Larry Diamond Livres

The book explores the January 1966 coup that dismantled Nigeria's First Republic, highlighting it as a pivotal moment in the failure of liberal democracy in post-colonial Africa. It examines how this event not only ended hopes for effective parliamentary governance but also contributed to a broader decline in democratic institutions across the continent, ultimately leading to a devastating civil war.

Larry Diamond, a lifelong scholar of democracy, examines the history of its struggles and its future. The defence of democracy has relied for decades on U.S. global leadership, including its alliances with advanced democracies in Europe and Asia. But, he warns, if America does not reclaim its traditional place as the keystone of democracy, today's global authoritarian trend will accelerate. But there is hope - Diamond offers concrete, deeply informed suggestions for policymakers and citizens alike to turn the tide and usher a new age of democratic renewal.

The last quarter of the twentieth century was marked by two dramatic political trends that altered many of the world's regimes: the global resurgence of democracy and the collapse of communism. Was the process that brought down communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union fundamentally different from the process that gave birth to new democracies in other regions of the world? Were the transitions away from communism mostly like or mostly unlike the transitions away from authoritarianism that took place elsewhere? Is the challenge of building and consolidating democracy under postcommunist conditions unique, or can one apply lessons learned from other new democracies? The essays collected in this volume explore these questions, while tracing how the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have fared in the decade following the fall of communism.

The book concludes with a hopeful view of the prospects for a fourth wave of global democratization.

Exploring the variations in democratic practices worldwide, this collection features insightful articles from the Journal of Democracy. It serves as a sequel to The Global Resurgence of Democracy, delving into the challenges and divergences faced by democracies across different regions. The work highlights the complexities of democratic governance and the factors influencing its evolution, offering a critical perspective on the state of democracy in the contemporary world.

Focusing on the quality of democratic institutions and governance, this book presents a comprehensive evaluation of the global state of democracy and freedom as of early 2015. It synthesizes three decades of research to propose a framework for assessing democracy and explores alternative measurement methods. By utilizing recent data from Freedom House, the author highlights a concerning trend of declining democracy and freedom since 2005, offering insights into the factors contributing to this recession.