The Puzzle of Non-Western Democracy

by Richard Youngs

Overview

Western democracy is being questioned around the world. At the same time, Western aid groups are quick to say that they are not trying to impose a particular style of democracy on others and that they are open to supporting local, alternative forms of democracy. This book examines what it is about Western democracy that non-Westerners are reacting negatively to and whether the critics often are equating a dislike for certain Western social or economic features with an aversion to of Western political systems. It also explores the current state of debate about alternative forms of democratic practice in different regions—Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America—and then puts forward ideas about how Western actors engaged in democracy support can do a better job of incorporating new thinking about alternative democratic forms into their efforts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870034305
Publisher:	Brookings Institution Press
Publication date:	09/08/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	240
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Richard Youngs is a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program, based at Carnegie Europe. He works on EU foreign policy and on issues of international democracy.

Editorial Reviews

"In this fresh, thoughtful, and timely work, Richard Youngs makes an original, thought-provoking, and profoundly clarifying contribution to the debate over "non-Western democracy." He provides a rigorously analytical approach in a work of impressive scholarship that will be of enormous value to scholars, students, and practitioners around the world."—Larry Diamond, senior fellow at Stanford University

"In this nuanced and insightful book, Richard Youngs explores how understandings of democracy are changing and provides innovative ideas that should push Western analysts and diplomats toward a necessary rethink of democracy support."—Ivan Krastev, chairman of the Center for Liberal Strategies, Sofia, Bulgaria

"A well-timed assessment of an issue that is acquiring renewed visibility, offering an evenhanded agenda for more varied and tolerant forms of democracy."—Laurence Whitehead, senior research fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford

"Stimulating and much-needed insight into democratic experiments outside the West, with a well-informed account of the political realities that condition variations in democracy."—Amr Hamzawy, professor of public policy at the American University in Cairo and former member of the Egyptian parliament

From the Publisher