Exceptionalism, Pluralism and Transatlantic Democracy Promotion. Wilson’s Ideas One Century On

The chapter focuses on one pillar of the Liberal Order – democracy and its promotion abroad – by analysing its evolution from Wilson to the present day, adopting a transatlantic perspective. From this specific angle, it is possible to grasp the evolution and variations of the USA’s role as the main player engaged in promoting democracy in third countries, from the Cold War era to G.W. Bush’s campaign to “export” democracy by force, to the lowest points of the Trump administration. In addition, this standpoint also allows us to reflect upon the transformation of Europe’s role – from a target of US action into a leading actor in the promotion of democracy – as a significant step in the normative evolution of the Liberal Order in the post-bipolar context. This change, which is backed by the European Union progressively adopting a set of distinctive and independent policies to promote democracy both regionally and on a global scale, introduces an element of pluralism that was hitherto almost absent in this field. It is here that greatest hope can be found for overcoming the “crisis of confidence” that seems to be hitting Western democracies in an age of rising populism.