As demonstrated by current events in Tunisia and Egypt, oppressive regimes are rarely immune to their citizens' desire for democratic government. Of course, desire is always tempered by reality; therefore how democratic demands are made manifest is a critical source of study for both political scientists and foreign policy makers. What issues and consequences surround the fall of a government, what type of regime replaces it, and to what extent are these efforts successful? Kathryn Stoner and Michael McFaul have created an accessible book of fifteen case studies from around the world that will help students understand these complex issues. Their model builds upon Guillermo O'Donnell, Philippe C. Schmitter, and Laurence Whitehead's classic work, Transitions from Authoritarian Rule, using a rubric of four identifying factors that can be applied to each case study, making comparison relatively easy. Transitions to Democracy yields strong comparisons and insights. For instance, the study reveals that efforts led by the elite and involving the military are generally unsuccessful, whereas mass mobilization, civic groups, and new media have become significant factors in supporting and sustaining democratic actors. This collection of writings by scholars and practitioners is organized into three parts: successful transitions, incremental transitions, and failed transitions. Extensive primary research and a rubric that can be applied to burgeoning democracies offer readers valuable tools and information.

Successfully traces the interaction between domestic and international actors during regime transitions in a wide range of cases from the 1970s to the 2000s. Each chapter provides a font of primary research very rarely found in edited volumes of this sort. In particular, this book offers a unique source of detail on U.S. foreign policy towards a wide range of countries at various points over the last thirty years. Nowhere is so much detail on so many cases available in a single book. -- Lucan Way, University of Toronto

About the Author
Kathryn Stoner is a senior fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, deputy director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, and faculty director of the Susan Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies at Stanford University. Michael McFaul the Peter and Helen Bing Sr. Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor of political pcience at Stanford University. Previously he served as senior director for Russia in the National Security Council of President Barack Obama. He was appointed the United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation in January 2012.

Reviews
The book is solid in scholarship, methodology, and organization. Choice



Book Information
ISBN 9781421408149
Author Kathryn Stoner
Format Paperback
Page Count 456
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 658g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 27mm