From late 2003 through mid-2005, a series of peaceful street protests toppled corrupt and undemocratic regimes in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan and ushered in the election of new presidents in all three nations. These movements--collectively known as the Color Revolutions--were greeted in the West as democratic breakthroughs that might thoroughly reshape the political terrain of the former Soviet Union.But as Lincoln A. Mitchell explains in "The Color Revolutions," it has since become clear that these protests were as much reflections of continuity as they were moments of radical change. Not only did these movements do little to spur democratic change in other post-Soviet states, but their impact on Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan themselves was quite different from what was initially expected. In fact, Mitchell suggests, the Color Revolutions are best understood as phases in each nation's long post-Communist transition: significant events, to be sure, but far short of true revolutions."The Color Revolutions" explores the causes and consequences of all three Color Revolutions--the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan--identifying both common themes and national variations. Mitchell's analysis also addresses the role of American democracy promotion programs, the responses of nondemocratic regimes to the Color Revolutions, the impact of these events on U.S.-Russian relations, and the failed "revolutions" in Azerbaijan and Belarus in 2005 and 2006.At a time when the Arab Spring has raised hopes for democratic development in the Middle East, Mitchell's account of the Color Revolutions serves as a valuable reminder of the dangers of confusing dramatic moments with lasting democratic breakthroughs.

Uncertain Democracy U.S. Foreign Policy and Georgia's Rose Revolution Lincoln A. Mitchell "Essential reading."--Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia "Mitchell has a keen understanding of Georgian politics, the country's major actors, and the broader regional and historical context in which Georgian politics takes place. This book is particularly valuable because of its discussion of the role of the United States and the West more broadly in democratic development. Although some may not agree with Mitchell's conclusions, "Uncertain Democracy" is essential reading for understanding Georgia, the former Soviet Union, and democratic transitions more generally."--Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia ""Uncertain Democracy" is a skillful, original account of highly important political events, with many implications for U.S. foreign policy. Lincoln Mitchell nicely fuses his insider's perspective with an outsider's balance."--Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace "Proponents and critics of democracy promotion have cherry-picked Georgia's 'Rose Revolution' to find what they want to see. In "Uncertain Democracy," Lincoln Mitchell provides a full portrait of the events that began the first color revolution and shows the gap between rhetoric and reality. Based on his assessment of what has and has not worked in postrevolution Georgia, he shows how the objective of constructing democracies in other countries can be integrated into U.S. foreign policy."--Nikolas Gvosdev, editor, "The National Interest" In November of 2003, a stolen election in the former Soviet republic of Georgia led to protests and the eventual resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze. Shevardnadze was replaced by a democratically elected government led by President Mikheil Saakashvili, who pledged to rebuild Georgia, orient it toward the West, and develop a European-style democracy. Known as the Rose Revolution, this early twenty-first-century democratic movement was only one of the so-called color revolutions (Orange in Ukraine, Tulip in Kyrgyzstan, and Cedar in Lebanon). What made democratic revolution in Georgia thrive when so many similar movements in the early part of the decade dissolved? Lincoln A. Mitchell witnessed the Rose Revolution firsthand, even playing a role in its manifestation by working closely with key Georgian actors who brought about change. In "Uncertain Democracy," Mitchell recounts the events that led to the overthrow of Shevardnadze and analyzes the factors that contributed to the staying power of the new regime. The book also explores the modest but indispensable role of the United States in contributing to the "Rose Revolution" and Georgia's failure to live up to its democratic promise. "Uncertain Democracy" is the first scholarly examination of Georgia's recent political past. Drawing upon primary sources, secondary documents, and his own NGO experience, Mitchell presents a compelling case study of the effect of U.S. policy of promoting democracy abroad. Lincoln A. Mitchell teaches in the Practice of International Politics at Columbia University. He served as chief of party for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Georgia in 2002-4. 2008 192 pages 6 x 9 ISBN 978-0-8122-4127-3 Cloth $49.95s 32.50 ISBN 978-0-8122-0281-6 Ebook $49.95s 32.50 World Rights Political Science Short copy: Lincoln Mitchell tracks the course of events leading up to the recent revolution in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, analyzes the contributing factors, and explores the role of the United States both in contributing to the revolution and in Georgia's failure to live up to its democratic promise.

Explore the numerous paradoxes at the heart of the theory and practice of democracy promotion. The Democracy Promotion Paradox raises difficult but critically important issues by probing the numerous inconsistencies and paradoxes that lie at the heart of the theory and practice of democracy promotion. For example, the United States frequently crafts policies to promote democracy that rely on cooperation with undemocratic governments; democracy promoters view their work as minor yet also of critical importance to the United States and the countries where they work; and many who work in the field of democracy promotion have an incomplete understanding of democracy. Similarly, in the domestic political context, both left and right critiques of democracy promotion are internally inconsistent. Lincoln A. Mitchell provides an overview of the origins of U.S. democracy promotion, analyzes its development and evolution over the last decades, and discusses how it came to be an unquestioned assumption at the core of U.S. foreign policy. His discussion of the bureaucratic logic that underlies democracy promotion offers important insights into how it can be adapted to remain effective. Mitchell also examines the future of democracy promotion in the context of evolving U.S. domestic policy and politics and in a changed global environment in which the United States is no longer the hegemon.

Searching for a home and a homerun-an overlooked era of Giants and San Francisco historyThe San Francisco Giants have been one of the most successful franchises in baseball in the twenty-first century as evidenced by the three World Series Championship flags flying in the breeze over Oracle Park, one of the most beautiful baseball venues in the world. However, the team was not always so successful on or off the field. The Giants and Their City tells the story of a Giants franchise that had no recognizable stars, was last in the league in attendance, and had more than one foot out the door on the way to Toronto when a local businessman and a brand new mayor found a way to keep the team in San Francisco. Over the next 17 years, the team had some very good years, but more than few terrible ones, while trying to find a home in a city with a unique and confounding political culture. The Giants and Their City relates how the team struggles to win ballgames, find its way back to the playoffs, but also to stay in San Francisco when, at times, it wasn't clear the city wanted them. This book is a baseball story about beloved Giants players like Vida Blue, Willie McCovey, Kevin Mitchell, and Robby Thompson, and includes interviews with Art Agnos, Frank Jordan, Dianne Feinstein, John Montefusco, Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, Mike Krukow, Dave Dravecky and Bob Lurie among others. The book features descriptions of important events in Giants history like the Mike Ivie grand slam, the Joe Morgan home run, the 1987 playoffs, the 1989 team, the Dave Dravecky game and the earthquake World Series. It's also a uniquely San Francisco story that shows how sports teams and cities often have very complex relationships.