Política externa democrática: Oxímoro, quimera ou tendência?

Abstract

Many different formulas have been attempted in order to promote smoother connections between foreign policy and democracy within contemporary national societies, but difficulties to accommodate them remain paramount. This article investigates, both from ontological and historical perspectives, how plausible it is nowadays to conduct a 'democratic foreign policy'. The argument relies on empirical data from countries that have actually associated in some way foreign policy with democracy, be they in Northern or Southern hemisphere. The author intends to demonstrate that the 'democratic foreign policy'proposal is no longer to be seen as a logical contradiction (an oxymoron) nor as an impossible political arrangement (a chimera), as it seemed to be the case in the 20th century. Nonetheless, one can still identify a myriad of practical obstacles when trying to make the two categories-democracy and foreign policy-work in tandem.