Is Democratic Government in Decline?

In my forthcoming book Democracy in Retreat,  I examine how, contrary to public perception in the wake of the Arab Spring, democracy has in reality become weaker, less effective, and less supported by the public around the developing world over the past decade. The book examines how middle classes in many nations have turned against democracy, how "elected autocrats" have manipulated democracy to essentially entrench authoritarian rule, how technology has failed to help combat democratic regression, and how failed democracy promotion policies by the United States have contributed to the democratic decline. Democracy in Retreat is being published by the Council on Foreign Relations and Yale University Press, and will be released in early 2013.

An excerpt from the book is now available on Asia Sentinel; you can read it here.