Democracy and Society
A publication of the Center for Democracy and Civil Society.
*Call for Submissions - “Democracy & Society” Volume 7, Issue 2*
Democrats, Dictators, and Demonstrators:
Sharing Strategies on Repression and Reform
We are seeking well-written, interesting submissions of 800-2000 words on the themes below, including summaries and/or excerpts of recently completed research, new publications, and works in progress. Submissions for the issue are due Friday, February 26, 2010.
Democracy assistance practitioners and scholars focus attention on linkages primarily between international donors and recipients in government or civil society. These relationships are important foci for understanding the process of “political learning,” but many other mechanisms are less understood. Strategies for repression and reform are being shared across borders, and a broader framework is required to capture these linkages.
Two potential mechanisms for international cooperation on democratic reform appear understudied. First, advances in technology and communications reduce barriers to cooperation between civil society actors and allow them to share best practices on reform. So called “twitter revolutions” in Iran and Xinjiang earlier this year for example demonstrate the ability of new technologies to connect demonstrators to the global community. The existence of these interactions is acknowledged, but systematic understanding of how this cooperation occurs and its potential to influence reform is not yet developed. Second, regional organizations are increasingly involved in promoting international standards of behavior, including democracy. The African Union spoke out strongly against the military coup leaders in Guinea, while the Organization of American States condemned the coup in Honduras. More broadly, democratic values are embodied in the charters of multilateral organizations as varied as the EU and ASEAN. However, the role of these organizations in furthering reform, and their relationship with domestic actors, both governments and civil society, warrants additional study.
Democrats and demonstrators are not the only ones learning. Democrats must contend with cooperation between their authoritarian adversaries. Authoritarians are learning to manage access to technology, cooperating in regional organizations, and providing alternatives to democratic governance models. Cooperation between authoritarian governments is assumed, but the mechanisms through which it occurs remain largely unknown.
This issue of Democracy and Society looks to broaden our understanding of cooperation among both reformers and authoritarians at the levels of high and low politics. We welcome all submissions that illuminate these interactions, their impact on democratization, and the implications they carry for democracy assistance strategies.
Please email submissions (MS Word preferred) to editor@democracyandsociety.com. Endnotes preferred. Please include your name, department or organization, title, and contact information.
For additional information, please visit http://www.democracyandsociety.com or contact editor@democracyandsociety.com.
