Since 1850, Britain and the United States have sent military troops abroad more than 50 times to engage in democratic nation building but have left behind a lasting democracy in only 14 of those countries. However, even this low number overstates the weak case for nation building, because it includes instances in which a country (e.g., the Dominican Republic in the mid-1960s) probably would have become democratic even without outside military intervention.
Does Nation Building Work?
By James L. Payne
This
article
appeared in
the Spring 2006 issue of The Independent Review.
Other Independent Review articles by James L. Payne | ||
Winter 2017/18 | The Government Nobody Knowsnor Wants to Know | |
Summer 2016 | Government Fails, Long Live Government! The Rise of Failurism | |
Fall 2014 | The Real Case against Activist Global Warming Policy | |
[View All (12)] |