Democracy's Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World's Most Popular Form of Government

This is a critical examination of the growth, sustainability and future outlook for democracy throughout the world. In the twentieth century, democracy experienced the equivalent of a boom, spreading outward from mere 10 democratic countries in 1900 to an overwhelming 120 of the world's 190 countries by the year 2000. In "Democracy's Good Name", Michael Mandelbaum examines this seismic shift in governance, urging us to consider the history of democratic influence, its potential for spreading and maintaining peace, as well as its future in key un-democratic outposts around the globe.While many of us assume democracy to be the natural order of things, Mandelbaum illustrates that its requisite components - popular sovereignty and liberty - have been historically distinct political traditions (the marriage of which occurred fairly late in the course of human history). How then, did this near universal acceptance of modern democracy occur? And what are the larger implications of its establishment? In this sure-footed account, Michael Mandelbaum offers us a cogent history of democracy and sheds light on the symbiotic relationship between it and the free market.
In his analysis of the future of democracy, Michael Mandelbaum carefully assesses the major exceptions to the rule in the cases of China, Russia and the Arab world, and examines each in terms of potential conversion to democracy. Thoughtfully and provocatively argued, "Democracy's Good Name" offers insight into what is arguably the furthest reaching and most powerful doctrine of our time.