Defeating dictators

Sample

Ki-Sung Kwak

Since South Korea achieved partial democracy in 1987, the country has moved away from authoritarian political control. However, after two decades of democratic transition, South Korea still does not have a strong liberal, individualist culture - something that has brought about a wide range of scholarly discussion on the nature of democracy practised in this dynamic country. While the political changes in South Korea have received rigorous attention from Western scholars, less attention has been given to the changing nature and role of media in this and other such transitions. This book focuses on the changing role of media in the more democratised political landscape of South Korea. It thereby contributes to debates about the emerging role of the media in democratic transition, especially in relation to approaches that go beyond traditional Western constructs of media freedom and the relationship between the state and the media. In addition, it discusses the complex interacting forces that affect the role of the media and their implications for state control and democratisation.

Sample

Faustin Kouadio Blékanh

Cet ouvrage contient une proposition d'un système démocratique adapté aux spécificités africaines et particulièrement ivoiriennes. Ce système démocratique fonctionnera de telle sorte que tout en conservant l'esprit de compétition entre les partis politiques, il tienne compte des quatre grands groupes ethnico-linguistiques qui peuplent le pays.

Sample

Peter Kien-hong Yu

"This work, written by an expert in the politics of Mainland China and Taiwan, looks at the role the Constitution of the Republic of China has played in the development of Taiwan since 1949 and its potential influence on the People's Republic of China. The Chinese Communists conducted the first long march for the sake of the majority of Chinese people, with the victory of MAO Zedong. In the second long march, CHIANG Kai-shek and his successors tried to convert the Chinese mainland from a Communist, totalitarian system, into a democratic, prosperous one by relying on the spirit of the Republic of China (ROC) constitution and by setting itself as a good example, in gradually guaranteeing freedom and democracy. Needless to say, this march is long and difficult. The Second Long March challenges other models and theories on the study of the relationship between the ROC (Taiwan area) and mainland China or the People's Republic of China (PRC) since China became politically (as opposed to legally) divided in December 1949. Arguably, it is the ROC Constitution that has helped ROC citizens to live in a non-Communist or anti-Communist political system. Actively promoting democracy and freedom on the Chinese mainland (neidi) can further guarantee the Taiwan area's survival. The book will provide valuable scholarship of interest to anyone researching the political history of China and its prospects for democratization."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Sample

Prof Erik O. Eriksen

The widening and deepening of the European Union have brought to the fore the question of democracy at the European level. This book contributes to democratic theory under conditions of globalization and complex interdependence as well as to the understanding of the EU from a democratic point of view.