Abstract
Explaining the evolution and functioning of democracy in the non-Western countries is a far more daunting task than accounting for its absence. In their attempt to analyze issues and challenges to functioning democracies or the process of democratization in non-Western milieu, Cristopher Lamont et al. have focused on the political changes in countries from two important regions, namely, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and East Asia.
Having established at the outset that the “diffusion” of democracy from the “West to the rest” has been unable to “explain the emergence of political orders that diverged from Western practices” (p. 1), this book begins by addressing the conceptual issues related to the Western bias in the existing literature on democratization. Essays in Part I look at the movements in the Arab World (Arab Spring) and China (Jasmine Revolution 1 ) to argue that the recognition of democracy as a universal value is a failed notion and cultural relativism is far more valid. The author, Cecile Vandewoude, also suggests that the focus of the debate on democracy should shift from questioning the universal “desirability of democracy” to questioning the universal application of the “principles of democracy.” Specific case study considered is that of China which juxtaposes one such “universal” principle, the Socratic ideal of free speech with the Confucian principle of remonstrative speech, and analyzes how the latter is contextually more suitable for democratic functioning. While free speech as a critical strategy often emphasizes radical change, remonstrance promotes incremental changes, allowing for an alternative mode for implementation of democratization.
Part II of the book deals with regional case studies of country-specific experiences with democracy and democratization in the MENA region. Essays in this section critique the limitations of the existing frameworks in explaining the ongoing political transitions and future challenges to democratization. In the chapter dealing with Tunisian Revolution, Sami Zemni examines the shortcomings of the “authoritarian paradigm” in explaining social change in the Arab World. Zemni argues that this paradigm, as well as the “transition paradigm,” isolates the Arab regime from its milieu and reduces its functioning to a strategic game, thereby failing to account for rise of social and class mobilizations against authoritarianism. These paradigms also fail to take into account the role played by international political economy in influencing democratization. The chapter by Sultan Mohammed Zakaria further maps the challenges to democratization that might jeopardize the prospects of democracy in the region. These include absence of effective institutions, lack of electoral transparency, deep-rooted patron-clientelistic networks, etc. Zakaria also analyzes certain unique cultural characteristics for their compatibility with democracy and argues that the tribal nature of Middle Eastern societies poses a serious issue for democratization.
Specific issues such as the recasting of emergency regimes in MENA states in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and the effects of the turmoil on women have also been dealt with in this section. Yasmine Jawad argues that the political transformation, from passivity to participation, brought about by the Arab Spring has created an opportunity for women to challenge deeply embedded traditional patriarchal norms, and to promote women’s rights “in the context of weak state institutions” (p. 98).
While local traditions may initiate, promote, and sustain democratization, external elements are also helpful. Further, unlike in the West, democratization in the many Third World countries, specifically in the MENA region, has not been accompanied by a parallel pattern of economic and political liberalization. The final essay in this part, regarding Western democratic leverage, suggests that the difference in democratization processes in the Arab Spring countries and earlier examples of regional turmoil, such as the Balkans in the 1990s, does not lie primarily in domestic factors such as civil society, colonial past, experience with democracy, etc. but rather in the degree of Western leverage over democracy. Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski goes on to argue that the there is a lack of will on part of the Western powers to promote democracy in the Arab World.
The first two chapters in the final section deal with the East Asian perspectives on democratization and the challenges faced by it. The failure of the Jasmine Revolution in China illustrates the limits of the “global public sphere” in heralding political change. Patricia Thornton argues that the successful suppression of the Jasmine Revolution should be seen in the context of the “political economy of authoritarian resilience,” where economic liberalization empowers only the elites who use social privileges and the security apparatus to prevent change. It is in the interest of these politico-economic elite to thwart the access to social media so as to curb the reach of the global public sphere. Another form of authoritarian resilience analyzed in this section is the placating to social discontent through welfare measures such as the Chinese Minimum Livelihood Guarantee program. Such programs economically empower citizens to the extent so as prevent them from being motivated enough to protest.
The “classical” modernization theory postulates that political liberalization is necessary as a consequence of socioeconomic development. The chapter on Cultural Resources of Democracy takes South Korea as a case study to challenge the “classical” notion and focuses on two specific traditional sources of Korean democracy—Confucian populism and the literati scholarly traditions of nineteenth century Korea. The chapter by Herman Voogsgeerd focuses on the role played by the civil society in democratic functioning, specifically the influence of trade unionism in Japanese democracy. The final chapter of Part III explores the convergent and divergent aspects of democratic imaginings in the Western and non-Western polities, with the case study of Japan’s Official Development Assistance and its conceptualization of human security.
For scholars interested in the subject the book is a timely resource. Lamont et al. have surveyed wide range of political systems and states and made many valuable observations, clarifications, and remarks. One of the strengths of the book is that the authors have avoided transferring lessons in democracy from one region/country to the others or the Third World in general. To sum up, this is a first rate book that expertly handles a wide range of polities in an assorted mix of countries. Any student of democracy or the developing world would benefit from this book.
Footnotes
1.
The Tunisian Jasmine revolution inspired similar prodemocracy protests in several cities in China in February 2011, which were also termed, albeit euphemistically, as Jasmine Revolution.