ABSTRACT
After reading this chapter you will be able to:
Explain what a democratic political system is and the different forms they take
Understand how and why the idea of democracy has spread internationally through the process of democratisation
Argue different views on why democracy sometimes fails to take hold in states and yet, in other cases, becomes (apparently) permanent
Debate whether democracy can be imposed by force in a process of ‘nation building’
Understand why some see democratisation as crucial for justice, human rights and world peace but others dispute this
