Title
The Failure of Democratic Nation Building: Ideology Meets Evolution,New
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Product Description Throughout history authoritarian governments have outnumbered democratic ones to an overwhelming degree. Even today, true democracies are an exception. In this book, Somit and Peterson argue that the main reason for this pattern is that humans are social primates with an innate tendency for hierarchical and authoritarian social and political structures. Democracy requires very special 'enabling conditions' before it can be supported by a state, conditions that require decades to evolve. As a result, attempts to export democracy through nationbuilding to states without these enabling conditions are doomed to failure. The authors argue that money and energy devoted to nationbuilding around the globe by the U.S. would be better spent on problems facing the country domestically. Review 'Al Somit and Steve Peterson have written a book that is provocative, unconventional, and all too persuasive. Even if U.S. policies were more thoughtful and consistent, the efforts to create democratic regimes in the Third World are likely to fail: given the trajectory of genetic and cultural evolution, most of us are more comfortable with social systems that are stratified and hierarchical. Democracy requires eternal vigilance, which is a lot of trouble. With a choice between the libert, egalit, and fraternit trinity and the combination of security and prosperity, most of us will settle for the latter.' J. David Singer, University of Michigan, USA About the Author ALBERT SOMIT is Professor Emeritus at Southern Illinois University, USA. He has served as Executive VicePresident of SUNYBuffalo and President of Southern Illinois University. He is a pioneer of biopolitics.STEVEN A. PETERSON is Professor of Politics, Penn State University at Harrisburg, USA and Director of its School of Public Affairs. He has authored or edited 15 books, mostly in the area of public policy. His research interests include political behaviour, political psychology, and biology and politics.
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- Q: What is the main theme of 'The Failure of Democratic Nation Building'? A: The book explores the challenges of establishing democracies in countries lacking the necessary enabling conditions, arguing that attempts at nation-building often fail due to inherent social and political structures.
- Q: Who are the authors of this book? A: The authors of 'The Failure of Democratic Nation Building' are A. Somit and S. Peterson.
- Q: What is the publication date of this book? A: The book was published on December 13, 2005.
- Q: What is the condition of the book being sold? A: The book is categorized as 'New' and is described as a 'Used Book in Good Condition.'
- Q: How many pages does the book contain? A: The book contains a total of 172 pages.
- Q: What type of binding does this book have? A: The book is available in hardcover binding.
- Q: What category does this book fall under? A: This book is categorized under 'Non-US Legal Systems'.
- Q: What are the key features of this book? A: Key features include its analysis of the historical prevalence of authoritarian regimes and the argument for the need for specific social conditions to support democracy.
- Q: Is there any specific audience for this book? A: The book is suitable for readers interested in political science, international relations, and those studying democratic governance and nation-building.
- Q: What edition of the book is being offered? A: The book being offered is the 2005 edition.