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Abstract

Democratisation as a strategy in American policy has changed since Woodrow Wilson by adapting to changing political climates. A policy informed by the Democratic Peace Theory's assumption that democracy's expansion in the world state fosters peace. When it comes to democratisation being securitised in American foreign policy, George W. Bush's approach to Iraq is identified as a war of choice that transformed the democratisation discourse in the twenty-first century. George W. Bush played a crucial role in shaping the 21st Century to the War on Terror and democracy promotion but was an initial critic of the strategy prior to 9/11. To what extent has Bill Clinton's securitisation of democratisation in Haiti in 1994-95 shaped Bush's post 9/11 strategy? It raises the question of what informed George W. Bush's post 9/11 approach, to which the dissertation view's Clintons' democratisation in Haiti between 1994- and 95 as the blueprint for Bush's post-9/11 strategy. Both Haiti and Iraq serve as key focal points of Clinton and Bush's democratisation doctrine, which share similarities in rationale, strategy, and ideology. By giving context to the case of Haiti, it highlights that Clinton's interventionist approach was unchallenged because it occurred at a time of American unipolarity. The paper's findings are that Bill Clinton's approach to Haiti served as a critical point in giving purpose to America's role as the Liberal Leviathan, predating assumptions of George W. Bush's role. In doing so, Bill Clinton influenced George W. Bush's military and economic direction within his post 9/11 policy.

Course: International Relations - BA (Hons)

Date Deposited: 2024-05-15

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14409.html