The Edwards' Plan for Promoting Democracy:
A Strategy for Freedom

John Edwards has a detailed plan to meet one of America's highest global priorities: to promote the spread of democracy. He will launch a far-reaching new effort to work with our allies to promote the fundamental components of democracy: a free press and civil society, open and fair elections, respect for human rights, and the legal, political, and regulatory institutions to make government accountable before the law and the people.

Today, more countries choose their rulers-and replace them-through free, fair, and competitive elections than ever before. But enormous challenges remain. Many of the new democracies of the world are corrupt and inefficient, lacking a true rule of law. And there are too many regions of the world without democracy. Not a single Arab state is a democracy. Most of the states of Africa and many of the states that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union continue to be governed by authoritarian regimes. America will never defeat violent terror so long as hundreds of millions of people in the Muslim world and elsewhere are denied the right to express themselves peacefully, openly and democratically.

President Bush has only offered rhetoric about this challenge -- he has failed to offer a strategy for achieving it. He might have delivered the right message; but he is the wrong messenger.

America needs the support and respect of free countries to promote freedom around the world. And democrats in many parts of the world - especially the Arab world - simply do not see President Bush as a credible champion of their cause. They know the Bush administration itself has set a miserable example on civil liberties and human rights here at home; they have seen us abandon America's traditional role as a peacemaker in the Middle East.

Edwards will return America to a place where it is looked up to and respected so it is again seen as a credible champion for democracy. He will implement a "Strategy for Freedom" that will go far beyond the policy to promote democracy pursued by the Bush administration.

Edwards Strategy for Freedom

Edwards' "Strategy for Freedom" is designed to accomplish three broad objectives:

1. To give the international community new tools to promote democracy by reorienting existing international institutions toward democracy promotion and by creating new institutions, especially in the Middle East.

2. To focus America's policies on stopping egregious anti-democratic practices that violate fundamental human rights, like detaining political prisoners.

3. To strengthen America's own democracy promotion programs by developing new grass-roots programs and devoting more resources to these efforts.

To accomplish these objectives, Edwards will:

* Establish an "Organization for Security and Cooperation in the Middle East" to promote democracy and fundamental freedoms in the region. In the 1970s, the "Helsinki Process" brought the U.S., West Europe, the Soviet Union and East Europe around an internationally recognized set of norms concerning security, human rights, and democratic governance, leading to today's Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Edwards will work with our allies to create a similar regional organization for the Middle East, bringing regional countries committed to democratic reform together with the world's leading democracies to discuss regional challenges and common approaches to promoting good governance, establishing greater regional security, and defending human rights. This new regional organization could monitor democratic elections, assist with civil society and political party development, help prevent and manage crises, develop confidence-building measures between states (like notification of military exercises) and negotiate regional political and arms control agreements. Within his first year as President, Edwards will convene a summit of leaders from leading democracies and a core group of Middle East states to launch this process - establishing its basic functions and criteria that states must meet to join -- with the goal of creating the new organization by the end of 2008.

* Create a "Middle East Partnership Program" at NATO. Edwards will expand NATO's successful Partnership for Peace program - which has helped build political and security ties between NATO countries and the former Warsaw Pact states in Europe -- by calling on NATO to create a "Middle East Partnership Program" with countries in the Middle East that have embarked on democratic reforms. This program will help establish civilian control over militaries in democratizing states, develop transparency in defense planning and budgets, provide a forum to consult on regional security challenges like terrorism, and allow for training with NATO countries for joint operations like counter-terrorism and peacekeeping. Participating countries will send civilian and military representatives to NATO to assist with planning, training, and intelligence for military operations, and will create NATO liaison offices in their defense ministries.

* Create a "Freedom List." Edwards will direct the State Department to create and make public a "Freedom List" of dissidents imprisoned for peaceful political or religious expression in an effort to name and shame countries that incarcerate political prisoners. The FBI has its "most wanted" list and Bush keeps a list of most wanted terrorists; we also need a most wanted list for those democratic dissidents that are incarcerated and should be released. The Freedom List will ensure that political prisoners receive greater public attention and are a higher diplomatic priority.

* Establish a "Democracy Caucus" in the United Nations. Too often in the UN, democracy gets overlooked by those more worried about regional loyalties and politics. A "Democracy Caucus" will bring together states committed to democracy and human rights to push for these principles at every level of the UN system as well as in votes in the General Assembly, Security Council and other UN committees. This will help prevent states like Libya from heading the UN human rights committee, which only undermines the UN's credibility. Membership in the caucus will also be a way to motivate partially democratic states or even nondemocratic states to embrace democratic reforms - or punish them if they don't.

* Substantially increase support for international democracy programs, starting by doubling the funding of the National Endowment for Democracy. The NED plays a vital role in supporting grass-roots civil society programs worldwide, but its resources do not match the importance of its mission. Edwards will double the NED's budget to over $80 million -- focusing specifically on programs in the Middle East and Africa -- and call on U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere to establish similar democracy promotion institutions and match these funds.

* Link American financial assistance to democratic development and curb current assistance programs to nondemocratic states. Edwards will reorient U.S. assistance towards programs that support the development of open societies, ensuring that aid to the Middle East and elsewhere is allocated increasingly to non-governmental bodies and away from nondemocratic governments, cutting assistance to states led by dictators who show no interest or offer only false promises in developing democracy. Edwards will also encourage democratic reforms by rewarding good performers - those who demonstrate respect for democratic practices and a willingness to implement political reform - with increased aid, incentives for investment, and debt relief.

* Link membership in key international institutions to democracy. Edwards will push to make membership in international and regional organizations contingent on demonstrating a basic commitment to good governance and democracy. This should include examining membership in existing institutions, such as Russia's continued membership in the G-8 if present anti-democratic trends continue there.