Democratization, Nation Building, and U.S. Foreign Policy
IWP 621
Four credits
This course explores the relationship between promoting a strong civil society and democratic governance abroad, especially in light of extremist developments emerging in many Islamic societies. The major themes of this course include: defining "civil society" in historical and comparative terms; civil society and the rise of the modern nation-state; the relationship between culture, religion and government; how "civil society building" is conducted in practice; post-Cold War challenges in building civil society, with special focus on endemic corruption worldwide; and finally, civil society as a cauldron for extremism in the Islamic world.
"Democratization, sometimes known as 'nation-building' and, most recently, as 'stability and reconstruction,' has played an increasingly central role in U.S. foreign policy. But neither the strategic objectives nor the tactics have been properly thought out in every instance, despite the heavy investment by the U.S. and its allies, and high stakes for world peace."
-Dr. Juliana Pilon
Required Texts
- Civil Society: Theory, History, Comparison, John Hall
- Globalization, Power, and Democracy, Marc Plattner & Aleksander Smolar
- Funding Virtue: Civil Society Aid and Democracy Promotion, Marina Ottaway & Thomas Carothers
Semester Available
Summer Semester
Principal Professor
Juliana Geran Pilon 
