From Publishers Weekly
Democracy is not inherently good, Zakaria (From Wealth to Power) tells us in his thought-provoking and timely second book. It works in some situations and not others, and needs strong limits to function properly. The editor of Newsweek International and former managing editor of Foreign Affairs takes us on a tour of democracy's deficiencies, beginning with the reminder that in 1933 Germans elected the Nazis. While most Western governments are both democratic and liberal-i.e., characterized by the rule of law, a separation of powers, and the protection of basic rights-the two don't necessarily go hand in hand. Zakaria praises countries like Singapore, Chile and Mexico for liberalizing their economies first and then their political systems, and compares them to other Third World countries "that proclaimed themselves democracies immediately after their independence, while they were poor and unstable, [but] became dictatorships within a decade." But Zakaria contends that something has also gone wrong with democracy in America, which has descended into "a simple-minded populism that values popularity and openness." The solution, Zakaria says, is more appointed bodies, like the World Trade Organization and the U.S. Supreme Court, which are effective precisely because they are insulated from political pressures. Zakaria provides a much-needed intellectual framework for many current foreign policy dilemmas, arguing that the United States should support a liberalizing dictator like Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf, be wary of an elected "thug" like Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and take care to remake Afghanistan and Iraq into societies that are not merely democratic but free.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Newsweek International's editor exposes the down side of democracy, i.e., the assumption that what's popular is right. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
This provacative book is written by NEWSWEEK columnist and television commentator Fareed Zakaria. Ned Schmidtke's fine reading is even-paced and clear and fits well with the material. While his voice is not particularly dynamic, it is appropriate for the text. Zakaria challenges conventional wisdom on the link between economic and political liberalism and political democracy. He traces the development of liberalism and democracy in a host of countries around the world and then turns to questions about the functioning of democracy in America, ultimately challenging some of our assumptions about democracy always being the best form of government. M.L.C. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The spread of democracy threatens freedom? So argues journalist Zakaria in a provocative critique of political trends fast democratizing the entire globe. In numerous newly democratic countries, Zakaria sees elections serving not as a guarantee of liberty but rather as a legitimization of tyranny. Liberty, he argues, depends less on the will of the majority than it does on institutional safeguards for the rights of minorities. Lacking such safeguards, rude democracy has swept countries such as Venezuela, Russia, and the Central African Republic toward illiberal authoritarianism. Even in the U.S., Zakaria warns, the slide away from constitutional republicanism toward reflexive populism portends civic malaise. More broadly, Zakaria worries that a democratized American culture that panders to popular taste even in its museums, courtrooms, and churches may be losing the cultural resources necessary to sustain a regime of liberty. Zakaria does express buoyant hopes for a future in which capitalists liberalize international politics--even in China and Iraq--but he also lays out the sobering task of resolving the dilemmas of untrammeled democracy. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Peter Jennings, ABC News
A very thoughtful and intelligent book which is important for all Americans and those who would make American policy.


Bernard Lewis
At once fascinating and illuminating.


Washington Post
A work of tremendous originality and insight.


Book Description
"A work of tremendous originality and insight."—Washington Post. A national bestseller, including extended stays on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post lists, this major work by Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria has been touted by the New York Times as "brave and ambitious...updated Tocqueville" and the Chicago Tribune as "essential reading for anyone worried about the promotion and preservation of liberty." Democracy has reshaped politics, economics, and culture around the world. This provocative book asks, can you have too much of a good thing? Today we judge the value of every idea, institution, and individual by one test: is it popular? Or, more practically, do the majority of those polled like it? This transformation has affected not just politics but also business, law, culture, and even religion. Every institution and profession in society must democratize or die. Democracy has gone from being a form of government to a way of life. Like any broad transformation, however, the trends that democracy unleashes are not uniformly benign. Democracy has its dark sides, yet to question it has been to provoke instant criticism that you are "out of sync" with the times. No more. "Intensely provocative and valuable," according to Business Week, and with an easy command of history, philosophy, and current affairs, The Future of Freedom calls for a restoration of the balance between liberty and democracy and shows how liberal democracy has to be made effective and relevant for our time. Woodrow Wilson said the challenge of the twentieth century was to make the world safe for democracy. This penetrating book challenges us to make democracy safe for the world.


About the Author
Fareed Zakaria is editor of Newsweek International. He lives in New York City.

FROM THE PUBLISHER