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Johns Hopkins Univ. Press
January 2005

January 2006, Volume 17, Number 1

Stronger Legislatures, Stronger Democracies
M. Steven Fish
Evidence from the postcommunist countries shows that the strength of the legislature may be the institutional key to democratic consolidation.

Getting to Arab Democracy

  1. Lebanon Springs Forward
    Oussama Safa
    Taking advantage of the withdrawal of Syrian troops, Lebanese voters capped the "Beirut Spring" by electing a new majority in parliament.

  2. What Do Iraqis Want?
    Mark Tessler, Mansoor Moaddel, and Ronald Inglehart
    There is a widespread desire for democracy among the Iraqi public, but when it comes to the roles of religion, ethnicity, and gender equality in Iraq's new democracy, attitudes are more varied.

  3. Dealing with Communalism
    Barry Rubin
    Whether ethnic, sectarian, or some combination of the two, communalism is one of the massive realities of Middle Eastern life and politics. It is usually seen as an obstacle to de-mocracy, but need that always be the case?

  4. The Promise of Pacts
    Steven A. Cook
    Strategies based on transition pacts that reduce rulers' risks and cushion their retreat from total power may be the most promising route to democracy in the Arab world.
Ballots, Bribes, and State Building in Bulgaria
Venelin I. Ganev
The successful completion of yet another general election in June 2005 should dispel any residual doubts about Bulgarian democracy. But the election results made clear that the country now faces a new set of challenges.

Postcommunist Central Banks: A Democratic Deficit?
Juliet Johnson
Independent central banks throughout the former Soviet Union suffer from a dual democratic deficit. How can they gain greater democratic legitimacy without compromising their countries' economic health?

Russia: Authoritarianism Without Authority
Kathryn Stoner-Weiss
Vladimir Putin has pulled the plug on democracy in Russia in an effort to strengthen the authority of the central state. But a look at Russian federal relations shows that the state is growing weaker rather than stronger.

The 2005 Freedom House Survey: Progress in the Middle East
Aili Piano and Arch Puddington
The gains for freedom in the Middle East were the most significant seen since the Freedom House survey began in 1972.

Burundi's Transition

  1. A Beacon for Central Africa
    Dave Peterson
    After a long and bloody civil conflict, Burundi has established a new democratic regime. Does its tenuous but hopeful example hold lessons that might help its troubled neighbors?

  2. Training Leaders for Peace
    Howard Wolpe and Steve McDonald
    Burundi's leaders are learning to embrace a culture of discussion and consensus that offers a way out of the abyss of civil war.

The Surprising Significance of African Elections
Staffan I. Lindberg
Data from Africa show that repeated elections, regardless of their relative freeness or fairness, appear to have a positive impact on the growth of civil liberties and democratic values.

Measuring Public Integrity
Marianne Camerer
Measurements that rely on perceptions of corruption can be misleading. What is needed is a method of gauging how well a country has set itself up to defend public integrity systematically and in all its dimensions.

Books in Review

  • Islam and Liberty
    Ahmed H. al-Rahim
    A review of The Universal Hunger for Liberty: Why the Clash of Civilizations Is Not Inevitable by Michael Novak.


  • Soldiers and Islamists in Pakistan
    Aqil Shah
    A review of Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military by Hussain Haqqani.

Election Watch

  • Reports on recent elections in Afghanistan, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Gabon, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Poland, and Sri Lanka.

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