Democracy Without Borders?: Global Challenges to Liberal Democracy

by Marc F. Plattner

Overview

Democracy Without Borders? assesses the worldwide prospects of liberal democracy. In an era of globalization and in an intellectual climate in which the idea of national sovereignty is under assault, Plattner identifies the essential features of modern liberal democracy and offers guidance about what is required to sustain it.

This examination comes at a critical moment. After three decades of global advance, liberal democracy today is being challenged from many quarters. Among the reasons why its future looks cloudy is the popular election of candidates hostile to liberalism—in Palestine, Russia, Venezuela, and elsewhere. An investigation of the complex and tension-filled relationship between liberalism and majority rule is at the heart of this essential book.

Plattner’s contention is that liberalism needs democracy and that liberal democracy needs the nation-state. He argues that transnational bodies like the European Union cannot overcome their "democratic deficit." Hence he recommends an approach that will enable the United States to promote international cooperation without sacrificing the fundamental elements of national sovereignty or American democracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742559257
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/28/2007
Pages:	178
Product dimensions:	6.44(w) x 9.38(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Marc F. Plattner is editor of the Journal of Democracy and vice-president for Research and Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. He is the coeditor of The Global Resurgence of Democracy and more than a dozen other books. His articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, Commentaire, and other leading journals both in the United States and abroad.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 The Triumphs and Travails of Democracy
Chapter 3 The Democratic Moment
Part 4 The Twin Pillars of Liberal Democracy
Chapter 5 The Role of Human Rights
Chapter 6 The Links Between Liberalism and Democracy
Chapter 7 Why Liberalism became Democratic
Part 8 Liberal Democracy and the Nation-State
Chapter 9 Globalization and Self-Government
Chapter 10 Understanding the European Union
Chapter 11 Sovereignty and Democracy
Chapter 12 Two Kinds of Internationalism
Part 13 Conclusion
Chapter 14 The Democratic Moment Revisited

Editorial Reviews

Marc Plattner is one of the American authors who most strongly merit the attention of European readers. An eloquent defender of the sovereign state, he nonetheless avoids anti-European invective. He offers instead a searching analysis of European integration and its theoreticians, within the context of a most stimulating set of reflections on democracy and its role in world politics.

Pierre Hassner

Plattner's compact volume assembles two decades' worth of essays into a cohesive and well-written investigation of the obstacles facing democracy promotion today and the conditions under which democracy can survive and thrive.

COMMENTARY

Plattner offers helpful insights into democracy....Clearly written, this book ties together various arguments about the future prospects of liberal democracy today. Recommended.

Choice Reviews

Not content merely to comment on European and American politics, Plattner suffuses his approach to the contemporary scene with a depth and subtlety acquired from a long study of political philosophy and political history.. .. The book's outline is clear, the writing is crisp, and the logic and argumentation are elegant and therefore compelling. Laymen, scholars, and policy makers should find this work accessible, persuasive and immensely useful.

Society

Cohesive and well-written

Book Review Digest

Democracy Without Borders? covers the spectrum from political philosophy to practical policy, and splendidly reveals the depth, breadth, and brilliance of Plattner's insight and analysis. Plattner's book is indispensable for anyone who cares about the fate of democracy in the present era.

Robert Kagan

Plattner's analysis is measured and clearly articulated. Though not a polemicist—indeed, he goes out of his way to give all sides their due—Plattner does have strong opinions, which are reinforced by his ability to distinguish between facts and real trends on the one hand and superficial theorizing on the other....Plattner's reasoned and basically optimistic argument is particularly important at a moment of confusion about democracy's condition and schadenfreude over the failings of the Bush administration's efforts to bring freedom to the Middle East.

The Weekly Standard

Plattner's book is an insightful reflection on liberalism, the democratic nation-state, and the European Union in relation to global democracy.

Claremont Review of Books

Democracy Without Borders? traces a fascinating trajectory of thinking about democratic institutions and their fate in the contemporary world. Marc Plattner is one of the wisest observers of modern democracy in America, and as editor of the Journal of Democracy he has been on top of the academic discourse on this subject.

Francis Fukuyama

This book is a lively, incisive tour of democracy's global fortunes, led by the ideal guide. Plattner infuses a rich presentation of key philosophical debates about contemporary democracy with bracing injections of real-life dilemmas and dangers.

Thomas Carothers

The most lucid and readable introduction imaginable to the debate over "the democracy project."

National Review - John O'Sullivan

Plattner offers helpful insights into democracy....Clearly written, this book ties together various arguments about the future prospects of liberal democracy today. Recommended.

July 2008 Choice Reviews

Plattner's book is an insightful reflection on liberalism, the democratic nation-state, and the European Union in relation to global democracy.

July 2008 Claremont Review of Books

Plattner's analysis is measured and clearly articulated. Though not a polemicist—indeed, he goes out of his way to give all sides their due—Plattner does have strong opinions, which are reinforced by his ability to distinguish between facts and real trends on the one hand and superficial theorizing on the other....Plattner's reasoned and basically optimistic argument is particularly important at a moment of confusion about democracy's condition and schadenfreude over the failings of the Bush administration's efforts to bring freedom to the Middle East.

March/April 2008 The Weekly Standard

Plattner offers helpful insights into democracy....Clearly written, this book ties together various arguments about the future prospects of liberal democracy today. Recommended.

Choice

Democracy Without Borders? covers the spectrum from political philosophy to practical policy, and splendidly reveals the depth, breadth, and brilliance of Plattner's insight and analysis. Plattner's book is indispensable for anyone who cares about the fate of democracy in the present era.--Robert Kagan, author of Of Paradise and Power

Marc Plattner is one of the American authors who most strongly merit the attention of European readers. An eloquent defender of the sovereign state, he nonetheless avoids anti-European invective. He offers instead a searching analysis of European integration and its theoreticians, within the context of a most stimulating set of reflections on democracy and its role in world politics.--Pierre Hassner, National Foundation of Political Science, Paris, author of La Terreur et l'Empire

The most lucid and readable introduction imaginable to the debate over "the democracy project."--John O'Sullivan "National Review "

From the Publisher

Plattner's compact volume assembles two decades' worth of essays into a cohesive and well-written investigation of the obstacles facing democracy promotion today and the conditions under which democracy can survive and thrive.

April 2008 Commentary

Plattner's compact volume assembles two decades' worth of essays into a cohesive and well-written investigation of the obstacles facing democracy promotion today and the conditions under which democracy can survive and thrive.

April 2008 COMMENTARY

Not content merely to comment on European and American politics, Plattner suffuses his approach to the contemporary scene with a depth and subtlety acquired from a long study of political philosophy and political history. . . . The book's outline is clear, the writing is crisp, and the logic and argumentation are elegant and therefore compelling. Laymen, scholars, and policy makers should find this work accessible, persuasive and immensely useful.

February 2010 Society

Cohesive and well-written

August 01 2008 Book Review Digest

Plattner offers helpful insights into democracy....Clearly written, this book ties together various arguments about the future prospects of liberal democracy today. Recommended.

July 2008 CHOICE

The most lucid and readable introduction imaginable to the debate over "the democracy project."
— John O'Sullivan

National Review

Not content merely to comment on European and American politics, Plattner suffuses his approach to the contemporary scene with a depth and subtlety acquired from a long study of political philosophy and political history.. .. The book's outline is clear, the writing is crisp, and the logic and argumentation are elegant and therefore compelling. Laymen, scholars, and policy makers should find this work accessible, persuasive and immensely useful.

Society