Democracy
Stories from the Long Road to Freedom
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Narrated by:
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Grace Angela Henry
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By:
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Condoleezza Rice
About this listen
From the former secretary of state and best-selling author - a sweeping look at the global struggle for democracy and why America must continue to support the cause of human freedom.
From the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union to the ongoing struggle for human rights in the Middle East, Condoleezza Rice has served on the front lines of history. As a child, she was an eyewitness to a third awakening of freedom, when her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, became the epicenter of the civil rights movement for Black Americans.
In this book, Rice explains what these epochal events teach us about democracy. At a time when people around the world are wondering whether democracy is in decline, Rice shares insights from her experiences as a policymaker, scholar, and citizen, in order to put democracy's challenges into perspective.
When the United States was founded, it was the only attempt at self-government in the world. Today more than half of all countries qualify as democracies, and in the long run that number will continue to grow. Yet nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. Using America's long struggle as a template, Rice draws lessons for democracy around the world - from Russia, Poland, and Ukraine, to Kenya, Colombia, and the Middle East. She finds that no transitions to democracy are the same because every country starts in a different place. Pathways diverge and sometimes circle backward. Time frames for success vary dramatically, and countries often suffer false starts before getting it right. But, Rice argues, that does not mean they should not try. While the ideal conditions for democracy are well known in academia, they never exist in the real world. The question is not how to create perfect circumstances but how to move forward under difficult ones.
These same insights apply in overcoming the challenges faced by governments today. The pursuit of democracy is a continuing struggle shared by people around the world, whether they are opposing authoritarian regimes, establishing new democratic institutions, or reforming mature democracies to better live up to their ideals. The work of securing it is never finished.
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Once the world's bastion of liberal, democratic values, Europe is now having to confront demons it thought it had laid to rest. The old pathologies of anti-Semitism, populist nationalism, and territorial aggression are threatening to tear the European postwar consensus apart. Based on extensive firsthand reporting, this book is a provocative, disturbing look at a continent in unexpected crisis.
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Disappointing, Silly And Really Childish Book.
- By Eireannach on 04-14-17
By: James Kirchick
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The Cold War
- A World History
- By: Odd Arne Westad
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 22 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Cold War, Odd Arne Westad offers a new perspective on a century when a superpower rivalry and an ideological war transformed every corner of our globe. We traditionally think of the Cold War as a post-World War II diplomatic and military conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. But in this major new work, Westad argues that the conflict must be understood as a global ideological confrontation with roots in the industrial revolution and with continuing implications for the world today.
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A lenghy treatise on the Cold War
- By Donald Hill on 11-21-17
By: Odd Arne Westad
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When the World Seemed New
- George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War
- By: Jeffrey A. Engel
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 20 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The end of the Cold War was the greatest shock to international affairs since World War II. In that perilous moment, Saddam Hussein chose to invade Kuwait, China cracked down on its own pro-democracy protesters, and regimes throughout Eastern Europe teetered between democratic change and new authoritarians. Not since FDR in 1945 had a US president faced such opportunities and challenges. As the presidential historian Jeffrey Engel reveals in this hard-to-pause history, behind closed doors, George H. W. Bush rose to the occasion brilliantly.
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The Right Man at the Right Time in the Right Job
- By A. M. on 09-12-18
By: Jeffrey A. Engel
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The Post-American Presidency
- The Obama Administration's War on America
- By: Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Widely popular conservative blogger Pamela Geller and New York Times best-selling author Robert Spencer team up for this battle cry about the damage being done by the current administration's policies to the institution of the American presidency.
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The real truth behind the Obama administration
- By Joyce Blue on 04-10-16
By: Pamela Geller, and others
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The Mighty and the Almighty
- Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs
- By: Madeleine Albright
- Narrated by: Madeleine Albright
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Does America have a special mission, derived from God, to bring liberty and democracy to the world? How much influence does the Christian right have over U.S. foreign policy? And how should America deal with violent Islamist extremists? Madeleine Albright, the former Secretary of State and best-selling author of Madam Secretary, offers a thoughtful and often surprising look at the role of religion in shaping America's approach to the world.
