The puzzle of non-Western democracy

'The Puzzle of Non-Western Democracy' by Richard Youngs (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 213 pages, $20)

In July 2014, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he wanted to abandon liberal democracy in favor of an "illiberal state." In a widely reported speech, he cited Russia, Turkey and China as examples of "successful" model nations, "none of which is liberal and some of which aren't even democracies." Accordingly, Orban has cracked down on civil society, filled the judiciary and independent institutions with cronies, tightened control over the media, and changed election rules to help him retain his grip on parliament. He remains hugely popular in EU member Hungary, winning his third term in power in 2014 with 45 percent of the vote. The comparisons with Turkey are obvious but hardly unique. 

At least there is something honest about Orban - he is unapologetic about his authoritarianism and does not disingenuously try to dress it up in the language of liberal rights. In the end, his Hungary is just one example of the rising tide of "illiberal democracy" across the world, led by popular autocrats with little regard for the rule of law or civil liberties. Not so long ago, Francis Fukuyama was declaring the End of History after the end of the Cold War, predicting that liberal democracy would spread irresistibly across the world in a benign wave. Today, liberal teleologists are having to grapple with the reality that things aren't so simple. 

"The Puzzle of Non-Western Democracy" by Richard Youngs, a senior associate at Carnegie Europe, was prompted by the growing realization of the uncertainty of democracy's global future. "More searching questions are being asked of democracy's performance than has been the case for many...