Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Democratic transformations are never simple, linear processes. If it wants to promote democracy, the international community will have to accept the messy, compromise–driven policymaking process with which the citizens of democratic countries are familiar.
In all democracies around the world, national elections generate important data about the condition of the political system and the concerns, hopes, and beliefs of society.
A great transformation of the former Soviet bloc has occurred in the last decade. All countries that opted for radical reform have accomplished something, while those that did not have largely failed. The initial reform strategy has been of fundamental and lasting importance. Countries have ended up either in a virtuous circle or in a vicious circle.
Why has Russian law not got stuck, although plenty of laws have been promulgated and all the legal bodies have undergone substantial reform? So why do not Russians trust and use the judicial system to a greater extent?
For lasting peace, the colonial powers must leave the warring nations of Africa to find their own solutions: most conflicts are about internal failure, not simple border quarrels.
Since the beginning of 1997, Beijing and the man it appointed to be Hong Kong's chief executive, C. H. Tung, have been rewriting Hong Kong's laws to put new restrictions on political activity and free speech. The Hong Kong canary is already short of breath as the PRC coal mine closes in around it. By the time we wake up to find that political liberties have been extinguished, it will be too late.
When, where, and how should the United States use military force? Drawing upon twelve recent case studies--including Bosnia, Somalia, Panama, Grenada, Haiti, and the Gulf War--Richard Haass suggests political and military guidelines for potential U.S. military interventions ranging from peacekeeping and humanitarian operations to preventive strikes and all-out warfare.