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The point??
- By Thomas on 11-04-06
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Reconciliation
- Islam, Democracy, and the West
- By: Benazir Bhutto
- Narrated by: Rita Wolf
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In Reconciliation, Bhutto recounts in gripping detail her final months in Pakistan and offers a bold new agenda for how to stem the tide of Islamic radicalism and to rediscover the values of tolerance and justice that lie at the heart of her religion.
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Female Muslim insight
- By Craig Bell on 03-07-08
By: Benazir Bhutto
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This Child Will Be Great
- Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President
- By: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The first elected woman president of an African country, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was also listed as one of the world’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes. This evocative memoir recounts Sirleaf ’s childhood upbringing and rise to political power in Liberia. More than a simple biography, Sirleaf ’s account details how she stood firm in the face of physical abuse early in life and carried that strength over into her career as a young economist in Samuel Doe’s regime.
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What a powerfully strong woman!
- By Gary on 10-18-11
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Putin's World
- Russia Against the West and with the Rest
- By: Angela Stent
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Putin's World examines the country's turbulent past, how it has influenced Putin, the Russians' understanding of their position on the global stage and their future ambitions—and their conviction that the West has tried to deny them a seat at the table of great powers since the USSR collapsed.
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More like The West against the world
- By Felis N on 01-18-20
By: Angela Stent
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America in Retreat
- The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder
- By: Bret Stephens
- Narrated by: Bret Stephens, Sean Pratt
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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America in Retreat identifies a profound crisis on the global horizon. As Americans seek to withdraw from the world to tend to domestic problems, America’s adversaries spy opportunity. Vladimir Putin's ambitions to restore the glory of the czarist empire go effectively unchecked, as do China's attempts to expand its maritime claims in the South China Sea, as do Iran's efforts to develop nuclear capabilities.
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The Burden of American Exceptionalism
- By Harry Paget on 08-15-15
By: Bret Stephens
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Asia's Reckoning
- China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century
- By: Richard Mcgregor
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Richard McGregor's Asia's Reckoning is a compelling account of the widening geopolitical cracks in a region that has flourished under an American security umbrella for more than half a century. The toxic rivalry between China and Japan, two Asian giants consumed with endless history wars and ruled by entrenched political dynasties, is threatening to upend the peace underwritten by Pax Americana since World War II.
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Good info to learn, but...
- By Neal on 02-24-18
By: Richard Mcgregor
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The Last Empire
- The Final Days of the Soviet Union
- By: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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On Christmas, 1991, President George H. W. Bush addressed the nation to declare an American victory in the Cold War: Earlier that day Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned as the first and last Soviet president. The enshrining of that narrative, one in which the end of the Cold War was linked to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the triumph of democratic values over communism, took center stage in American public discourse immediately after Bush's speech and has persisted for decades. As Serhii Plokhy reveals, the collapse of the Soviet Union was anything but the handiwork of the US.
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Full of Holes; Horrid Narrator
- By Donald on 03-02-23
By: Serhii Plokhy
What listeners say about Democracy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tyler
- 11-13-17
A global exploration of democratic institutions
This is a must listen for anyone interested in the study of democratic function globally, and it's associated struggles. Ms. Rice is clearly a respected expert on the subject and draws upon her wealth of experience to craft a story that is engaging, interesting, and that has never been more important. This is not a political by nature, which is what initially drew me to the book. Rather, this examines institutions and measures that are vital to the sustained success of any democracy.
The performance is wonderful as well. Grace Angela Henry has an incredibly similar diction to Condoleezza, which makes the performance seem personal.
I particularly enjoyed the sections of democracies in Eastern Europe, including present day Ukraine, Poland, Russia and the former USSR. Her background as a soviet specialist makes for a deeply personal interpretation of modern and historical realities.
