The Failure of Democratic Nation Building Ideology Meets Evolution

by Somit, Albert; Peterson, Steven A.

• ISBN13: 9781403967817
• ISBN10: 1403967814
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-27
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

In this book, Somit and Peterson argue that humans are social primates with an innate tendency for hierarchical and authoritarian social and political structures, and that democracy requires very special "enabling conditions" before it can be supported by a state, conditions that require decades to evolve. As a result, attempts to export democracy through nation-building to states without these enabling conditions are doomed to failure.

Author Biography

Steven A. Peterson is Professor of Politics, Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg and Director of its School of Public Affairs. Albert Somit is Professor Emeritus at Southern Illinois University.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	ix
Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	1	(8)
Authoritarian Government: The Default Option	9	(16)
What is a Democracy?: Toward a Working Definition	25	(10)
Democratic Nation Building: From Concept to Operational ``Checklist''	35	(12)
Democracy: The Requisite ``Enabling Conditions''---No Small Order	47	(14)
Will the Real Democracies Please Stand Up?	61	(16)
American Nation Building, 1945--2005: Costs and Consequences	77	(16)
The Fourth ``Whereas''	93	(18)
``Therefore Be It Resolved...'': Toward More Realistic Foreign and Domestic Policies	111	(6)
Notes	117	(20)
References	137	(14)
Name Index	151	(6)
Subject Index	157