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Due to factors such as income inequality and multiculturalism, liberal democracies have weakened considerably in the last quarter century. Democratic ideals have retreated in Venezuela, the Philippines, Hungary, Russia, and Poland. Many worry that they're on the decline in such bastions of democracy as western Europe and the United States, where fear and distrust of the status quo has opened the door to authoritarian leaders. Is there any hope of getting back to the prosperity and freedom of the mid-twentieth century? The viewpoints in this enlightening resource tackle this complex topic from a broad range of perspectives.

Drawing data from multiple sources, Un argues that following the 1993 United Nations intervention to promote democracy, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) perpetuated a patronage state weak in administrative capacity but strong in coercive capacity. This enabled them to maintain the presence of electoral authoritarianism, but increased political awareness among the public, the rise in political activism among community-based organizations and a united opposition led to the emergence of a counter-movement. Sensing that this counter-movement might be unstoppable, the CPP has returned Cambodia to authoritarianism, a move made possible in part by China's pivot to Cambodia.

"Far from sweeping the globe uniformly, the "third wave of democratization" left burgeoning republics and resilient dictatorships in its wake. Applying more than a year of original fieldwork in Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, and the Philippines, Jason Brownlee shows that the mixed record of recent democratization is best deciphered through a historical and institutional approach to authoritarian rule. Exposing the internal organizations that structure elite conflict, Brownlee demonstrates why the critical soft-liners needed for democratic transitions have been dormant in Egypt and Malaysia but outspoken in Iran and the Philippines."--Jacket

This definitive contribution to social science literature describes German's general theory of authoritarianism in modem society, and applies it to authoritarian movements and regimes likely to merge out of the social mobilization of the middle and lower classes. Germani analyzes the nature, conditions, and determinants of authoritarianism in the context of Latin American political and social developments and compares it to European fascist movements.

Cover Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Foreword -- Preface -- Part I: Prophets of Deceit -- 1 The Themes of Agitation -- 2 Social Malaise -- 3 A Hostile World -- 4 The Ruthless Enemy -- 5 The Helpless Enemy -- 6 The Enemy as Jew -- 7 A Home for the Homeless -- 8 The Follower -- 9 Self-Portrait of the Agitator -- 10 What the Listener Heard -- Appendix I: Samples of Profascist or Anti-Semitic Statements by the Agitators Quoted in This Study -- Appendix II: Bibliography of Printed Source Material -- PART II: Terror's Dehumanizing Effects -- 11 Atomization of Man -- PART III: Images of Prejudice -- Prefatory Note -- 12 The Parasite -- 13 Intellect and Education -- 14 Manners and Mores -- 15 The Clan -- 16 Unpunished Enj oyment -- 17 Totalitarian Aspects -- PART IV: Toward a Psychology of Authoritarianism -- 18 Authority and Culture -- 19 Authority as a Social Relationship -- 20 Authority in the Course of History -- 21 Authority and Family -- Excursus: Draft Animals and Slavery -- Afterword

"This book represents a pioneering interdisciplinary effort to analyse Asian civil society under authoritarianism, a regime type that is re-appearing or deepening after several decades of increased political liberalisation. By organising its approach into four main themes, this volume succinctly reveals the challenges facing civil society in authoritarian regimes, including: actions under political repression; transitions to democracy; uncivil society; political capture and legal control. It features in-depth analyses of a variety of Asian nations, from 'hard' authoritarian regimes, like China, to 'electoral' authoritarian regimes, like Cambodia whilst also addressing countries experiencing democratic regression, such as the Philippines. By highlighting concrete responses and initiatives taken by civil society under authoritarianism, it advances the intellectual mandate of redefining Asia as a dynamic and interconnected formation and, moreover, as a space for the production of new theoretical insight. Contributing to our understanding of the tensions, dynamics, and potentialities that animate state-society relations in authoritarian regimes, this will be essential reading for students and scholars of civil society, authoritarianism, and Asian politics more generally"--

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword: Achieving the Enlightenment by Robert B. Brandom -- Preface -- 1. Pragmatism and Religion -- 2. Pragmatism as Romantic Polytheism -- 3 & -- 4. Universality and Truth -- 5. Pan-Relationalism -- 6. Against Depth -- 7. Ethics without Universal Obligations -- 8. Justice as a Larger Loyalty -- 9. Is There Anything Worth Saving in Empiricism? -- 10. McDowell's Version of Empiricism -- Epilogue by Eduardo Mendieta -- Notes -- Index.

"Although politics at the elite level has been polarized for some time, a scholarly controversy has raged over whether ordinary Americans are polarized. This book argues that they are and that the reason is growing polarization of worldviews - what guides people's view of right and wrong and good and evil. These differences in worldview are rooted in what Marc J. Hetherington and Jonathan D. Weiler describe as authoritarianism. They show that differences of opinion concerning the most provocative issues on the contemporary issue agenda - about race, gay marriage, illegal immigration, and the use of force to resolve security problems - reflect differences in individuals' levels of authoritarianism. This makes authoritarianism an especially compelling explanation of contemporary American politics. Events and strategic political decisions have conspired to make all these considerations more salient. The authors demonstrate that the left and the right have coalesced around these opposing worldviews, which has provided politics with more incandescent hues than before."--Jacket

Intro -- Contents -- Introduction: Critical Theory in an Authoritarian Age / Wendy Brown, Peter E. Gordon, and Max Pensky -- Neoliberalism's Frankenstein: Authoritarian Freedom in Twenty-First Century "Democracies" / Wendy Brown -- The Authoritarian Personality Revisited: Reading Adorno in the Age of Trump / Peter E. Gordon -- Radical Critique and Late Epistemology: Tocqueville, Adorno, and Authoritarianism / Max Pensky

This work analyses how the Arab uprisings, the sudden wave of leaderless protests that broke out in 2011, could produce regime change in a region until then characterized by authoritarian resilience. It investigates the factors that shaped the trajectories of the uprisings in four North African countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Using an interactionist perspective, it analyzes the three stages of regime change and authoritarian resilience during this wave of uprisings.

Originally published in 2005. Domestic and foreign economic and political policies in the rich capitalist nations in the North and in the poor countries in the South are geared towards globalization and democratization. Indeed the dominant view held by countries in the North is that globalization leads to democracy and vice versa, and that in turn economic development will result from that process. Thus many scarce resources are allocated to bring about globalization and democracy. Exploring the dynamics of change that allow for the persistence of authoritarian states in the Third World, this illuminating book highlights certain aspects of democratization that have not been investigated fully. Anyone interested in development politics and political sociology will draw a plethora of important theoretical insights into globalization, authoritarianism and transition/democratization from this original study.