At his second inauguration in January, President Bush vowed "to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation." Critics from Russian President Vladimir Putin to political scientist Francis Fukuyama said the president was taking on too great a challenge, and that similar efforts in the past have failed. But Bush's backers urged him to stay the course. Successful elections in Iraq and Afghanistan and promising pro-democracy activities in Lebanon, Egypt, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and other nations seemed to prove Bush correct. Still, Bush's campaign to promote global democracy faces challenges, including forming an interim government in violence-torn Iraq. Moreover, skeptics say, establishing a true government of the people requires civil liberties for women as well as men, a free press, an independent judiciary and the other institutions that make up a democracy.

Peter Katel is a CQ Researcher contributing writer who previously reported on Haiti and Latin America for Time and Newsweek and covered the Southwest for newspapers in New Mexico. He has received several journalism awards, including the Bartolomé Mitre Award for drug coverage from the Inter-American Press Association and awards for investigative and interpretive reporting from the New Mexico Press Association. He holds an A.B. in university studies from the University of New Mexico.