Danielle Pletka

Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute

Danielle’s research areas include the Middle East, South Asia, terrorism, and weapons proliferation. She recently served as a member of the Task Force on the United Nations, established by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Debates Featuring Danielle Pletka

Spreading Democracy in the Middle East is a Bad Idea

With Liz Cheney, Flynt Leverett, Danielle Pletka, Natan Sharansky, Dimitri K. Simes, Shibley Telhami

September 18, 2007

One of the key justifications for the invasion of Iraq was spreading democracy in the Middle East. Proponents of democratization argue that the United States has a moral responsibility to empower those seeking freedom around the world, while others question the legitimacy of a governance structure imposed by outsiders. Is spreading democracy in the Middle East a bad idea?