Democracy – State
Democracy and respect for human rights have long been central components of U.S. foreign policy. Supporting democracy not only promotes such fundamental American values as religious freedom and worker rights, but also helps create a more secure, stable, and prosperous global arena in which the United States can advance its national interests. In addition, democracy is the one national interest that helps to secure all the others. Democratically governed nations are more likely to secure the peace, deter aggression, expand open markets, promote economic development, protect American citizens, combat international terrorism and crime, uphold human and worker rights, avoid humanitarian crises and refugee flows, improve the global environment, and protect human health.
With these goals in mind, the United States seeks to:
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) is committed to supporting and promoting democracy programs throughout the world. As the nation's primary democracy advocate, DRL is responsible for overseeing the Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF), which was established in 1998 to address human rights and democratization emergencies. DRL uses resources from the HRDF, as well as those allocated to Regional Democracy Funds, to support democratization programs such as election monitoring and parliamentary development.
Over the past quarter-century, a large number of nations have made a successful transition to democracy. Many more are at various stages of the transition. When historians write about U.S. foreign policy at the end of the 20th century, they will identify the growth of democracy--from 30 countries in 1974 to 117 today--as one of the United States' greatest legacies. The United States remains committed to expanding upon this legacy until all the citizens of the world have the fundamental right to choose those who govern them through an ongoing civil process that includes free, fair, and transparent elections.
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Democracy - State
- Opinion | America Faces the Constraints of Democracy - WSJ - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- NEW: Resources for educators interested in bringing democracy into their classrooms this fall - Substack - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- 2025 Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World - European External Action Service (EEAS) - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Reliving the highs and lows of the 2026 Democracy Hackathon - coe.int - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Empower local democracy by sponsoring our non-partisan election coverage - The Laramie Reporter - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- How Do We Renovate American Democracy at the 250th? - American Academy of Arts and Sciences - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- The Death of Democracy: Trump Is Not the Problem - The Times of Israel - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Impact of Trump 2.0 on Global Democracy - Toda Peace Institute - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- The photos that told the story of Brazils democracy in peril - LatAm Journalism Review - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Explainer: The battle over Trump's bid to restrict mail voting hits a pivotal point. Where things stand and what comes next - Democracy Docket - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Karen Attiah Secures Landmark Victory in Wrongful Termination Case Against The Washington Post - Democracy Defenders Fund - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Democracy strongest when we all take part - Eagle-Tribune - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Silencing TaiwanPlus would weaken the island democracy - The Japan Times - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Risks to American Democracy and Opportunities for Reform: A Conversation with Robert Reich - Washington Spectator - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Most Stupid Trade Fight in History: U.S. & Canadian Workers Stand to Lose in Trumps New Tariff War - Democracy Now! - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- By rejecting a racist remigration petition, the EU may have finally awakened its sleeping democracy experiment - EUobserver - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Colleges are increasingly just political echo chambers with beer and thats putting our democracy at risk - New York Post - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- "We're the heartbeat of democracy.." For the second election cycle in a row, Senator Ed Markey has primary opponent - Spectrum News - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Nearly half of Germans see AfD candidate Siegmund as threat to democracy: Poll - Anadolu Ajans - August 25th, 2026 [August 25th, 2026]
- Zambias messy but decisive election: government shows strength; democracy shows weakness - The Conversation - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- The art of protest is alive and well in Kansas. It is the color of democracy. - Kansas Reflector - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Opinion: Donald Trumps carnival act is a threat to democracy - The Globe and Mail - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Angry And Distracted: What Viral Politics Is Costing Democracy - The Organization for World Peace - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Opinion | Trumps Election Interference Is Eroding American Democracy - The New York Times - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Court must enforce injunction blocking USPS from finalizing rule restricting mail voting, say voting rights groups - Democracy Docket - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Academics are the Invisible Artist of Democracy: Rethinking Their Roles in Indonesia - www.iconnectblog.com - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- This week at Democracy Docket: We reveal what could be DOJs most troubling hire yet and weaponizing Chick-fil-A to restrict voting - Democracy Docket - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Monitoring the Situation - States United Democracy Center - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Democracy v the machine: the birth of the digital age and the warnings that were ignored - The Guardian - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Decision Time: Democracy and Society Conference, in Partnership with Yedioth Ahronoth - The Israel Democracy Institute - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- AI-Enhanced Disinformation: Risks to Democracy and Security - Beyond the Horizon ISSG - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Shes not afraid of anyone: the prison writings of one of Hong Kongs last outspoken democracy activists - The Guardian - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Exclusive: Trump DOJ appears to have hired lawyer convicted of hacking election sites to check integrity - Democracy Docket - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Democracy strongest when we all take part - The Daily Item - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- DOJ Whistleblower Confirms Antisemitism Probes Against Universities Were Sham Investigations - Democracy Now! - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- Buttigieg returns to Orangeburg - former secretary discusses voting, democracy with NAACP - The Times and Democrat - August 23rd, 2026 [August 23rd, 2026]
