Conference paper
DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN POST-COLD WAR AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN POLICIES
Lidija Čehulić
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
An analysis of the US foreign policy strategy shows that a more intensive advocacy of human rights and democracy is usually characteristic for democratic American presidents and their administrations. The numerous challenges of the new world order which Bill Clinton, the first American democratic president born after World War II, was faced with, required the redefinition of the role, goals, and interests of the sole remaining superpower in the new international community. The promotion of democracy and liberal market values and the protection of universal human rights have been the guidelines for Clinton’s administration’s foreign policy during both of his mandates. Due to the specific features and intensity of geopolitical changes, which resulted in armed conflicts in the South-eastern Europe, the consequence of the American policy towards the newly-created countries (the so-called young democracies on the Old Continent, including the new Russia) was that the first NATO’s military “out of area” campaign on Kosovo was justified as an attempt to stem the flood of refugees and to make an end to the violation of ethnic and other human rights. Since the US have announced their intention to intervene when and if (and based on their interests), they deem that basic human rights and democratic values are violated, it can be said that a new pattern of behaviour has emerged which would have to be adopted by the other members of the new world order as well.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
27143
URI
Publication date:
28.7.2000.
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