Democracy solves trade wars, terrorism, environmental destruction, and prolif – prevents major wars

Needless to say, threats to American interests still exist. They include international terrorism; economic competition that could produce dangerous regional trade blocs and trade wars; environmental degradation reaching crisis proportions; the proliferation of weapons, both conventional and nuclear; and ethnic and national conflicts that could lead to war. These threats and others may not be easy to encapsulate in the public’s mind, but any one of them could affect, fundamentally, our way of life—what Tom Friedman would call “our flat world.”1 And together they constitute ample reason for an engaged America in the international arena. The answer to today’s threats is not to win a metaphorical war against a single adversary. The answer lies in creating an overall environment in which international cooperation is emphasized, and in which conflict can be managed and terrorism effectively confronted militarily, economically, and politically. In this context, foreign assistance is not only a charitable endeavor, but also an exercise in enlightened self-interest and the promotion of democracy—not some idealistic crusade, but rather quintessentially an exercise in realpolitik. Nothing better serves the interests of this country— economic, political, or ideological—than the promotion of democratic practices and institutions. A more democratic world is not simply a more orderly and humane place: It is a more peaceful and prosperous place. The notion that there should be a dichotomy between our moral preferences and our strategic goals is a false one. Our ultimate foreign policy goal is a world that is secure, stable, humane, and safe, where the risk of war is minimal. Yet, the undeniable reality is that the geostrategic hotspots most likely to erupt into violence are found, for the most part, in areas of the world that are nondemocratic, or where governments are antidemocratic. Even from the traditional foreign assistance perspective, the establishment of democratic institutions has been found to assure sustainable development. Deforestation, rural dislocation, environmental degradation, and agricultural policies that lead to famine all trace to political systems in which the victims have no political voice; in which government institutions feel no obligation to answer to the people; and in which special interests feel free to exploit the resources, land, and people without fear of oversight or the need to account. Terrorism and political extremism pose an immediate security threat that must be confronted directly and forcefully. Concurrently, there must be a new urgency in the promotion of the rule of law, pluralism, and the respect for human rights. Democracy and human rights are not only ideals to be pursued by all nations; they are also pragmatic tools that are powerful weapons against extremism.