Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East (Global Policy Books) [Paperback]

Thomas Carothers (Editor), Marina Ottaway (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2005 | Series: Global Policy Books

The United States faces no greater challenge today than successfully fulfilling its new ambition of helping bring about a democratic transformation of the Middle East. Uncharted Journey contributes a wealth of concise, illuminating insights on this subject, drawing on the contributors deep knowledge of Arab politics and their substantial experience with democracy-building in other parts of the world. The essays in part one vividly dissect the state of Arab politics today, including an up-to-date examination of the political shock wave in the region produced by the invasion of Iraq. Part two and three set out a provocative exploration of the possible elements of a democracy promotion strategy for the region. The contributors identify potential false steps as well as a productive way forward, avoiding the twin shoals of either reflexive pessimism in the face of the daunting obstacles to Arab democratization or an unrealistic optimism that fails to take into account the regions political complexities. Contributors include Eva Bellin (Hunter College), Daniel Brumberg (Carnegie Endowment), Thomas Carothers (Carnegie Endowment), Michele Dunne (Georgetown University), Graham Fuller, Amy Hawthorne (Carnegie Endowment), Marina Ottaway (Carnegie Endowment), and Richard Youngs (Foreign Policy Centre).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must-read for policymakers pondering whether and how America should try to promote democracy in the Middle East. . ." -- Judith S. Yaphe, National Defense University and Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University

"This excellent, much-needed book is packed with critical insights. . ." -- Laith Kubba National Endowment for Democracy

"[A] dispassionate, incisive, and practical analysis of the opportunities and pitfalls of Western democracy promotion in the Middle East." -- Francis Fukuyama, author STATE-BUILDING

About the Author

Thomas Carothers is director of the Democracy and Rule of Law Project at the Carnegie Endowment. He is also author of the best selling Aiding Democracy Abroad: The Learning Curve (Carnegie, 1999).

Marina Ottaway is a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Project at the Carnegie Endowment. She is the author of more than ten books, including Democracy Challenged: The Rise of Semiauthoritarianism (Carnegie Endowment, 2003).

Product Details

• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870032119
• ISBN-13: 978-0870032110
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars essential for understanding the subject, November 15, 2005

By 

Lee L. (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East (Global Policy Books) (Paperback)

It always saddens me when I somehow manage to be the first person to review a wonderful book, but the fact that this is the case for Uncharted Journey is even worse. If the future of the Middle East is something you feel to be important and want to have a better understanding of, I can't think of a better book. Noah Feldman's After Jihad comes to mind, but this book may be better.

Edited texts with multiple authors writing about the same overall theme have the potential to be very redundant. It's not that the information isn't useful, it's just that the contributors in many instances tread the same ground. Thankfully this book is not redundant in the least. Each chapter looks at very different aspects of the issue at hand and does not rehash the same material throughout the book.

Some of the topics covered includes the role of Islamists in the democratic process, women's rights, and economic versus political reform. The analysis presented is very pragmatic, it does not come from blind adherence to any particular ideology. Middle Eastern democracy is discussed openly and from all possible angles. This is the type of book policymakers should be reading. I think if this advice were being listened to, we could all be more optimistic about what's happening in the Middle East.

My only problem with the book was the chapter on Europe's role in the process. Every other chapter was coherent and succinct...I had no problems getting through any other part of the book. However, this one problematic chapter was written in an obtuse fashion that failed to hold my interest. The topic was interesting, but the presentation was lacking. That chapter notwithstanding, I have to give this book the highest possible rating. The content of this book is perhaps the best, most dispassionate analysis of the subject I have come across.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested about the Middle East.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 23, 2009

By 

Adam (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East (Global Policy Books) (Paperback)

This book offers an outstanding overview of many of key issues shaping debates surrounding democracy promotion in the Middle East. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.