April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
The “Mystery” of the Soviet Collapse
There was nothing inevitable about the unraveling of Soviet communism. The role played by individuals such as Aleksandr Yakovlev was crucial.
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April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
The Debacle in Côte d’Ivoire
Despite hopes that 2005 would see an end to hostilities between rebels and government forces, neither disarmament nor elections took place. How did this once-prosperous country end up on the verge of anarchy and disaster?
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
Electoral Systems Today: A Global Snapshot
A wide variety of electoral systems is used around the world, but in recent years the trend has been toward systems based upon greater proportionality.
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
Electoral Systems Today: Iraq’s Year of Voting Dangerously
Iraq’s three elections in 2005 highlighted the role—but also the limits—of electoral-system design in managing potentially polarizing divisions.
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
Electoral Systems Today: The Curious Case of Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s electoral system is both unusual and unsuited to the country’s political circumstances. How was it chosen and what are its effects on the country’s politics?
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
Electoral Systems Today: The Politics of Reform in Japan and Taiwan
For decades, Japan and Taiwan elected their legislatures using the single nontransferable vote. Recently, however, both countries adopted new electoral systems. What explains this trend?
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
What Really Happened in Kyrgyzstan?
The March 2005 “Tulip Revolution” that toppled President Askar Akeyev is often grouped with the “color revolutions” in Georgia and Ukraine, but in many ways the Kyrgyz case was unique.
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
Azerbaijan’s Frustrating Elections
The 2005 elections were marked by massive fraud, but the democratic world mostly looked the other way. Azerbaijani society remains receptive to democracy, but the regime clearly has other plans—and will soon have massive oil wealth to fund them.
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
Exchange: Getting Costa Rica Right
The country’s recent political travails are due not to collusion between the two major parties but to the increasing difficulty of reaching interparty agreements.
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
Exchange: Different Times, Different Demands
In recent decades, Costa Rican society has evolved and become less deferential. Political arrangements that worked well in the past no longer meet the country’s needs.
April 2006, Volume 17, Issue 2
The History of a Word
A review of Setting the People Free: The Story of Democracy, by John Dunn
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Getting to Arab Democracy: What Do Iraqis Want?
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.
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Getting to Arab Democracy: Dealing with Communalism
Whether ethnic, sectarian, or some combination of the two, communalsim is one of the massive realities of Middle Eastern life and politics. It is usually seen as an obstacle to democracy, but need that always be the case?
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Getting to Arab Democracy: The Promise of Pacts
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.
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Ballots, Bribes, and State Building in Bulgaria
The successful completion of yet another general election should dispel any residual doubts about Bulgarian democracy. But the election results made clear that the country now faces a new set of challenges.
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Postcommunist Central Banks: A Democratic Deficit?
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?
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Russia: Authoritarianism Without Authority
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.
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
The 2005 Freedom House Survey: Progress in the Middle East
The gains for freedom in the Middle East were the most significant seen since the Freedom House survey began in 1972.
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Burundi’s Transition: A Beacon for Central Africa
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?
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Burundi’s Transition: Training Leaders for Peace
Burundi's leaders are learning to embrace a culture of discussion and consensus that offers a way out of the abyss of civil war.