The Problem of Democracy Audiobook By Shadi Hamid cover art

The Problem of Democracy

America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea

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The Problem of Democracy

By: Shadi Hamid
Narrated by: Amin El Gamal
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About this listen

What happens when democracy produces "bad" outcomes? Is democracy good because of its outcomes or despite them? This "democratic dilemma" is one of the most persistent, vexing problems for America abroad, particularly in the Middle East—we want democracy in theory but not necessarily in practice.

When Islamist parties rise to power through free elections, the United States has too often been ambivalent or opposed, preferring instead pliable dictators. With this legacy of democratic disrespect in mind, and drawing on new interviews with top American officials, Shadi Hamid explores universal questions of morality, power, and hypocrisy. Why has the United States failed so completely to live up to its own stated ideals in the Arab world? And is it possible for it to change?

In The Problem of Democracy, Hamid offers an ambitious reimagining of this ongoing debate and argues for "democratic minimalism" as a path to resolving democratic dilemmas in the Middle East and beyond. In the seemingly eternal tension between democracy and liberalism, recognized by the ancient Greeks and the American founders alike, it may be time to prioritize one over the other, rather than acting as if the two are intertwined when increasingly they are not.

©2022 Oxford University Press (P)2023 Kalorama
Democracy Diplomacy Middle East United States Imperialism War Authoritarianism King Royalty American Foreign Policy
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