of American history, presidents, diplomats, and non-governmental leaders have delivered speeches that frightened autocrats and emboldened democrats throughout the world. Thomas Paine’s writings and activities to promote liberty might constitute the first one-man American NGO dedicated to democracy promotion. Presidents Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton all delivered speeches about the virtues and benefits of freedom that resonated well beyond America’s borders. Martin Luther King’s observation that a threat to justice anywhere was a threat to justice everywhere echoed all the way to South Africa.