How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future

《紐約時報》暢銷書，已翻譯十五種語言 關於當下的川普總統必讀書籍之一《紐約時報》暢銷書，已翻譯十五種語言關於當下的川普總統必讀書籍之一「作者說明了許多國家的民主如何崩潰，不只是透過暴力政變，更常見（與隱晦）的是逐漸陷入專制…對於美國可能發生的事，本書是一本透徹又重要的指引。」－－《紐約時報》（New York Times）在美國，沒有公職經驗、不尊重憲法權利、顯然極權傾向的人選上了總統許多國家的民粹政府和極端勢力抬頭…民主國家要滅亡了嗎？看似健康的民主國家是如何陷入專制的？隨著專制領袖當選、濫用政府權力與完全壓制反對黨，民主制度以十分欺瞞大眾的方式，逐步零散地消亡。這三個步驟正被全世界引用，唐納‧川普的當選也不例外，我們必須了解有什麼方法可以阻止這些情形發生－－作者從政治學與歷史分析美國國內外民主危機：主張民主國家並不是因為一個人的衝動而毀滅，而是在黨派惡鬥的過程中，長期忽略規範慢慢被削弱。當恐懼、投機或失算，導致主流政權把極端派帶進主流，就會危害民主。現在美國政客把對手當敵人，恫嚇自由媒體，威脅拒絕接受選舉結果。他們企圖弱化我們民主的制度性緩衝，包括法院、情報單位與倫理機構。學者們擔心全世界的民主可能受到威脅，國家。即使最民主的國家也很脆弱！從冷戰結束之後，大多數民主崩潰是民選政府本身造成的。委內瑞拉、喬治亞、匈牙利、尼加拉瓜、祕魯、菲律賓、波蘭、俄羅斯、土耳其和烏克蘭的民選領袖都推翻民主機制。現代的民主倒退於選票箱。對許多人來說，民主的腐蝕幾乎無法察覺。通往崩潰的選舉之路隱晦又危險。在選舉之路上，街上沒有坦克。憲法與其他名義上的民主機制原封不動。民眾還是會投票。民選獨裁者維持民主的表象，同時抽換其內容…作者根據多年研究，深度解析了民主制度如何與為何死亡、警示現在民主制度在美國與其他地方如何被顛覆，同時提出如何維護與修復備受威脅的民主，供政府、政黨與個人參考！本書介出自時報出版《民主國家如何死亡: 歷史所揭示的我們的未來 》How Democracies DieHow does a democracy die? What lessons does history teach us? What can we do to save our own? In the 21st century democracy is threatened like never before. Drawing insightful lessons from across history - from Pinochet's murderous Chilean regime to Erdogan's quiet dismantling in Turkey - Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why democracies fail, how leaders like Trump subvert them today and what each of us can do to protect our democratic rights. 'A must-read' Andrew Marr, Sunday Times 'Excellent, scholarly, readable, alarming and level-headed' Nick Cohen, Observer 'The greatest of the many merits of Levitsky and Ziblatt's How Democracies Die is their rejection of western exceptionalism. They tell inspiring stories I had not heard before. Excellent' Nick Cohen, Observer 'Provocative, timely. One of my favourite reads this year' Elif Shafak, author of The Bastard of Istanbul 'Anyone who is concerned about the future of democracy should read this brisk, accessible book. Anyone who is not concerned should definitely read it' Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations Fail 'A lucid and essential guide to what can happen' Jennifer Szalai, New York Times 'We owe the authors a debt of thanks for bringing their deep understanding to bear on the central political issue of the day' Francis Fukuyama, author of Political Order and Political Decay 'In this brilliant historical synthesis, Levitsky and Ziblatt show how the actions of elected leaders around the world have paved the road to democratic failure, and why the United States is now vulnerable to this same downward spiral. This book should be widely and urgently read as a clarion call to restore the shared beliefs and practices-beyond our formal constitution - that constitute the essential 'guardrails' for preserving democracy' Larry Diamond, author of The Spirit of Democracy