ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how USAID's (US Agency for International Development) approach influenced democratic development in Eastern Europe. It focuses on Eastern Europe, with a particular emphasis on Central Europe, the region that received the initial and greatest attention. The Support for Eastern European Democracy Act in 1990 and the Freedom Support Act in 1992, which was directed at the Newly Independent States, are two of the most prominent examples of legislation in support of democracy assistance. The chapter discusses democracy, offers a brief history of democracy promotion or assistance, and places the US democracy assistance program in the context of the overall assistance effort, including public and private donors. It presents the signature USAID democracy program in the region, the Democratic Network Project (DemNet). USAID's approach to democracy assistance gradually shifted from a top-down approach in the early 1990s to more of a hybrid approach blending both top-down and bottom-up.
