Questions:
- Lee Kuan Yew is critical of efforts of the some states to promote “their” conceptions of democracy for other countries. He claims that different cultural traditions have different development paths and find best expression in different political institutions. Is this good analysis or just self-serving argument of an authoritarian leader?
- The first three readings in this section all discuss leaders and regimes that blur the conceptual boundaries of authoritarianism in certain ways. The fourth reading discusses a straightforwardly and fully authoritarian regime. What accounts for the difference? What do these different authoritarian regimes tell us about the concept of authoritarianism more generally? 3. The reading by Boris Munoz discusses the late Hugo Chavez, who was repeatedly elected but whose regime had notably authoritarian features. Can a political regime be both democratic and authoritarian? How might we analyze the proliferation of regimes that mix democratic and authoritarian elements? 4. Compare and contrast the Cuban and China case studies in the module notes. Based on the readings and class notes, what do the case studies tell us about the nature of the two political regimes?