This course focuses on the challenges facing nations trying to
foster democratic reforms or become democratic societies.  We will
examine questions like: What is the impact of elections on
democratization?  What factors explain the success of
democratization in places like Poland and the failure of
democratization in places like Belarus?  What are the problems that
can occur when democracy is promoted from the outside as in Austria,
Germany, and Japan after World War II and in Bosnia, Afghanistan,
and Iraq in recent years?  The first part of the course introduces
some of the most important concepts and ideas concerning
democratization and state-building which are then applied to cases
in the second part of the course.  Assignments will include regular
quizzes on readings and three short papers.