Supporting Change from Below: Some Theoretical Aspects of Micro-Assistance to Democracy

Abstract

Foreign actors have always influenced political changes in developing countries. During the Cold War, for instance, Western governments extensively promoted their political and economic interests in areas as various as Latina America, Africa and Asia, often by opposing democratically elected governments under the highly debatable justification of countering the ‘red danger’ of quickly spreading socialist ideals. During the last decade, with the apparent victory of liberal democracy over all possible alternatives, the promotion of democracy suddenly became part of the foreign policy agenda of Western governments. Not only did humanitarian interventions become common in several regions of the world, but international interference for promoting democracy and protecting human rights also came to be justified as a duty of the international community.

Keywords: Democracy assistance, micro-finance, development, bottom up