Using the cases of U.S. democracy-building efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, I show that the U.S. faces a post-conflict democratization dilemma in both instances. 

Democratizing countries engulfed by intra-state conflict needs to be a central tenet of the foreign policy strategy of liberal democracies in order to enhance their security. Yet, domestic politics in liberal democracies constrains their ability to execute post-conflict democratization in a comprehensive fashion.  This constraint posed by domestic politics in liberal-democracies, on post conflict democratization policies, undermines their democracy-building efforts, leading to a state of continued instability in the previously conflict-torn region.  Such conditions of instability (Kosovo), and in some cases, relapse into conflict (Haiti), further exacerbate security concerns of liberal democracies and threaten international stability. This is the fundamental democratization dilemma facing liberal democracies: the need to engage in post-conflict democratization to prevent intra-state conflict and the inability to do so, which, in turn, makes it even more essential for them – liberal democracies – to engage in democratization.

The current literature on democratization/state-building focuses on conflict-torn regions, and largely ignores political dynamics within liberal-democracies like the U.S., who are responsible for crafting post-conflict democratization policies.  By focusing on the domestic political dynamics associated with democratization in the U.S., I try to bring attention to this, largely ignored, aspect of post-conflict democratization.  This focus, on domestic political dynamics, may enable policy-makers in liberal-democracies to be more sensitive about their own constraints while engaging in post-conflict democratization, which may aid in the formulation of more effective policies.  Failure to enact efficacious post-conflict democratization policies can be potentially disastrous, as was demonstrated by the 9/11 attacks.  I believe it is critical that liberal-democracies realize the need for democracy-building in failed states and try to resolve, or mitigate, the worst consequences of the post-conflict democratization dilemma, for their own security, and for maintaining international order.

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