2008/09/17 by Andrew J. Enterline, J. Michael Greig · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Political Conflict and Governance #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1743-8594.2008.00074.x
openalex publication_date 2008/09/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
What does history tells us about the prospects for democracy in post-invasion Iraq and Afghanistan? American policy makers frequently referenced the post-World War II success stories of Germany and Japan as plausible futures for the imposed democratic regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. To evaluate the historical validity of this comparison, we examine the durability of 43 imposed democratic regimes during the period 1800–1994, given several political, economic, and social dimensions, as well as the long-term impact of these foreign cultivated regimes on subsequent polity performance. Our analysis suggests that the survival of imposed democracy is by no means assured. Instead, the survival of democracy is strongly conditioned by the process by which the regime is imposed and the social and economic conditions present in the state hosting the imposed polity. We discuss the prospects for the survival of democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan in light of these findings.