Similar developments occurred in Algeria. Leaders of many of the new states formed out of the USSR have postponed presidential elections indefinitely. We may merely be at the democratic phase of what is a cyclical phenomenon. There is a strong tendency for democratic governance and economic prosperity to co-vary. Since it is clear that the new democracies of both the third world and the former communist world face severe economic difficulties, the stability of their new political systems is open to question.
Some scholars insist, as well, on cultural requirements for successful democratization.
An additional major concern will be to assess whether there are more effective and less effective ways to adapt authoritarian polities to democracy. We will end the class by examining some of the dilemmas of contemporary democracy. . Each student will choose a country whose democratization process they wish to examine. At the end of November, students will present the results of their research into the democratization process in the country they have chosen. Each class after the first two will consist of student presentations on the assigned readings.