What Does Democracy
Mean?
What Does It Mean to You?
 Roots – demokratia Greek and
middle French democratie
 Could roots inform us about its
world-wide applicability?
Are There Minimum
Standards of Democracy?
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Can we really define democracy?
Let’s try and make a list, shall we?
Definition
Elements
Processes
Necessary vs. sufficient conditions
Democratization
Democratic consolidation
Waves of Democracy
 Or “democratization” - courtesy of
Samuel P. Huntington
 1st wave – flawed, slow, Western-based
 2nd wave – post-WW II - 30+ countries
 3rd wave – mid-1970’s – 70+ countries
 Need two successive peaceful transfers
of power
Is the
rd
3
Wave Dead?
 Rise of authoritarianism
 War on terrorism
 Illiberal democracies (aka electoral
or partial democracies)
 Substantive v. procedural
democracies
 Middle East
“America’s allies in the Middle
East are autocratic, corrupt and
heavy-handed. But, they are
still more liberal, tolerant and
pluralist than what would likely
replace them (w/ democratic
elections.) If elections had
been last month (Nov. 2001) in
Saudi Arabia with King Faud
and Osama bin Laden on the
ballot, I would not bet too
heavily on His Royal Highness’
fortunes.
Fareed Zakaria, How to Save the Arab
World, Newsweek, Dec. 24, 2001
And then, there’s Iraq…
Main Sunni party pulls out of Iraqi election
Iraq's largest mainstream Sunni Muslim
party pulled out of the election race
yesterday, saying the violence plaguing
areas north and west of Baghdad made a
"free and fair vote" on January 30
impossible.
The Guardian
Tuesday December 28, 2004
How Does Democracy
Develop?
 Organically?
 The “Good” – eastern Europe postSoviet period, EU, NATO, CSCE
 The “Bad” – China’s attempt at free
markets without human rights
emphasis
 The “Ugly” – Russia, too much, too
fast, regression as Putin increases
control
Can Democracy Be an
“Imposed Solution?”
 Can you “import” a value or political
system?
 Religion – Crusades
 Economics/Culture – Colonialism
 Political – Spread of democracy – Bush
Doctrine, War on Terrorism
 Arab Spring
 Can democracy be influence through
incentives e.g. trade and aid? EU for
instance…
America’s History of
Democratization
 Pre-revolutionary – “Shining City on the Hill”
 Revolution/Founding – “Empire of Liberty”
 Jacksonian Era – Christianizing “savages”
 Imperial America – Cuba, Philippines
 Wilsonian Internationalism – “Making the world safe for
democracy”
 Cold War Liberalism – Fighting Communism
 Post-imperial or neo-imperial – War on Terrorism
Do Democracy and Free
Markets Go Hand In Hand?
 Not according to Amy Chua, author of
World on Fire 2003
 Too much democracy too fast is BAD
 Need certain conditions for democracy to grow
and thrive
 Ethnic minorities at risk
 Indians in East Africa, Jews in Russia, Han
Chinese in the Philippines
Are newly formed democracies at
risk?
 The Economist’s Intelligence Unit surveyed
new democracies in Eastern Europe
between 2006 and 2008 finding that their
democracy “scores” had decreased.
 But no serious trend away from democratic
leanings due to globalization.
 Economic hard times undermined the
government of Latvia – trouble brewing in
Ukraine
What About Your Country?
 What is the status of democracy in
your assigned country?
 What elements of democracy does
it have?
 What elements of democracy does
it lack?
 Will democracy work or is it just a
“Western thang?”
Survey says!
 Fully democratized: UK and Mexico
 Partially democratized: Russia and Nigeria
 Democracy? LOL!: China and Iran
(College Board’s AP sourcebook, democratization briefing paper, 2005)