1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910821218903321

Autore

Spoerri Marlene

Titolo

Engineering revolution : the paradox of democracy promotion in Serbia / / Marlene Spoerri

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : , : University of Pennsylvania Press, , 2015

©2015

ISBN

0-8122-9020-8

Edizione

[First edition.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (255 p.)

Disciplina

320.9497109/0511

Soggetti

Democratization - Serbia

Democratization - Government policy - Serbia

Democratization - International cooperation - Serbia

Regime change - Serbia

Political parties - Serbia

Serbia Politics and government 1992-2006

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. Promoting Democracy and Aiding Political Parties Abroad -- 2. The Absence of Aid in Milošević’s Serbia, 1990–1996 -- 3. Preparing for Regime Change, 1997–2000 -- 4. Democracy Promotion in Milošević’s Shadow, 2001–2012 -- 5. Rethinking Aid’s Legacy in Serbia -- Appendix. List of Interviewees -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- Acknowledgments

Sommario/riassunto

The nonviolent overthrow of Balkan dictator Slobodan Milošević in October 2000 is celebrated as democracy promotion at its best. This perceived political success has been used to justify an industry tasked with "exporting" democracy to countries like Belarus, Ukraine, Tunisia, and Egypt. Yet the true extent of the West's involvement in Milošević's overthrow remained unclear until now. Engineering Revolution uses declassified CIA documents and personal interviews with diplomats, aid providers, and policymakers, as well as thousands of pages of internal NGO documents, to explore what proponents consider one of the greatest successes of the democracy promotion enterprise. Through its



in-depth examination of the two decades that preceded and followed Milošević's unseating, as well as its critical look at foreign assistance targeting Serbia's troubled political party landscape, Engineering Revolution upends the conventional wisdom on the effectiveness of democracy promotion in Serbia. Marlene Spoerri demonstrates that democracy took root in Serbia in spite of, not because of, Western intervention—in fact, foreign intervention often hurt rather than helped Serbia's tenuous transition to democracy. As Western governments recalibrate their agendas in the wake of the Arab Spring, this timely book offers important lessons for the democracy promotion community as it sets its sights on the Middle East, former Soviet Union, and beyond.