Democracy Paradox

This episode features William S. Smith, author of Democracy and Imperialism: Irving Babbitt and Warlike Democracies. Irving Babbitt is an underappreciated political theorist. He wrote the classic Democracy and Leadership in 1924 before the Behavioralist Revolution of the 1950s so his work is often overlooked by contemporary political scientists. Babbitt has an enormous influence on conservative political theory and philosophy. His ideas about democracy, leadership and imperialism are as relevant for discussion today than ever before. His focus on character and virtue in political leaders has never been more salient than it has been during the global pandemic. The podcast discusses many important theorists of political thought and philosophy including Rousseau, Huntington and Hobbes. We discuss how some of Babbitt's thought applies to current and historical events. We discuss the Iraq War, Ukraine and touch on Trump's own style of leadership. Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Campaigns and Voters in Developing Democracies: Argentina in Comparative Perspective. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Takis Pappas is the author of Populism and Liberal Democracy: A Comparative and Theoretical Analysis. We have an hour long conversation about populism, liberalism and democracy. The interview lays out some of these key concepts but also includes some discussion of specific examples including Orban, Trump and Greece. We talk quite a bit about the concept of charismatic leadership. Takis gives a broad overview of populism that is ideal for undergraduates, but also interesting for those with a strong background in the study of populism. Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written 70 reviews of both classic and contemporary works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed Karl Marx's second volume Capital. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes.Support the show

Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon are the authors of Exit from Hegemony: The Unraveling of the American Global Order. We had a 90 minute conversation on some important topics for the study of international relations. The first part discusses some key concepts in their book like "hegemony" and the "liberal world order." Dan and Alex both give a great overview that is ideal for beginners but also informative for those who have a strong background in the topic. The rest of the podcast explores a number of topics. We discuss Russia and China, kleptocracy, Viktor Orbán and, of course, Donald Trump. This podcast is ideal not just for those immersed in conversations about foreign affairs, but also undergraduate students or those with a genuine interest in foreign policy. The discussion brings together current events with broader concepts of theory in a lively conversation.Take the time to visit my blog at www.democracyparadox.com. I have written over 60 reviews of classics and recent works of political science with an emphasis on democracy. This week I reviewed The Orbán Regime: Plebiscitary Leader Democracy in the Making by András Körösényi, Gábor Illés, and Attila Gyulai. Please visit the website and read my book reviews. And don't forget to subscribe to keep up with future episodes. Support the show

Luis Cabrera is the author of The Humble Cosmopolitan: Rights, Diversity, and Trans-state Democracy. He is Associate Professor in the Griffith Asia Institute and the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. His research focuses on global citizenship, human rights, and justice. The interview explores the political thought of Ambedkar, Dalit rights in India, and the implications of global citizenship. Luis Cabrera gives his thoughts on the need for international and regional institutions designed to protect the rights of minorities, but also elaborates on some important interrelated concepts like humility-arrogance and rights-duties. This is the third episode of the Democracy Paradox Podcast. Expect a new episode every week. I continue to publish a new book review every Saturday at www.democracyparadox.com. This week's review was on the classic work of political philosophy, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Please subscribe to learn more from scholars as they elaborate on ideas about rights, institutions, and democracy. Future episodes will feature Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon, Takis Pappas, William Smith, and Joshua Dyck. Support the show

Marlene Mauk is the author of Citizen Support for Democratic and Autocratic Regimes. Support for autocratic regimes is a neglected topic up until the last few years. We discuss why citizens support autocracies, democracies and what this means for advocates of democracy. We have an interesting discussion about the potential for democracy in Africa. Mauk finds Sub-Saharan Africa has significant support for democracy and enormous potential for further democratization and consolidation. We discuss some of the giants of political theory including Lipset, Dahl and Lijphart. Mauk has a firm background on traditional political science theory so it's a great discussion.This is my first interview. My microphone must have been turned off because the audio was picked up through the webcam. But the conversation is strong. Hopefully listeners look past some of the minor technical problems as I begin to launch this podcast!Support the show

Episode 1: The inaugural episode explores Hannah Arendt's book The Origins of Totalitarianism.  This is the only monologue in the series. Every other episode features a guest interview. It focuses on the distinction between the law and the state. Arendt loosely defines totalitarianism as the presence of the state in absence of law.  Support the show