Articles

April 2003, Volume 14, Issue 2

Latin America’s Lost Illusions: The Future of Structural Reform

• Eduardo Lora
• Ugo Panizza

As Latin America suffers from its worst economic crisis in decades, the reform of political institutions remains the region’s best hope.

April 2003, Volume 14, Issue 2

Latin America’s Lost Illusions: Decentralization and Political Parties

• Christopher Sabatini

Decentralization, heralded as a means of increasing state efficiency and improving representation, has fragmented Latin America’s already weak party systems

April 2003, Volume 14, Issue 2

Latin America’s Lost Illusions: Brazil’s New Direction

• Wendy Hunter

The recent election of political outsider Lula da Silva as president is a sign of hope for the future of democracy in Brazil.

April 2003, Volume 14, Issue 2

Latin America’s Lost Illusions: A Road with No Return?

• Marta Lagos

What can public-opinion research tell us about the staying power of democracy in the region? Has it passed the point of any possible return to authoritarianism?

April 2003, Volume 14, Issue 2

Books in Review: The Post-Soviet Political Mind

• Vladimir Tismaneanu

A review of “Conversations with Gorbachev” by Mikhail Gorbachev and Zdenek Mlynár.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard

• The Editors

The Editors’ introduction to “China’s Changing of the Guard.”

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: Authoritarian Resilience

• Andrew J. Nathan

Successful institutionalization will help the regime survive the pressures of advanced modernization and integration with the global economy.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: The Limits of Authoritarian Resilience

• Bruce Gilley

The regime has only institutionalized itself partially and temporarily; institutional norms are currently eroding, and this is likely to continue.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: Threats to Party Supremacy

• Bruce J. Dickson

The Communist Party’s adaptation to China’s new social elites will lead to a democratic transition only, if at all, at the expense of regime continuity.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: The Problem of State Weakness

• Shaoguang Wang

The Chinese state is much weaker than most people realize, which bodes ill for the country’s democratic prospects.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: State Capacity on the Rebound

• Dali L. Yang

The Chinese state has become more efficient, constrained, and responsive—improvements that could lay a base for a successful transition.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: The New Inequality

• An Chen

Class politics is an ever more important reality, but the growth of capitalism is not likely to produce pressures for democratization.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: The Rise of the Technocrats

• Gongqin Xiao

With both reformists and leftists pushed aside, political center-stage now belongs to new pragmatists both inside and outside the Communist Party.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: A Volcanic Stability

• Qinglian He

The outward appearance of a powerful and confident Communist party-state masks a deep crisis.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

China’s Changing of the Guard: Contradictory Trends and Confusing Signals

• Minxin Pei

Political renewal is contending with a process of political decay that has yet to reach an end.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

Afghanistan’s Long Road to Reconstruction

• Larry P. Goodson

To forestall a worst-case scenario, the U.S. and the world must make a deeper commitment to peacekeeping and decentralized government.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

The 30th Anniversary Freedom House Survey: Liberty’s Advances in a Troubled World

• Adrian Karatnycky

The largely positive trends indicated in this year’s Freedom House Survey encourage cautious optimism on the occasion of its thirtieth anniversary.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

The 30th Anniversary Freedom House Survey: Modern Democracy as a System of Separations

• Pierre Manent

The “system of separations” is a historic achievement that must be defended even against normatively “purer” understandings of democracy.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

The Deadlock in Iran: Pressures from Below

• Ramin Jahanbegloo

Despite today’s gridlock, there are grounds for hope in the widespread embrace of democratic ideals by young people.

January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1

The Deadlock in Iran: Constitutional Constraints

• Mehrangiz Kar

The vast obstacles to democratic reformism include basic provisions in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic itself.