The Myths of 'Democracy Assistance': U.S. Political Intervention in Post-Soviet Eastern Europe

This article discusses the power context and ideological pretext behind “democracy assistance”—how this term is rhetorically employed to overpower nationalist and socialist resistance to foreign economic and cultural domination, with a particular focus on Russia and several states within its “near abroad.” Although foreign interference has occurred in almost all of the CEE countries, in consideration of space, the focus here is on five particularly important target countries of U.S. interest, Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Last, the article considers how government and media management of public understanding of world politics, by spinning U.S. foreign policy meanings, confers legitimacy upon the notion of “democracy assistance” and the overall good intentions of the state.