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| Articles |
| Johns Hopkins Univ. Press |
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October 2005, Volume 16, Number 4
The Emperor Has No ClothesVáclav Havel
What can be done with regimes that proclaim their devotion to democratic principles but violate them in practice?
Iran's Peculiar Election
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The Conservative Wave Rolls On
Vali Nasr
The June 2005 presidential election capped a process of conservative reentrenchment, but with a surprising populist twist. -
A Historical Perspective
Abbas Milani
The June 2005 presidential ballot marks the culmination of the regime's effort to dominate even the limited powers of the popularly elected offices. -
The Voice of Akbar Ganji
Azar Nafisi
In the lines of suffering etched on the visage of this courageous dissident may be read the drama of Iran today.
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The Struggle Against Sultanism
Akbar Ganji
Given the unaccountable authority of the supreme leader, the Islamic Republic should be classified as a sultanistic regime. In such regimes, democratic change is more likely to come from nonviolent resistance than from internal reform.
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The Role of Ideology
Ladan Boroumand
The election results reflect less what voters want than the ideological dynamics that shape the behavior of factions within the regime.
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What Should "We" Do Now?
Mohsen Sazegara
The large number of nonvoters suggests that the movement for a free, internationally monitored referendum on the Islamic Republic's constitution could gain widespread support. We must now work to make that so.
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Chinese Dreams, Persian Realities
Michael McFaul
Basic demographic and socioeconomic factors in Iran are favorable to democratization. The mullahs may hope to stave off democratic change by emulating the Chinese model, but this strategy is doomed to fail.
Vitali Silitski
Having drawn lessons from the downfall of some of his fellow autocrats, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is preventing the emergence of an effective democratic movement in Belarus.
Cambodia: Getting Away with Authoritarianism?
Duncan McCargo
While Cambodia is often thought of as a "transitional" democracy and as a case where UN intervention succeeded, the truth is quite different.
Babel in Democratization Studies
Ariel C. Armony & Hector E. Schamis
Recent works on regime types have led to confusion and a tendency to overstate the differences between established and newer democracies.
Nepal: Between Dictatorship and Anarchy
Sumit Ganguly & Brian Shoup
Nepal's people find themselves caught in an ugly struggle between two antidemocratic ideologies—royal absolutism and Maoism. What happened?
Ethiopia's Extended Transition
John W. Harbeson
In May, Ethiopia held its first genuinely competitive elections. The strong showing of opposition parties gives hope for a more democratic future.
The Caribbean: Democracy Adrift?
Daniel P. Erikson & Adam Minson
From hurricanes to ethnic and political tensions, the past decade has not been easy for the countries of the Caribbean Community. What does the future hold for these small democracies?
Books in Review
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Minding the Polls
Jørgen Elklit
A review of Beyond Free and Fair: Monitoring Elections and Building Democracy by Eric C. Bjornlund.
Election Watch
- Reports on recent elections in Albania, Bulgaria, Burundi, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mauritius, and Suriname.
Documents on Democracy
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Excerpts from speeches given at an August 29 Warsaw event commemorating the anniversary of the "Polish August" of 1980 by former Solidarity advisor and foreign minister Bronislaw Geremek and President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
- Excerpts from the Bamako Declaration of the African Statesmen Initiative issued by more than a dozen former heads of state and government after a symposium June 5–8 in Mali.
- The text of an open letter in recognition of Aung San Suu Kyi's sixtieth birthday on June 19, signed by 14 of her fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
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