Clinton reframed US post-Cold War power as democracy promotion through free trade

Evidence

Anthony Lake, Clinton’s national security advisor, argued that during “the Cold War we contained a global threat to market democracies.” Now, after the collapse of the Soviet threat, it was possible to “consolidate the victory of democracy and open markets.” Consequently, the Clinton vision was about promoting democracy through neoliberal reforms. The world needed to be made safe for neoliberal capitalism—and Clinton took it upon himself to penetrate areas of the globe previously under Soviet control. As legal and global affairs scholar Jean-Marc Coicaud puts it, “Clinton made American economic success and free trade the defining aspect of his presidency.” — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 459

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the Milgrom law merchant material and to other accounts of Clinton’s ‘democratic enlargement’ doctrine as market expansion. — connects to: The Clinton era reframed US hegemony as humanitarian democracy promotion — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 459; Clinton’s foreign policy fused free trade with a claimed humanitarian mission; Clinton’s democracy promotion was aimed at making the world safe for neoliberal capitalism — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 406 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• The Clinton era reframed US hegemony as humanitarian democracy promotion #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 459
• Clinton’s foreign policy fused free trade with a claimed humanitarian mission #corroborates (0.95)
• Clinton’s Wilsonianism treated US dominance as a saintly noble phase #corroborates (0.85)
• Clinton’s democracy promotion was aimed at making the world safe for neoliberal capitalism #qualifies (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 406
• Clinton delinked human rights from trade in 1994, conceding leverage over China #complicates (0.80) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 609
• Post-Cold War US foreign policy was bipartisan and aimed at capitalist world integration #expands (0.75)
• US postwar imperialism was framed as benevolent supremacy via free-market capitalism #expands (0.72) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 245
• The post-Cold War West believed democracy would spread worldwide. #expands (0.70)