Transnational Mobilization and Domestic Regime Change: Africa in Comparative Perspective (International Political Economy Series) - Hardcover

Schmitz, H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1403985383 ISBN 13: 9781403985385

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006

Synopsis

The promotion of democracy and human rights has become a central part of donor and non-governmental activism in Africa. Transnational human rights organizations play an increasingly prominent role in shaping donor agendas as well as the domestic politics of regime change. How successful are these efforts to promote principles of democracy and human rights from the outside? This book answers this question based on a comparison of regime change in Kenya and Uganda from the 1980s until today. It is the first systematic effort to bring together the comparative democratization literature and the recent work of international relations scholars exploring the role of transnational advocacy networks.
Principled mobilization for human rights is more successful in challenging authoritarian rule than in building sustainable democratic institutions. Beyond forcing an authoritarian regime into initial political reforms, external interventions distract domestic allies from building strong networks and provide significant mobilizing opportunities to those opposing democratic change.

About this title

Synopsis:

Africa represents the next frontier of the transnational politics of democratization. Recent efforts to promote human rights and democracy have yielded a mixed record of success. A comparison of regime change in Kenya and Uganda reveals how principled interventions have unintentional adverse effects on the democratic reform process. Persistent external efforts compromise the independence of domestic allies and strengthen those resisting democratic reforms. Domestic activists must carefully weigh the short-term benefits of transnational support against the harm it may cause.

About the Author:

HANS PETER SCHMITZ is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University (New York), USA. Previously, he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Human Rights Programme at the University of Chicago. He received his PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. His previous work was published in the International Studies Review, the Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, Vereinten Nationen as well as several edited volumes.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1403985383
• ISBN 13: 9781403985385
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 236