The Case for Democracy

Cited by the current administration as a strong influence on the president, Sharansky's work is part political philosophy, part biography. The two genres are intertwined effortlessly by the former Soviet political prisoner who is now a political leader in Israel. Simon Vance presents a sophisticated and thoughtful reading. His voice is what one would imagine Sharansky's voice might sound like: articulate, cosmopolitan, and passionate. Vance's speech has the accent of one whose first language is not English, but who is a careful English speaker. The core argument is that the world is divided between free and "fear" societies and the way to fight the latter is by promoting freedom. Sharansky also argues that freedom is a universal aspiration of human beings. M.L.C. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

November 15, 2004
Drawing on his autobiography—from Soviet refusenik to Israeli cabinet minister – Sharansky distinguishes between "fear" and "free" societies. He spends a significant amount of time taking on conservative "realists" who prize stability in international relations, as well as liberals who he says fail to distinguish between flawed democracies that struggle to implement human rights and authoritarian or totalitarian states that flout human rights as a matter of course. Sharansky criticizes those who argue that democracy is culturally contingent and therefore unsuited for Muslim societies. Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he mentions documented Israeli human rights abuses, but places the bulk of the blame for the conflict on the dictatorial systems prevalent in Arab societies. He also weighs in on the vexing subject of how to distinguish legitimate criticism of Israel from the "new anti-Semitism." Such criticism must pass the "3D" test of " demonization, double standards, or delegitimation." Sharansky does not grapple deeply with the current situation in Iraq, but his opinions throughout, honed through years in a Soviet prison and in the corridors of power, feel earned. Agent, Marvin Josephson at ICM.