Suchergebnisse

Examines the instruments of coercion used by the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), the rupture of elite cohesion, and role of civil society and of opposition parties in resisting authoritarianism.

Demonstrates that this development stems from the coincidence of a political leader of marked self-confidence and a weak opposition. It is enabled by a constitution which does not check the executive or balance its power against that of the legislative. (PAS)

Abstract: Field Report. The stunning defeat of a draft constitution backed by President Robert Mugabe and the opposition's unexpectedly strong showing in the June 2000 parliamentary elections may have marked the beginning of the end of ruling-party hegemony in Zimbabwe.

Are predominantly Muslim societies distinctly disadvantaged in democratization? If so, why? The article presents a straightforward cross-national examination of the link between Islam and political regime. The evidence strongly suggests that Muslim countries are in fact democratic underachievers. The nature of the causal connection between Islam and political regime is investigated. Many conventional assumptions about Islam and politics do not withstand scrutiny. But one factor does help explain the dearth of democracy in the Muslim world: the treatment of women and girls. The rudiments of a provisional theory linking the treatment of females and regime type are offered and the implications of the findings for democracy, both in Muslim societies and elsewhere, are discussed.