ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the international dimension of regime transition. It nvestigates to what extent outside forces help or hinder a transitional regime. Transition regimes cannot afford to ignore their region, international organizations or global corporations. The international level adds to the demand for attention of transition leaders. The chapter discusses the pursuit of self-interest by the diverse set of actors involved in regime transitions. A new regime is vulnerable to a range of external attacks. Most vulnerable in principle are those new governments that achieved power by defeating the country's military forces. Regimes that signal their readiness to move toward democracy are supposed to find deep reservoirs of support from the West. Economists contend that regime transitions create economic growth. The underlying assumption here is that the transition unleashes strictures that once constrained the economy, e.g., regulation, elite control, or nationalized companies.
