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| Johns Hopkins Univ. Press |
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January 2002, Volume 13, Number 1
The End of the Transition ParadigmThomas Carothers
Must countries where authoritarian regimes have fallen therefore be "in transition" to democracy? Many democracy promoters seem to think so. Yet trends on the ground in country after country are raising doubts about whether it is true or useful to think of democracy's prospects in this way.
South Africa: Democracy Without the People?
Robert Mattes
A decade after the end of apartheid, South African democracy may be headed for trouble because the country has yet to fulfill the three requirements of democratic consolidation: inequality-reducing economic growth, stable institutions, and a supportive political culture.
South Asia Faces the Future
- India's Multiple Revolutions
Sumit Ganguly
Over the last two decades, India has gone through a series of peaceful revolutions-in society, in economic life, and in the political system-that have strengthened Indian democracy and given it a basis on which to thrive in decades to come.
- New Dimensions in Indian Democracy
Susanne Hoeber Rudolph and Lloyd I. Rudolph
India defies the widely held view that poor societies are unlikely to remain democratic. What explains the resilience of India's democracy in the face of long odds? The answer lies in the ways the country has responded to the varied challenges of the past decade.
- Democracy on Hold in Pakistan
Aqil Shah
After September 11 and the start of the U.S.-led war on terrorists in Afghanistan, the Pakistani military regime of Pervez Musharraf found itself at the center of world attention. What do these new and dramatically changed circumstances portend for a possible return to elected, civilian rule in Islamabad?
- Back and Forth in Bangladesh
Howard B. Schaffer
Recent parliamentary elections showed the continuing strengths and weaknesses of Bangladeshi democracy. Although the country does have strong political parties and a decade of democratic elections, the intense antipathy between government and opposition will continue to cause problems well into the future.
- Illiberalism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka
Neil DeVotta
Irresponsible leadership and ill-designed institutions have made this island republic prey to a bitter and violent ethnic conflict that is threatening to undermine democracy itself.
Adrian Karatnycky
The year 2001 saw modest gains in the strengthening and consolidation of democracy worldwide, but in predominantly Muslim countries-especially the Arab states-the status of freedom and democracy lags far behind the rest of the world.
What Democracy Can Do for East Asia
Hilton L. Root
The implicit social bargain that carried many East Asian countries through the Cold War has lost its currency. If the peoples of this region are to secure the blessings of peace, liberty, and prosperity in the century ahead, they will need to have a new and explicitly democratic bargain working for them.
Slovenia's Smooth Transition
Anton Bebler
The story of this small former Yugoslav republic offers an example of how-if circumstances are right-it may be possible for a country to reform its way out of communism and into parliamentary democracy and a market economy.
Mozambique: A Fading UN Success Story
Jeremy M. Weinstein
The United Nations did superb work in helping Mozambique to end its long-festering civil war and start down the path to recovery, but those gains could slip away amid ominous conditions of partisan polarization, excessive political centralization, and a winner-takes-everything electoral system.
The Weakness of Postcommunist Civil Society
Marc Morjé Howard
Recent studies suggest that civil society in the postcommunist countries is significantly weaker than in other types of democracies, old or new. Can this legacy of communism be overcome? If not, what are the implications for democracy?
Books in Review
- Reconstructing Afghanistan
Michael McFaul
A review of Afghanistan's Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics and the Rise of the Taliban, by Larry Goodson; and Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, by Ahmed Rashid.
Election Watch
- Brief reports on elections in Argentina, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, The Gambia, Honduras, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Poland, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan.
Documents on Democracy
- Excerpts from British prime minister Tony Blair's remarks on the events of September 11, 2001 and their aftermath at a conference of the British Labour Party, held on October 2, 2001.
- Excerpts from the "Inter-American Democratic Charter," adopted by the Organization of American States in Lima Peru on September 11, 2001.
- Excerpts from a November 28 speech by UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, following receipt of the National Democratic Institute's Averell Harriman Award for his global leadership in advancing peace, democratic governance, the rule of law, and human rights.
- Excerpts from Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia's "Speech for the Nation," delivered on October 19, 2001, following her swearing in as the country's next prime minister.
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