Explores the political dynamics of the recent wave of democratization in developing societies. Within a broad comparative perspective, the text focuses on the particular experiences of four countries - South Korea, Ghana, Zambia and Chile. The contributors assess the likelihood of sustaining new democratic regimes and discuss the feasibility of the promotion of democratization by outside parties. The text also addresses the complex practical issues of establishing and consolidating democratic political institutions, as well as important topics such as military power, the role of civil society and the position of women in relation to democracy. -- .

First published in 1975. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1975. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

An account of the Nigerian military coups of 1966 in which the author discusses both the events themselves and their sociological background.

Democratic institutions in the post-Cold War era have come to be seen as the only legitimate forms of governance. But the longstanding legacy and frequent incidence of military rule over the past half century continue to threaten newly instituted democratic regimes. The disintegration of order and government in many societies in recent years, under the pressures of violent conflict and internal war, poses even more intractable obstacles to the institutionalization of stable democracy. The contributors to this volume explore the challenges of establishing democratic accountability and control over the military and other security establishments, including non-state armed formations, in countries which have either been the victims of authoritarian military rule or wracked by violent internal conflict. They examine both successful democratic transitions and failed ones in a wide range of countries, and the possible role of regional interventions and institutions.

Constitution-making for democracy has always been a highly political and contested process. It has never been more ambitious, or more difficult, than today as politicians and experts attempt to build democratic institutions that will foster peace and stability in countries torn by violent conflict. The extended investigation out of which this book has grown has ranged across three continents. It has examined such apparently intractable cases as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and Fiji, as well as apparent 'success stories' like South Africa, Ghana and Uganda. The authors, while regarding democracy as a general entitlement, refuse to subscribe to a triumphalist view which sees it as a universal panacea. Instead they seek to understand how democratic institutions actually facilitate (or sometimes fail to facilitate) improved governance and the management of conflict in a variety of national settings. This thoughtful and empirical set of explorations is highly relevant to other societies wrestling with similar problems of institutional design in situations of democratic transition and/or deep-seated social conflict.