April 2005

Volume 16, Issue 2

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Scholarship and Statesmanship

Seymour Martin Lipset’s contributions to political science and sociology are not theoretical achievements alone, but reflect his keenly practical moral awareness, his understanding of leadership, and his great love of democracy as the finest form of government ever devised.

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The Rise of “Muslim Democracy”

The incentives created by competitive elections in a number of Muslim-majority countries are fueling a political trend that roughly resembles the rise of Christian Democracy in twentieth-century Europe

Challenge and Change in East Asia

Challenge and Change in East Asia: Taiwan’s Year of Stress

Thanks to a disputed presidential election and a narrowly divided parliament, Taiwan's politics remains tense. Yet the worst of the conflicts that gripped the island seem to have eased, and the difficult political events of the last few years may have some beneficial effects after all.

Ukraine's Orange Revolution

The End of Postcommunism in Romania

The 2004 elections saw the defeat of the former communists who ruled Romania for most of the period since the fall of communism. Will the country's new, democratic, and pro-European government be able to break with the semi-authoritarian habits of its postcommunist predecessors?

Freedom’s Edge

A review of The Democratic Advantage: How Democracies Promote Prosperity and Peace by Morton H. Halperin, Joseph T. Siegle, and Michael M. Weinstein.

Election Watch

Reports on elections in Croatia, Ghana, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Moldova, Mozambique, Niger, Palestinian Territories, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Ukraine.

Documents on Democracy

Excerpts from: a statement by the Lebanese opposition; a speech by Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko; Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s inaugural address; inaugural remarks by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority; a collective statement by Togolese civil society organizations; an appeal to the international community by 25 Nepalese human rights organizations; Romanian president…