This course explores the fundamental political concepts of democracy and democratization. The assigned readings examine the normative and practical underpinnings of democracy, as well as the specific causes and potential reversals -- of the "Third Wave" of democratization that has spread throughout the world over the past three decades. The course also debates effective American policy choices for newly emergent democracies that often suffer from instability and inequality. SS475 places particular emphasis on the states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and on the problem of constructing a new post-Soviet security architecture in a context of democratization. The course also applies democratization concepts to the Middle East with case studies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