- What America Learned About Democracy When It Gained Stealth - War on the Rocks - August 11th, 2026 [August 11th, 2026]
- Subpoenaed pro-China outlet defends itself on Democracy Now!, which paid Singham-founded company millions - Fox News - August 11th, 2026 [August 11th, 2026]
- Consistent Torture: Keith LaMar Speaks from Ohio Death Row After Getting 3-Year Execution Reprieve - Democracy Now! - August 11th, 2026 [August 11th, 2026]
- European Democracy Shield: Digital Democracy Framework & Recommendations - Beyond the Horizon ISSG - August 11th, 2026 [August 11th, 2026]
- Commentary: What happens if democracy's ordinary remedies fail? The readers answer - KJZZ - August 11th, 2026 [August 11th, 2026]
- Opinion | Why Print: On Newspapers, Democracy, and the Things a Screen Cannot Replace - Common Dreams - August 11th, 2026 [August 11th, 2026]
- Merkley Leads Sweeping Legislation to Counter Trumps Authoritarian Takeover of U.S. and Defend Our Democracy - Merkley (.gov) - August 5th, 2026 [August 5th, 2026]
- Babylon Berlin Going Out With a Bang, and A Warning for Democracy - The Hollywood Reporter - August 5th, 2026 [August 5th, 2026]
- States United Research Identifies AI Platform Shortcomings, Encourages Voters to Rely on State Websites for Election Information - States United... - August 5th, 2026 [August 5th, 2026]
- Missouri voters reject ballot measure limiting their power to amend state constitution - Democracy Docket - August 5th, 2026 [August 5th, 2026]
- Democracy Rising Rally to Take Place in Springfield - NewsChannel20 - August 5th, 2026 [August 5th, 2026]
- Democracy Rising Rally to Take Place in Springfield - FOX Illinois - August 5th, 2026 [August 5th, 2026]
- Feminists and Democracy Advocates Sound the Alarm After Blanche Vote: 'He Is Trump's Lawyer, Not America's' - Ms. Magazine - August 5th, 2026 [August 5th, 2026]
- Nicaragua's Regime Drops the Pretense of Democracy - Reason Magazine - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- The US Claims Its Helping Venezuela While Thwarting Democracy - Inkstick Media - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Editorial: Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Mayra Macas are ordered off the ballot. Democracy loses. - Chicago Tribune - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- More Than 70 Legal Ethics Experts Warn DOJ Is Trying to Put Its Lawyers Above the Law - Democracy Defenders Fund - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- 36 Prominent Playwrights Will Take on Present Politics in Women+ on the Edge of Democracy - Playbill - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Is Uganda's democracy shrinking and why? - DW.com - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Armenian Democracy Faces a Threat From Within - Foreign Policy - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- How the Knesset Just Sent Israel Down the Road of Illiberal Democracy - The National Interest - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Protect Democracy by Protecting the Vote - Miami's Community News - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Death Toll from Ebola Outbreak in the DRC Surges to 930 - Democracy Now! - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Syrias Parliament Begins Work: New Institutions, but Limited Democracy - Alma Research and Education Center - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Youth-Led Protesters Rally Against Modis Right-Wing Government - Democracy Now! - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- 'Democracy Belongs to All of Us': JB Pritzker Warns of Growing Challenges to Voting Rights, Black History and Equality - Yahoo - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Democracy depends on getting out the vote this fall - thegazette.com - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Judge Halts Paramount Skydances $110 Billion Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery - Democracy Now! - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Defensive Democracy in Practice: Hamburg's Constitutional Vetting and the Evolution of Germany's Security Doctrine - Robert Lansing Institute - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Trumps Obsession With Relitigating the 2020 Election Carries a Cost for Democracy - The New York Times - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Unfinished Work: Why a Healthy Democracy Is Essential to Our Foreign Policy - American Foreign Service Association - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- This week at Democracy Docket: Trumps nothing of a speech showed the stunning weakness of his stolen election case - Democracy Docket - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY: Preparations starting for potential redistricting fight - the indiana citizen - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Letter to the Editor: Democracy works best when everyone can be heard - Arizona Daily Sun - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Bill Ackman Warns of China Super Intelligence Threat 'Our Country And Democracy Will Be at Risk' - Yahoo Finance - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Real Democracy: Learning to Govern Ourselves - Pressenza - International Press Agency - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- KCK: July 19 revolution created beacon of democracy in Middle East - ANHA - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Tracking retaliatory use of arrests, prosecutions, and investigations by the Trump administration - Protect Democracy - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Trumps Thursday primetime elections speech was going to be more dangerous - Democracy Docket - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- This Election Will Decide Whether We Are A Country Governed By The People Or Ruled By The Powerful. A Country Of Opportunity Or Oligarchy - AFT... - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- DHS Secretary Mullin threatens to prosecute election chiefs who refuse voter roll demands - Democracy Docket - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Friday briefing: Is violence against politicians reshaping democracy in the UK? - The Guardian - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- In sweeping attack on elections, Trump fires leadership of key federal voting assistance commission - Democracy Docket - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- What the World Cup Teaches Us About Democracy: Finding Unity Across Differences in the Classroom - The Fulcrum - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]