The Program: American Power and the Global Spread of Democracy and Dictatorship.

Most U.S. presidents in the post-Cold War era have proclaimed the promotion of democracy abroad as a central foreign policy goal of their administrations. The Trump administration represents a clear departure from that rhetorical commitment. While we might expect a decline in the number of democracies around the globe given the new administration’s policies, this could simply reflect the continuation of a trend of declining numbers of democracies throughout the world that has been ongoing for a decade and a half. This talk will examine Trump’s policies toward the promotion of democracy in the context of this broader global trend toward fewer democracies and more dictatorships around the world.

Presenter: Mark Peceny

Mark Peceny is a Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1992. He teaches a variety of courses in international relations, comparative politics, and American foreign policy. His research focuses on democracy, dictatorship, and the international system, with specific emphasis on how liberal culture and republican institutions of government shape the behavior of democracies in international politics and how international actors shape processes of democratization within states. He is the author of Democracy at the Point of Bayonets (Penn State Press 1999). He served as Chair of the Department of Political Science from 2005-2011 and as Dean of UNM’s College of Arts and Sciences from

Thursday, September 11th, 2025, 6:00 PM, Tanoan Country Club