ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the basic problematic of neoliberal democratization and new authoritarianism in the twenty-first century. Neoliberal democratization, the political arrangements promoted by the United States (US), allies and the institutions they control to replace authoritarian states in the current era of globalization, is at the center of diverse intellectual and political agendas, raising questions about an epoch making global transformation to democracy. The idea that economic development produces democracy was refuted however by the evidence from Latin America in the post-World War II period. Domestic politics becomes the interplay of local forces such as class, race, religious, intellectual, etc., to exercise the powers of the institutions of state. The new democracy in Iraq in which the government is handpicked by the US is the most extreme example of neoliberal democratization at work. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
