By Max Greenwood
The Hill (8/1/17)
The State Department is considering eliminating the promotion of democracy from its mission statement as part of an effort to overhaul the agency, according to a Washington Post columnist.
According to an email sent to State Department employees on Friday and obtained by the Post’s Josh Rogin, statements on the agency’s mission, purpose and ambition do not contain language regarding the promotion of democracy.
The statements are being circulated among agency employees for comment and could be changed, according to Rogin, who writes about foreign policy and national security.
The department’s current mission statement clearly lays out its effort to “shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere.”
Since taking office, Rogin writes, President Trump has put less emphasis than previous presidents on promoting democracy and human rights. The president said in his inauguration speech, for example, that the U.S. does not “seek to impose our way of life on anyone.” …
- Decline In Democracy Spreads Across The Globe As Authoritarian Leaders Rise – Across the world, many democracies are sliding further and further toward authoritarianism. NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with Larry Diamond of Stanford University about this “global democratic recession.” Attacks on media are central to authoritarian takeovers. Link to 5-Minute Audio