9
II. Post 9/11 Limits on Democracy
How can the US address the crisis of legitimacy? Robert Kagan’s solution to this problem
is the very one apparently embraced by the Bush administration.
2
The US, Kagan (2004: 84)
argues, must “pursue legitimacy in the manner truest to its nature: by promoting the principles of
liberal democracy not as a means to greater security but as an end in itself. Success would bring
it a measure of authority in the liberal, democratic world, including among Europeans.” Put
differently, by using awe-inspiring American power to foster democracy around the world, the
US can find global political approval for its internationalism. In this section, we consider
whether the “war on terror” succeeds or fails on those terms.
Since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, the current Bush administration has
certainly committed the US to an aggressive and internationalist policy that establishes a wide
range of global commitments as part of a “war on terror.” At least rhetorically, among other anti-
terror projects, the US promises to employ its tremendous material power to foster freedom,
liberty and democracy. Consider the opening declaration of the September 2002 National
Security Strategy of the United States (White House 2002: 1):
“The United States possesses unprecedented— and unequaled—strength and influence in
the world….This is also a time of opportunity for America. We will work to translate this
moment of influence into decades of peace, prosperity, and liberty. The U.S. national
security strategy will be based on a distinctly American internationalism that reflects the
union of our values and our national interests. The aim of this strategy is to help make the
world not just safer but better. Our goals on the path to progress are clear: political and
economic freedom, peaceful relations with other states, and respect for human dignity.”
2
Kagan additionally calls for the US to grant Europe some influence over the exercise of its power. However, he
notes that this is impossible until Europe and the US agree about the nature of the most important international
threats.
Convention