Conflicting objectives, neglected relationships, and authoritarian backlash: the crisis of EU democracy promotion

Democracy promotion is an integral component of European foreign policy. However, European democracy promotion is less effective than assumed and hoped for. Sonja Grimm offers four explanations: (1) the absence of a consensus among democracy promoters about policy objectives, and the interference of hidden agendas, (2) the neglect of rational interests of domestic actors, (3) the adaptation of authoritarian incumbents to the domestic and international threats to democratise, and (4) the existence of negative external actors interested in promoting autocracy and undermining democratic transition.