Book Review: Alexei D. Voskressenski (Ed.), Is Non-Western Democracy Possible? A Russian Perspective
| Date | 01 January 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020881718756760 |
| Published date | 01 January 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Book Reviews
Alexei D. Voskressenski (Ed.), Is Non-Western Democracy Possible?
A Russian Perspective (Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co., 2017),
738 pp., US $120 (Hardback).
This edited volume, containing in-depth analysis of political systems across
Africa and Asia across sixteen chapters, adds to the growing volume of literature
in area studies and international relations regarding the western liberal model of
democracy and whether the values espoused therein can be applied universally
without accounting for local factors.
Through an exploration of how political cultures develop in different countries,
the book covers a vast geographical area in its quest to answer the central question
of the book—Is non-western democracy possible? In the very first chapter, the
theoretical foundations are laid down—which deal in detail about the differences
between western and eastern societies. Various forms of government are discussed—
being classified as belonging to social order of limited or open access while
detailing how some are unable to achieve the latter status due to ‘problems of
primarily internal character’. The impact of values, tradition, economy, religion,
culture and political development on the modernization of a society and institutions
is deeply emphasized.
The opening piece sets the tone for the rest of the chapters that follow—each
carefully dissecting the political systems of various countries of Africa, West Asia
and other parts of Asia. For instance, the conflict between European institutions
and traditional African social democracy is revealed to account for unstable
regimes that are only now slowly reforming their political and economic structures.
Also, it is noted that while African countries might have adopted similar political
institutions borrowed from the west, it does not mean they have also matured
uniformly or followed the same path of development.
Like Africa, local tradition, religion and culture among Arab states have been
found by scholars in the book to have a lasting impact on how political institutions
have evolved in the West Asian region. Even though institutions like the legisla-
ture and parties have been established in some Arab states, they remain weak.
The steps taken for evolution towards democracy remain limited due to factors
like monopoly of a single party, control of elites, influence of advisory councils
and so on. Popular support for governments is only now slowly becoming impor-
tant, which along with setting up of institutions that will open up political cul-
ture (parliamentary government in Bahrain, post of prime minister in Qatar, use
of courts in electoral processes and so on) create a hope for the future. As of now,
International Studies
55(1) 75–86
2018 Jawaharlal Nehru University
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0020881718756760
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/isq
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