ABSTRACT
It should be clear from the foregoing that the nature of democracy, its origins, and its ability to endure are likely to remain scholarly battlegrounds for the foreseeable future. That the term democracy covers a multitude of meanings should not be surprising. Like any totemic standard—and in this respect it resembles such ideals as biblical authority or family values—its power derives in large part from its openness to interpretation. It can be invoked by dictators who hold predictable elections as well as by anarchic communes.
