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January 2012, Volume 23, Number 1

China and East Asian Democracy

1. The Coming Wave
   Larry Diamond
   If there is going to be a great advance of democracy in this decade, it is most likely going to emanate from East Asia.


2. The Patterns of History
   Francis Fukuyama
   The legitimacy and appeal of democracy in East Asia will depend on how democratic countries in the region stack up against China.


3. Is CCP Rule Fragile or Resilient?
   Minxin Pei
   Is “authoritarian resilience” in China a passing phenomenon, or is it something more durable?


4. The Taiwan Factor
   Yun-han Chu
   If the PRC moves toward democracy, it is likely to be in some part due to the influence of Taiwan.

Morocco: Outfoxing the Opposition
Ahmed Benchemsi
Morocco was not immune to the 2011 upheavals in the Arab world, but the country’s monarchy deftly managed the crisis through cosmetic constitutional reform.

Indonesia: The Benefits of Civic Engagement
Danielle N. Lussier and M. Steven Fish
Indonesia, a populous, poor, predominantly Muslim society, has been able to maintain democracy thanks to a vibrant associational life.

The AKP’s 2011 election victory confirmed its status as the dominant force in Turkish politics, but also sparked fears that its unchecked power might threaten civil liberties. Now it must face the challenges of adopting a new constitution and dealing with the Kurdish question.

1. The Era of Dominant-Party Politics
   Meltem Müftüler-Baç and E. Fuat Keyman


2. Civil-Military Relations Transformed
   Ersel Aydinli


3. Are Civil Liberties Safe?
   Berna Turam


4. The Kurdish Question
   Ragan Updegraff

Democracy Assistance: What Recipients Think
Joel D. Barkan
A groundbreaking new survey shows that democracy assistance is highly valued by its recipients but that there remains room for improvement.

Corruption in India

1. An Enduring Threat
   Sumit Ganguly
   Social activist Anna Hazare’s hunger strike has helped to turn the world’s attention to India’s rampant corruption.


2. Can Freedom of Information Help?
   Prakash Sarangi
   India’s Right to Information Act discourages corruption by giving every citizen the right to access information from any public authority

Debating Electoral Systems

1. Getting Majoritarianism Wrong
   Timothy M. Meisburger
   Contrary to popular wisdom, emerging democracies might be better off with a majoritarian electoral system rather than one based on proportional representation.


2. Getting Elections Wrong
   Andrew Reynolds and John M. Carey
   Evidence from waves of democratization shows proportional election systems, however imperfect, to be the better option in most contexts.

Books in Review

Between Authoritarianism and Democracy
Nicolas van de Walle
A review of Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War by Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way.

Election Watch

• Reports on recent elections in Argentina, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cameroon, The Gambia, Guatemala, Guyana, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Poland, Russia, Tunisia, Zambia.

Documents on Democracy

• Excerpts from the concession speech of Zambia's former president Rupiah Banda after losing the September 20 presidential election to opposition leader Michael Sata.


• Excerpts from the inaugural address of Zambia's newly elected president, Michael Sata.


• Excerpts from the report “Russia Development Index 2010–2011,” published in November 2011 by Russia's Valdai Discussion Club, a group of domestic and international experts.