The Problem of Democracy

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. To look then at the democratic dilemma is to consider a deeper set of questions around why we believe democracy is good as well as whether we think it is good for other nations and cultures. In The Problem of Democracy, Shadi Hamid offers an ambitious reimagining of this ongoing debate and argues for "democratic minimalism"--democracy without expecting that Western-style liberalism will accompany it--as a path to resolving democratic dilemmas in the Middle East and beyond.