Democracy
Stories from the Long Road to Freedom
گزارش تخلف
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
March 27, 2017
Between her academic background in political science and her experience as national security advisor and secretary of state for George W. Bush, Rice could be expected to provide unique insights into the challenges currently facing democracy worldwide. Instead, she blandly avers that “the overall trajectory is worth celebrating,” despite her own description of Russia as a “failed democratic experiment.” Rice also opines that “dashed expectations that democracy’s march would be linear” account, at least in part, for fears that democratic governments are actively on the decline. Beyond such unilluminating statements, Rice traces the history of democracy across the modern world, relating familiar facts about the U.S., Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. She also cannot resist blaming the Obama administration for depriving Iraq of a better future by deciding to pull American troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011, pursuant to an agreement with the Iraqi government that she had been party to. Rice’s post-Trump election epilogue is equally unsatisfying—she states that it is “stunning” that mature democracies like the U.S. have been affected by the global rise in populism, nativism, and isolationism, but concludes that it is too early to know whether the international order in place since the end of WWII will survive.
January 1, 2017
The 66th Secretary of State of the United States tells us what events from the end of the Cold War to the current turmoil in the Middle East mean for democracy worldwide. With a 150,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2017
How does a country become a democracy? Former secretary of state Rice offers readers the opportunity to consider this question while examining places throughout the world where governments are transitioning toward or struggling to maintain free and fair elections that result in democratic rule. After a brief look at the nearly 150-year evolution to full U.S. democracy, Rice focuses on five nations' experiences: Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Kenya, and Colombia. She also examines current conflicts and obstacles that Middle Eastern countries are struggling to overcome. Her familiarity with many countries' leaders, as well as her personal involvement helping nations attain more representative or responsive government systems, give readers a behind-the-scenes look. Rice includes an epilog addressing events since the election of President Donald Trump and reminds readers that democracies are built for disruptions within their institutions. She also cautions that while democracy's genius is in its openness to change, its stability is in its institutions that encourage restraint and reject authoritarian power. VERDICT Rice presents an authoritative explanation of the challenges leaders face as they attempt to establish democratic governments. Readers interested in the history of political systems and governments will find her work informative and easy to understand. [See Prepub Alert, 12/5/16.]--Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs.
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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