ABSTRACT

Regime promotion is far more complex than the promotion of certain institutions or procedures characterizing a certain regime, such as democracy. It is part of a much broader policy promoting norms, rules, institutional practices, even perceptions. Those do not necessarily form a coherent set, but may be characterized by internal contradictions and ambiguities. Moreover, regime promotion is not simply the result of a conscious policy. It is not solely intentional, but may result from contagion or from the restrictive effects caused by dependency.