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- Joe
- 10-17-17
Wonderful and brilliant!
I highly recommend every American, and all others, should read this and learn from it.
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- darei7
- 06-24-17
Excellent
It is wonder ful to be briefed by Secretery Rice, her devotion to democracy is inspiring and highly informative. Condi for President 2020!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Nopis Scuito
- 06-18-17
Awesome book
If you are unsure what the American effort is in furthering democracy around the world you need to listen to or read this book. If you think differently from that, just read the book period. Very educational and a must read for high school or college students.
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- Jerald Lindner
- 05-16-17
Expert
She is world leader material. Too bad she is smart enough not to get into politics.
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1 person found this helpful
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- JSL
- 04-24-21
One of the best books on political policy
Learning about successes and failures of democracy as a governing framework was very enlightening. I think everyone in the world would benefit from reading this book. Ms. Rice makes the struggle for democracy real through fascinating personal anecdotes. Her final chapter on lessons learned distilled the principles shown in the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- S. Yates
- 07-27-17
Considerate and insightful
Any additional comments?
A very thoughtful book from former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. Rice uses her own personal experiences in a number of countries (including the United States) to discuss the factors at play in successful democracies and highlighting the difficulty of creating and maintaining democracies. From her childhood in the Jim Crow south all the way to the populist world elections of 2016, she explores the dangers to democracy and the tenant that it is something that should be encouraged and fought for. Her vantage point as parts of both Bush 41 and Bush 43's administrations allows insight into the challenges that faced a reconstituted Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kenya, Iraq, Egypt, Liberia, and Columbia (among others). Some of her points have been made in more depth and academic rigor (particularly in Frances Fukuyama's books on political order), but this book acts as a less dense and more approachable look at the steady march of democracy across the globe. She stresses that while there are setbacks and no democracy is ever perfected, but a continuous work in progress, that Churchill was right about democracy "being the worst form of government, except for all the others." For those looking for some details from the inside about the turmoil and mistakes in Iraq, that is discussed (though not as fully as some might like). In the end, this is a considered and careful evaluation of democracy in the late 20th and early 21st century and a challenge to the United States to continue to support burgeoning democracy, to turn aside from isolationism and the like, and to continue to try to live up to our best principles.
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4 people found this helpful
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- harsh critic
- 08-01-17
Excellent!
Comprehensive overview of several nations' struggle for democracy that works for them and why the US should support their efforts.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jean
- 05-18-17
A Case for Democracy
This book is Condoleezza Rice’s attempt to inform the reader about the idea of democracy promotion as a key goal for United States foreign policy. Rice states that the United States engaged in a policy of global engagement and the global extension of democracy. She states Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama worked within this overall framework. She has concerns about President Trump’s America First policy. Rice was the first black female Secretary of State and the second female Secretary of State.
Rice reviews the success and failures of democracy in various countries. Some of the countries she discusses are Russia, Egypt and Nigeria. I found the review of the situation in the Ukraine helpful particularly how Russia interfered in its election process. Rice reviewed the history and how the Ukraine got into its current situation. She describes the success of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia as a country where democracy has taken hold after a terrible civil war.
The book is well written and researched. Rice is an honest and sincere writer. She is candid about the times that democracy promotion has led to costly mistakes. She is forthright about mistakes in Iraq. She says democracy promotion is very hard work. I do not know if Rice will successfully change the mind of skeptics of democracy promotion, but everyone will be better educated and informed after reading this book.
The book is about thirteen hours long. Grace Angela Henry did a good job narrating the book. Henry is an actor, voice over artist, multi-lingual, award-winning audiobook narrator.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Marbeth Skwarczynski
- 02-13-18
Clear, insightful, and passionately presented.
Democracy is an ideal that is obviously dear to the author's heart. Her experience on the world stage allows her to present concrete examples of personal observation. Her background in both politics and education comes through on every page as does her desire to see all peoples of the world realize peace and freedom, recognizing that those goals require hard work, effort, and sacrifice.
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