Whose Democracy?: Nationalism, Religion, and the Doctrine of Collective Rights in Post-1989 Eastern Europe - Tapa dura

An important intervention in the debate over national conflicts and national rights, especially with regard to the former Yugoslavia. Arguing against the too-commonly accepted premise that 'one is, in the first place, a Serb or a Croat or a Muslim, and only derivately a human being enjoying certain rights,' Ramet aims both to present a plausible alternative to the dominance of collectivist understandings and to spark a debate about other possible normative understandings of conflict. Whose Democracy? is classic Ramet. It is often impressive in its scope and ambition. * Habsburg * Ramet . . . takes a strong philosophical and moral stand against regimes that violate human rights and freedoms. . . . This book is not only an excellent, brief survey of how certain East European governments lost their moral compass, but also a trenchant primer on how they can find it again. Highly recommended for undergraduate and graduate students, and above. -- J. Bendix, College of General Studies University of Pennsylvania * CHOICE * This book is an excellent brief survey of how certain East European governments lost their moral compass but also a trenchant primer on how they can find it again. -- J. Bendix, Collehge of General studies, University of Pennsylvania * CHOICE, April 1998 * Sabrina Ramet offers a timely, thought-provoking examination of collective rights in East European States in the post-Soviet era. This rich work highlights the use of such rights regimes to create and manipulate ethnic and/or religious tensions, demonstrating these regimes' incompatibility with liberal democracy. -- Janet E. Adamski, Baylor University * Journal of Church and State * An outstanding intellectual achievement. -- Frank Cibulka, National University of Singapore Whose Democracy? is a handsomely crafted, well-balanced book written by one of the most gifted American thinkers on the subject of Eastern Europe. It will make an excellent source book for graduate students and will give plenty of food for thought for scholars....One cannot disregard her book, for it is a novel departure from the usual, run-of the-mill publications on the East European scene of the 1990s. Thanks to her there is now an alternative. * Terrorism and Political Violence *

The years since the collapse of communism in 1989 have witnessed a dangerous renewal of religious intolerance and nationalist demands across Eastern Europe. In this provocative application of moral philosophy to the analysis of contemporary political processes in the region, Sabrina Ramet draws upon the literature of Natural Law to demonstrate that liberal democracy depends on a delicate balance between individual and societal rights.