Explanation For Third Wave African Democracy After The...

Explanations for ‘Third Wave’ African Democracy After the Cold War The end of the Cold War marked a turning point for democracy promotion in Africa. As if overnight, somewhere between nine and 18 African states claimed to be democracies (depending on which definition of democracy one accepts) in only a span of six years (Diamond 1997, 2). This seemed unusual because, prior to this period, it seemed as though authoritarian regimes were a permanent fixture in African states, and Western donor states were perfectly happy to support those regimes (2005, 179). This period of rapid transition to democracy has been termed the ‘third wave’ of democracy (ibid). The mystery that has plagued many scholars through this time has been: why did this happen? Most of the early theories of African democratization argued that the real cause of democracy promotion was purely domestic (ibid, 180), but these theories tend to ignore important external factors such as the effects of colonialism on African affairs, the impact development agenda on African state s political and economic systems and choices, and the fact that Western donor states engaged in campaigns to coerce regime changes. Thus, while understanding and analyzing domestic factors are important in order to understand African democratic transitions , this author argues that the surge of democratization cannot be understood without considering the impact of external factors especially the legacy of colonialism, years ofShow MoreRelated Jihad - A Holy War Essay6110 Words   |  25 Pagesseared the word into American consciousness. Yet even with thousands of innocent civilians killed on American soil by Islamic terrorists, the full significance of the Muslim concept of jihad has not been grasped by the American public. In the days after September 11, 2001, American leaders rushed to portray Islam as a peaceful religion that had been quot;hijackedquot; by a fanatical band of terrorists. One hopes that these assurances were merely tactical—that nobody was meant to believe them andRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered Janis Appier, Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the LAPD Allen Hunter, ed., Rethinking the Cold War Eric Foner, ed., The New American History. Revised and Expanded Edition E SSAYS ON _ T WENTIETH- C ENTURY H ISTORY Edited by Michael Adas for the American Historical Association TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS PHILADELPHIA Read MoreTrade Unions in Malawi13087 Words   |  53 PagesTRADE UNIONS FREDRICK BANDA INTRODUCTION This chapter examines democracy from another angle that is the way democracy is rooted in the collective action of citizens outside of the formal institutions of democratic government. The trade union movement in Malawi dates as far back as the end of the Second World War. It has undergone a process of growth, decline and growth again over the past seven decades or so. To understand how trade unionism has developed in any country, we need to considerRead More Cost Benefit Analysis of Third-Party Intervention in Intrastate Conflict5457 Words   |  22 PagesCost Benefit Analysis of Third-Party Intervention in Intrastate Conflict GIVEN THE RECENT PROLIFERATION OF INTRASTATE CONFLICT, THE ROLE OF THIRD-PARTY INTERVENTION HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM. HOWEVER, THE ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO MILITARY FORMS OF INTERVENTION MAY HAVE SEVERE COSTS FOR BOTH THE TARGET OF INTERVENTION AND THE STATE CHOOSING TO INTERVENE. PAST LITERATURE HAS FOCUSED ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH INTERVENTIONRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 PagesGovernment Censorship d. Profit-driven Media e. Advertising f. Private life of public figures g. Celebrity as a role model h. Blame media for our problems i. Power + Responsibility of Media j. Media ethics k. New Media and Democracy 2. Science/Tech a. Science and Ethics b. Government and scientist role in science c. Rely too much on technology? d. Nuclear technology e. Genetic modification f. Right tech for wrong reasons 3. Arts/Culture a. Arts have aRead MoreInstitutions as a Fundamental Cause of Long-Run14323 Words   |  58 Pagespolitical power 8.2. Political power and political institutions 8.3. A theo~y political institutions of 9. The theory in action 9.1. 9.2. 9.3. 9.4. Rise of constitutionalmonarchy and economic growth in early modem Europe Summary Rise of electoral democracy in Britain Summary 10. Future avenues Acknowledgements References Abstract This paper develops the empirical and theoretical case that differences in economic institutions are the fundamental cause of differences in economic development. WeRead More War Between Ethiopians and Eritreans Essay4836 Words   |  20 PagesWar Between Ethiopians and Eritreans On May 6th 1998, Ethiopian and Eritrean patrols engaged in an all out battle. While it may not have been the â€Å"shot heard round the world†, it certainly was a shot the disrupted a previously peaceful vicinity. It was also a shot that completely changed the Horn of Africa, and permanently disrupted Ethiopian economy. It was also a shot that interrupted the young life of Benyam Berhe. Benyam Berhe experienced this war in a way completely unique from anyoneRead MoreInstitution as the Fundamental Cause of Long Tern Growth39832 Words   |  160 Pagespreferences (Cass-Koopmans), or other exogenous parameters, such as total factor productivity growth. More recent incarnations of growth theory, following Romer (1986) and Lucas (1988), endogenize steady-state growth and technical progress, but their explanation for income diï ¬â‚¬erences is similar to that of the older theories. For instance, in the model of Romer (1990), a country may be more prosperous than another if it al locates more resources to innovation, but what determines this is essentially preferencesRead MoreGlobalization and Its Impact on Malaysia13672 Words   |  55 Pagesbrought about by allowing their economies to be more connected to the rest of the world. Important anti-globalization organizations include environmental groups like Friends of the Earth and Green peace; international aid organizations like Oxfam ;third world government organizations like the G77; business organizations and trade unions whose competitiveness is threatened by globalization like the U.S. textiles and European farm lobby, as well as the Australian and U.S. trade union movements. ReadRead MoreSocial Power of the News Media12127 Words   |  49 Pagesbackground information, or quotations. Besides such grammatical and textual knowledge, media users need vast amounts of properly organized knowledge of the world. A news report about the Gulf War, for instance, presupposes at least some knowledge about the geography of the Middle East, as well as general knowledge about wars, international politics, earlier historical events, and so on. This means that a lack of education may seriously limit 14 Political Communication in Action news understanding, as