Promoting polyarchy : globalization, US intervention, and hegemony / William I. Robinson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Robinson, William I.

Series:

Cambridge studies in international relations ; 48.

Cambridge studies in international relations ; 48

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--History--20th century.

Democracy.

History.

Democracy--United States--History--20th century.

World politics--1985-1995.

World politics.

United States--Foreign relations--1981-1989.

United States.

International relations.

United States--Foreign relations--1989-.

Physical Description:

xv, 466 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Summary:

Promoting Polyarchy examines the apparent change in US foreign policy from supporting dictatorships to an "open" promotion of "democratic" regimes. William I. Robinson argues that the policy has been designed more to retain the elite-based and undemocratic status quo of Third World countries than to encourage mass aspirations for democratization. While US policy is more ideologically appealing under the title of "democracy promotion," it does nothing to reverse the growth of inequality and the undemocratic nature of global decision-making. This challenging argument is supported by a wealth of information garnered from field-work and hitherto unpublished government documents, and assembled in case studies of the Philippines, Chile, Nicaragua, Haiti, South Africa, and the former Soviet bloc.

Contents:

Introduction. From East-West to North-South: US intervention in the "new world order" 1

1 From "straight power concepts" to "persuasion" in US foreign policy 13

2 Political operations in US foreign policy 73

3 The Philippines: "Molded in the image of American democracy" 117

4 Chile: Ironing out "a fluke of the political system" 146

5 Nicaragua: From low-intensity warfare to low-intensity democracy 201

6 Haiti: The "practically insolvable problem" of establishing consensual domination 256

7 Conclusions: The future of polyarchy and global society 317.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 442-450) and index.

ISBN:

0521562031

0521566916

OCLC:

34080051