Published in the issue of December 2005 & January 2006, the article "Making Democracy Stick" written by Gerard Alexander is part of a wider movement distancing itself from the American muscled intervention in Iraq and its lack of preparation for democratic consolidation. The initiators of this war, namely the neoconservatives, sought that with the right application of force and will Iraq would fall into democracy. They based their judgment on a simple idea; everybody aspire to be free, democracy offers the wider level of freedom, the Iraqi people would embrace the opportunity to work along the American administration to build the first democratic regime within the Arab world. Unfortunately this prediction proved to be wrong: the country acts as a magnet for radical Islamists and offers all the characteristics of being under Civil War.
[...] The three main obstacles of a stable democracy are: Severe political polarization; the conflict between interests groups is so polarized that makes the political system non operant. They would look outside the system in order to exercise their will, and even encourage the emergence of an authoritarian regime that would protect them from the other camp. Over-powered state; the government uses the state fiscal and legislative resources to dominate his societies. This is particularly true when the state controls vast sources of wealth where local officials use extensive patronage and cooptation to reduce the civil society as addicted consumers. [...]
[...] Critical summary and reflective analysis of Gerard Alexander's essay, "Making Democracy Stick." Democracy in America, Fall 2007, PLAP 424D Published in the issue of December 2005 & January 2006, the article “Making Democracy Stick” written by Gerard Alexander is part of a wider movement distancing itself from the American muscled intervention in Iraq and its lack of preparation for democratic consolidation. The initiators of this war, namely the neoconservatives, sought that with the right application of force and will Iraq would fall into democracy. [...]
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