Nation-Building Explained | Model Diplomacy

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern studies Elliott Abrams discusses the concept of nation-building in U.S. foreign policy for CFR Model Diplomacy’s “Humanitarian Intervention in South Sudan” and “Collapse in Venezuela” case studies. He defines nation-building as a very deep intervention that can be carried out only when the United States fully controls another country. It requires the ability to make changes throughout the country’s political system, military, and economy. Nation-building, he emphasizes, is a huge undertaking. Abrams outlines the history of U.S. attempts at nation-building. Germany and Japan became democracies quickly after World War II; South Korea was another successful case, though the process took longer. In Vietnam, by contrast, U.S. nation-building efforts failed. Most people would also consider Afghanistan and Iraq to be unsuccessful attempts, Abrams says, noting the challenge associated with the particular American belief in building democracy. Nation-building, he concludes, is not a popular concept today, but questions over how best to do it will likely remain on the U.S. foreign policy agenda.
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