Realpolitik and international reaction to non-compliance with Liberal Democratic norms: Comparing EU and US response patterns

Abstract

This article probes the importance of various categories of security and economic concerns in EU and US responses to non-compliance with human rights and democracy norms in third countries. Two research questions guide the analysis. First, what concerns influence the determination of EU and US to respond to non-compliance? Second, to what extent is the EU’s response pattern different from that of the US? In answering these questions, the article uses bi- and multivariate regression analysis that builds on an original dataset of non-compliance events in over 40 target countries. Findings point to the fact that both actors are influenced, in particular, by similar security concerns, above all geographic proximity and threat-posing regimes. The US, however, responds more often and with more costly instruments to non-compliance and therefore seems to be more receptive to such concerns than the EU.