"Imperial Liberalism"

"In a democratic age, ruling others is problematic. The notion that all men are equal does not sit comfortably with empire. Nevertheless, the idea of spreading the democratic system of government has great attractions. We need an orderly world, and democracies are in the long run more stable than dictatorships. Besides, like it or not, our democratic values are universal. If all men are equal, then oppression anywhere is offensive; it may not threaten our security, but it threatens our self respect, for we are involved in mankind...

...We are now in a democratic era...

Europeans talk of human rights and the rule of law while Americans talk of freedom and democracy, but they mean the same thing. For America the way to be good in a world of power used to be to isolate itself. That is no longer possible. Instead it seeks to remake the world in its own image. This is the European project also, though on a more modest, regional basis. We are all Wilsonians now. And we should understand that the true Wilsonian institutions are not bodies like the UN, but rather NATO and the EU, embodying the values of democracy and law."

"Imperial Liberalism", Robert Cooper, The National Interest