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| Johns Hopkins Univ. Press |
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July 2009, Volume 20, Number 3
China Since Tiananmen
In the two decades since the Tiananmen massacre, China has enjoyed rapid economic growth and a measure of political stability. Recently, however, various forms of popular protest have been increasing. Do they represent a potentially serious threat to CCP rule?- The Massacre’s Long Shadow
Jean Philippe-Béja - A New Rights Consciousness?
Elizabeth J. Perry - The Labor Movement
Ching Kwan Lee and Eli Friedman - Rural Protest
Kevin J. O’Brien - Middle-Class Mobilization
Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom - Online Activism
Guobin Yang - Authoritarian Impermanence
Andrew J. Nathan
Jalal Alamgir
After a nearly two-year interlude of authoritarian rule, Bangladeshis voted decisively for democracy, a secular approach to politics, and the center-left. The challenge now is to show that parliamentary democracy can deliver stability and socioeconomic progress.
Scottish Democracy in a Time of Nationalism
Tom Gallagher
The Scottish National Party proposes to free Scotland from its supposed tutelage to London, but betrays habits of political centralism and elitism that raise questions about the quality of democracy an independent Scotland would enjoy.
Malaysia’s Electoral Upheaval
James Chin and Wong Chin Huat
In March 2008, Malaysian voters dealt the long-ruling National Front coalition an enormous shock—pushing that party closer to losing power than it has ever been in Malaysia’s entire history as an independent country.
Democratization by Elections?
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A Mixed Record
Staffan I. Lindberg
Evidence suggests that under some circumstances repeated elections, even if flawed, can lead to democratization.
- Postcommunist Ambiguities
Valerie J. Bunce and Sharon L. Wolchik
Since 1996, eight postcommunist authoritarian rulers have been ousted by “electoral revolutions.” Why have these not succeeded in other postcommunist countries?
- Opposition Weakness in Africa
Lise Rakner and Nicolas van de Walle
Due to weak opposition parties and presidential dominance, many African countries have not reaped the full benefits of regularly held elections.
- Competitive Clientelism in the Middle East
Ellen Lust
Legislative elections in the Middle East often become contests over patronage and wind up reinforcing authoritarian regimes.
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi and Igor Munteanu
In April 2008, disputed election results in the tiny state of Moldova sparked violent protests and a harsh response from state authorities.
The Turnover in El Salvador
Forrest D. Colburn
In March 2009, El Salvador saw its first peaceful alternation of power since independence, as the FMLN, a former guerilla movement that laid down its arms in 1992, finally won the presidency.
Nicaragua: Progress amid Regress?
Leslie E. Anderson and Lawrence C. Dodd
Despite increasing authoritarian tendencies at the national level, there are signs that Nicaragua has been making democratic advances at the local level.
Books in Review
- Arms and the Humanitarian
Clifford Orwin
A review of Freedom’s Battle: The Origins of Humanitarian Intervention by Gary J. Bass.
Election Watch
- Reports on recent elections in Algeria, Ecuador, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Maldives, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Panama, Slovakia, and South Africa.
Documents on Democracy
- Excerpts from remarks made on March 11 by Xu Youyu, a Charter 08 signatory, as he accepted the People in Need foundation's annual Homo Homini Award on behalf of imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, a leading figure behind Charter 08.
- Portions of the African Union's March 20 decision on the forced resignation of Madagascar's President Ravalomanana by military leaders who then conferred power on opposition leader Andry Rajoelina.
- Excerpts from the June 1 inauguration speech of new El Salvadoran president Mauricio Funes of the FMLN, the country's first leftist president.
- ASEAN's May 19 statement condemning Burma's (Myanmar's) treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi after an uninvited American swam across a lake and entered her house.
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