Dilemmas of Justice in Eastern Europe's Democratic Transitions (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781403963895)

Calhoun innovatively examines how the ideology of liberal democracy influences one of the most contentious and potentially traumatic and divisive issues facing countries transitioning from authoritarian regimes to democracy: how to confront the past violations of human rights. Competing views of liberal democracy frame debates about how to confront the past and in particular how to deal with the truth of systematic human rights violations. Democratic values may not determine the precise method of dealing with the past - whether through truth commissions, lustration, or tribunals - but the very process of debate inherent in democratic theory and practice has important implications for the perceived fairness of the result. These implications are examined through a comparison of transitional justice in East Germany, Poland and Russia. The result is a provocative integration of democratic theory and comparative politics.

Author: N. Calhoun
ISBN-10: 1403963894
ISBN-13: 9781403963895
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Language: English
Published: 09/16/2004
Pages: 226
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.70w x 0.69d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2005 pg. 1091