Relative Importance of Democracy Promotion

Overview of CHAPTER I: Introduction

All governments pursue in the course of their regular activities the development and execution of foreign policies, policies ideally designed to promote the interests of the nation-state and to position it favorably with respect to its competitors or neighbors (Sodaro, 2004). By definition, foreign policy in any country tends to be formed around nationalism,, defined as a consciously formulated set of political ideas that emphasize the distinctiveness and unity of the country, specifying common interests, and prescribing goals for action (Sodaro, 2004).

In the context of international affairs, foreign policies become key mechanism for structuring both bilateral and multilateral relationships between nation-states. Such policies are more than ideological positions; they are representative of the actual framework within which political, economic, cultural, diplomatic, and social interactions will occur.

There are any number of theories describing the policy formation process and orientation. Among those theories are rational choice or rational actor theory, a political science derivative of economics stemming from the assumption that human beings are motivated in their economic behavior by material self-interest. Rational choice o

ill be emulated in others if this theory is correct. America also understands democracy as based on representative government, law, and constitutionalism (Jervis, 2003). Theoretically, the American model does not accept an authoritarian monarchy as the basis for democratic rule. It does recognize, however, that a constitutional monarchy can also be a democratic state as is the case with Great Britain. As will be demonstrated in this study, neither the kingdom of Saudi Arabia nor Kuwait are constitutional monarchies in the British model. This does not necessarily mean that Kuwait's version of consultative democracy is not viable or acceptable. The question of how American concepts of democracy impact upon foreign policy will be taken up in greater detail in subsequent sections of this study. Research Hypotheses Using a combination of exploratory, qualitative research and field study (i.e., interviews and observations), a set of research hypotheses will be tested. These hypotheses are: H1: American foreign policy toward the Middle East in general and the target countries of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia has become more oriented toward democracy promotion since the demise of the Soviet Union. H2: American foreign