Introduction: The Burden of Modern Democracy

Issacharoff, Samuel, Fragile Democracies: Contested Power in the Era of Constitutional Courts, Cambridge University Press, June 2015

NYU School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 15-21

16 Pages Posted: 17 Jun 2015 Last revised: 18 Jun 2015

Date Written: June 15, 2015

Abstract

Twenty five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the democratic ascendency of the post-Soviet era is under severe challenge. While fragile democracies in Eastern Europe, Africa, and East Asia face renewed threats, the world has witnessed the failed democratic promises of the Arab Spring. What lessons can be drawn from these struggles? What conditions or institutions are needed to prevent the collapse of democracy?

Embattled democracy is the subject matter of a new book, Fragile Democracies: Contested Power in the Era of Constitutional Courts. This book argues that the most distinctive antidote to authoritarianism in the post-1989 period is the presence of strong constitutional courts. A signature feature of the third wave of democratization, these courts serve as a bulwark against vulnerability to external threats as well as a catalyst for the internal consolidation of power. Particularly in societies still riven by deep divisions of race, religion, or national background, courts have become pivotal actors in allowing democracy to take root. The introductory chapters is presented here.

Suggested Citation

Issacharoff, Samuel, Introduction: The Burden of Modern Democracy (June 15, 2015). Issacharoff, Samuel, Fragile Democracies: Contested Power in the Era of Constitutional Courts, Cambridge University Press, June 2015 , NYU School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 15-21, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2618771

Samuel Issacharoff (Contact Author)

New York University School of Law ( email )

40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012-1099
United States
212-998-6580 (Phone)
212-995-3150 (Fax)

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