The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad

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It's a hit!

Great book. Zakaria does an excellent job describing the nuances of democracy, and clarifying the differences between it, freedom, and liberty. I... (show more)

Great book. Zakaria does an excellent job describing the nuances of democracy, and clarifying the differences between it, freedom, and liberty. I don't think I had thought of this much before, but it has bothered me that some countries that do not have democracy seem to be doing well with their societies (including China) and others that do have democracy (Mexico, Russia) are really struggling.

The central premise of his book is the importance of liberal democracy, including the rule of law. Direct elections are great, but without well established property rules that courts to back up, good governance can be elusive. Also, countries must have a broad economic foundation before democracy can flourish. The section written about the Islamic countries is fascinating, and the paradox of great natural resources like oil. While it can be a great blessing to have access to these assets, it removes some motivation for building a proper foundation.

The book was written in 2003, before the current economic mess, and it would be interesting to see an amendment to it particularly around the praises for the Fed due to it's non-direct governance. Probably a good example that all forms of governance have opportunities. (show less)

 

 

by Terren Peterson

No, it's a flop!

This is a really bad book. He gets the Indonesian economic situation wrong and then he praises Suharto - a many who is responsible for hundreds of... (show more)

This is a really bad book. He gets the Indonesian economic situation wrong and then he praises Suharto - a many who is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths! (show less)

 

 

by Terri Brink

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  I've always been impressed with Zakaria whenever he's on TV as a commentator/pundit - this book only confirmed what a deep thinker he is. His basic premise is that democracy in and of itself is not sufficient to promote "freedom & liberty" - but that it must be paired with constitutional liberalism (in the classic sense of the word). He shows how many countries that have some elements of constitutional liberalism, but not direct election democracy are better off than countries... (show more)

  I've always been impressed with Zakaria whenever he's on TV as a commentator/pundit - this book only confirmed what a deep thinker he is. His basic premise is that democracy in and of itself is not sufficient to promote "freedom & liberty" - but that it must be paired with constitutional liberalism (in the classic sense of the word). He shows how many countries that have some elements of constitutional liberalism, but not direct election democracy are better off than countries that lack those elements but have democractic elections. In other words, he is saying that giving people the right to vote isn't enough and in fact, it can promote unhealthy populism that is actually harmful to a government and its country. The book also contains an Afterword that has allowed him to update it based on what has happened in Iraq over the last several years. While this is insightful, I think a whole new edition of the book would be even better. Definitely a must read for anyone interested in world politics. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook-gebruiker on Apr 16, 2009 at 03:31PM

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  After reading several of his books, I have become a big fan of Fareed Zakaria. This book, like the others, demonstrates Fareed's deep and wide knowledge of the historical and current world events. What impresses me most is that he presents the hardest and could be boring topics with such an easy-to-follow logic that almost anyone can gain a grasp of them. Lastly and most importantly, for me personally, I have to admit that this book opens a new whole prospective to me: democracy and freedom d... (show more)

  After reading several of his books, I have become a big fan of Fareed Zakaria. This book, like the others, demonstrates Fareed's deep and wide knowledge of the historical and current world events. What impresses me most is that he presents the hardest and could be boring topics with such an easy-to-follow logic that almost anyone can gain a grasp of them. Lastly and most importantly, for me personally, I have to admit that this book opens a new whole prospective to me: democracy and freedom do not always go hand in hand. Does Chinese communist party’s claim that China is not ready for the western democracy and direct election have some merits? (show less)

   

   

  by Kelly Xu on Oct 25, 2009 at 09:19PM

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