Regime-Building: Democratization and International Administration

by Oisïn Tansey

Overview

This book is a study of regime change in the context of international administration, where the United Nations and other multilateral organizations hold temporary executive authority at the domestic level. Work on the politics of state-building has highlighted how these administration operations can influence nearly every aspect of politics in the country or territory in which they are deployed. This book concentrates in particular on the 'regime-building' practices of these missions, and examines the aims and influences of international administrations in the area of democratic development, as well as their ultimate impact on the process of regime change. Through a comparative analysis of events in Bosnia, Kosovo and East Timor, the book demonstrates how external actors assume positions of power conventionally held by domestic elites, and in so doing gain the ability to affect democratic development in ways unavailable to international actors in more conventional settings. In particular, the case studies highlight the ways in which the democracy promotion objectives of international administrators can have both positive and negative effects on democratization processes, with the presence of international authorities helping to rule out non-democratic options in some areas, while at times undermining democratic development in others. The book identifies the key international actors involved, highlights the mechanisms of influence available to them in these contexts, and explores the crucial mediating role of domestic actors and structures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199561032
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/15/2009
Series:	Oxford Studies in Democratization
Pages:	278
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Oisín Tansey is a Lecturer in International Relations at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading. He received a DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford in 2007, studying at Nuffield College, and was previously an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford.

Table of Contents

1. International Administration And Democratic Regime-Building2. Democratization Theory And International Administration3. Untaet in East Timor4. UNMIK in Kosovo5. Democratic Regime-Building in BosniaConclusionDocuments and SpeechesBooks and ArticlesInterviews

Editorial Reviews

"Written in a style accessible to undergraduates, and graduates and specialists will find the argument interesting. Summing Up: Recommended."—CHOICE

From the Publisher