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The Case for Democracy

The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror

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The Case for Democracy

By: Natan Sharansky, Ron Dermer
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

 In this brilliantly analytical yet personal book, nondemocratic societies are put under a microscope to reveal the mechanics of tyranny that sustain them. In exposing the inner workings of a "fear society", the authors explain why democracy is not beyond any nation's reach, why it is essential for our security, and why there is much that can be done to promote it around the world.

Freedom, Sharansky claims, is rooted in the right to dissent, to walk into the town square and declare one's views without fear of punishment or reprisal. The authors persuasively argue that societies that do not protect that right can never be reliable partners for peace and that the democracy that hates us is much safer than the dictatorship that loves us.

©2004 Natan Sharansky and Ron Dermer (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks Freedom & Security Political Science Politics & Government Religious Studies Sociology United States War & Crisis World War Israeli-Palestinian conflict American Foreign Policy Freedom Democracy

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Critic reviews

"This book has the merit of straightforwardness...[it's] written with vigor, argued with panache and imbued with the fierce conviction." ( The New York Times)
All stars
Most relevant  
This is quite possibly the first time I have ever read a book of this genre and thought, “Yes - that makes perfect sense.” Using a model of the collapse of the Soviet Union, of which he has first hand experience as a dissident, Sharansky discusses the difference between “free” and “fear” societies, and how the model can be applied to nations such as the Middle East; that democracy is a result of a free society, and not the reverse; that empowering the leaders of fear societies, however well-intentioned, just doesn’t work. And that the dissidents within fear societies are the ones who need to be empowered, by linkage - that is, linking foreign aid to how a society treats its people. It’s so sad that the free world has not learnt from the lessons the USSR taught us - perhaps the saddest thing is that Russia was allowed to fall backwards into a fear society once more. Freedom is precious.
For anyone who thinks this is too “Israelcentric” - read it / listen to it anyway, if for no other reason than to be exposed to the concepts Sharansky puts forward, and to see how they can be applied to any fear society.
Maybe one day, instead of a United Nations, all nations will deservedly be in a “United Democracies”.

Yes

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the author speaks of his experiences in the UDSR prisons and of his experiences in the Israeli hovernment. He dxplains hia bias towsrd the end: he is a zionist, so believes jews have the right to live in ancient Jewish lands.
I am an anarchist, so I do not agree: the concept of nation states continues to cause problems.
still: a good book, not many leaps of logic (apart from yhe aforementioned nation state-matter.)

good, though a bit biased

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i found it very biased. there was no real reference to any wrongdoing by the USA or israel. Content was poor enough also. it was all just freedom this and freedom that. No real substance.

very biased and no content

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This reading presents a view from a (very?) Jewish or Israeli perspective. (The distinction is discussed.) However, it comes.across as a lecture determined to explain, justify and support the Israeli approach to the Palestine situation.
I might have been more.receptive if the reader had sounded less like an English voice coach and more in tune with what the author might sound like
At times, some of the language about the Palestinians and other Arabs, bordered on racist and it was difficult to feel better informed, let alone persuaded.
As I said, this is targeted at those already converted and contributes little more than propaganda to those of a neutral persuasion.

This speaks only to the converted

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