Larry Diamond is the author of Squandered Victory (0-8050-8008-2) and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He has served as the co-editor of the widely respected Journal of Democracy since its founding in 1990. From January to April 2004, he... More
“Larry Diamond, one of the most preeminent students of democracy today, explains why this system of government remains an achievable goal for most countries around the world, despite recent setbacks in places like Russia and Venezuela. The Spirit of Democracy is a worthwhile corrective to America's post-Iraq pessimism about the future of democratic ideals throughout the world.”—Francis Fukuyama, author of America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy
"No one has thought harder or more broadly about the past and future of democracy than Larry Diamond. A passionate treatment, infused with optimism and eminently readable, The Spirit of Democracy is a must for anyone who cares about the toughest challenge of balancing national values and national interests."—Jessica Tuchman Mathews, president, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
“Around the world, the movement for democracy is in trouble—not merely because of the shrewdness of its enemies, but because of the ignorance and self-delusion of its friends. Luckily, Larry Diamond offers a path forward, full of his customary wisdom, tough-mindedness, and passion. With friends like him, the spirit of democracy will rise again.”—Peter Beinart, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, and author of The Good Fight
Introduction
I am a child of the Cold War, and this book has its genesis in that titanic struggle.
This may seem a strange way to begin a book about the prospects for universal democracy. The Cold War did not unite the world; it divided and bloodied it. Indeed, in October 1962, it came very close to destroying much of it. In the name of fighting global communism and “defending freedom,” the United States often betrayed and undermined its own democratic values during that four-decade global contest, supporting the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran
Found in: General History, Politics
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