The Trouble with Democracy

Abstract

Shows why the perception that we live in an era of human rights and incessant democratisation is dangerously misleading Western political thought has long maintained that democracy, once achieved, is here to stay. This view appears to be supported by successive 'waves of democratisation' across the world but, in truth, the political situation of our time is much more ambiguous. On the one hand, the commitment to democracy seems to be more widely shared than ever; on the other, popular will has ever less impact on political decisions because of alleged constraints in an era of 'globalisation'. Existing democracies suffer from a combination of technocratic governance and populist reactions. Global political communication has foundered with addressing urgent problems such as climate change, global social justice and economic–financial crises. By placing political condition of our time in its long-term historical context, this book radically reconsiders key issues of political thought and gives you a comparative exploration of the current experiences of democracy in several world-regions. Key Features Case studies include: Latin America, Argentina, South Africa and Brazil Discusses topics including contemporary political transformation and its relation to democracy, capitalism and democracy and women's history