GMF - The German Marshall Fund of the United States - Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

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President George W. Bush, in his second term inaugural speech, placed the promotion of democracy at the centre of the American foreign policy agenda. In a bold and ambitious presentation, he argued that bringing democratic freedom to the oppressed of the world was a moral necessity that would require generations of effort and the help of allies in Europe and elsewhere.

Many in the US and in Europe were openly critical of Mr Bush’s speech and its focus on the promotion of democracy. There has since been a great deal of planning and discussion in Washington on how to achieve these goals but little action. Indeed, some have questioned whether it is feasible to create a sustainable international coalition to propagate the seeds of democracy among the tyrannies of the world.

A recent opinion survey, conducted by the German Marshall Fund of the US and the Compagnia di San Paolo, found a good deal of support for the promotion of democracy in the US and Europe. However, to turn this support into a long-term commitment, three steps are essential.

First, the promotion of democracy must become a bipartisan priority in the US. A slim majority of Americans (51 per cent) believe promoting democracy in other countries should be the role of the US. However, while 76 per cent of Republicans share this view, only 43 per cent of Democrats agree and 50 per cent are opposed. Whether this split represents an isolationist streak on the part of Democrats or a rejection of any policy connected to Mr Bush is hard to tell. What is obvious is that Mr Bush needs to reach out to his opponents and put the promotion of democracy above partisan politics.

In the early 1980s, Ronald Reagan rose above extreme partisan divisions over Central American policy and forged a bipartisan coalition for the creation of the National Endowment for Democracy. He reached out to key Democratic leaders and turned his agenda into a common vision for how the US should promote democracy in the latter years of the cold war. Mr Bush needs to follow this path.

Second, Mr Bush needs to turn the "American" democracy agenda into a global cause. An overwhelming majority of Europeans, 71 per cent, support the idea of European involvement in the promotion of democracy and, unlike in the US, there are very few partisan or ideological differences in public backing for this goal. However, when the promotion of democracy is associated with the US or Mr Bush, European support plummets. Europeans want to be active participants in furthering the cause of liberty but they want to do it on their terms and not as passive followers of US policy.

Given that countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Britain provide substantially more funding for the building of democracies than the US does, European support is essential to building a sustainable campaign for political freedom. To secure this support, however, the US will have to let Europeans be true partners in this venture and even allow them to lead the effort in many parts of the world. Taking a back seat to Europe will not be easy for American policymakers, but, if the president and his advisers are to be faithful to their rhetoric, they will have to do so to advance the cause of democracy.

Finally, in order to gain broad public support in the US and Europe, the promotion of democracy must be clearly separated from the use of military force. Both Americans and Europeans strongly favour election monitoring, supporting independent political groups and implementing political and economic sanctions on non-democratic regimes as a means to establish democracy. But only 32 per cent of Europeans and 39 per cent of Americans believe that military action should be used to achieve this end. It is clear that a sustainable transatlantic coalition - with substantial public support - can only be built if political leaders are careful to separate the promotion of democracy from the exercise of hard power.

The Bush administration has created deep divisions in the US and strong opposition in Europe. However, as our survey has shown, Americans and Europeans are willing to support, under the right circumstances, the ideals Mr Bush set forth in his inaugural speech. To put these ideals into action will not be simple, but a starting point would be to cast the democracy agenda in terms that transcend partisan and transatlantic divisions and emphasise non-military strategies for achieving political freedom throughout the world.

The writer is president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States - a nonpartisan public policy and grantmaking institution