In a radical reflection, John Young contends that the US model of democracy has failed the Global South because its emphasis on the supremacy of market capitalism entails a loss of national sovereignty and a truncated notion of human rights that leaves little room for citizens' engagement or socioeconomic justice.
The Global South needs democracy, but the US model does not address issues of national oppression or economic injustices by raising living standards and ensuring national sovereignty. However, the US international liberal order is increasing being challenged, and a multipolar world is emerging that provides opportunities for people in the Global South to construct systems of democracy that meet their needs rather than those of the US.
An authoritative account of the US-imposed ills that have stalled true democracy in the Horn of Africa and beyond, by a renowned Horn of Africa expert
John Youngis the author of
Peasant Revolution in Ethiopia: Tigray People's Liberation Front1975 1991(1997);
The Fate of Sudan: The Origins and Consequences of a Flawed Peace Process(Zed Books, 2012); and
South Sudan's Civil War: Violence, Insurgency and Failed Peacemaking(Zed Books, 2019).
Young writes in a very accessible, non-academic style and avoids convoluted theory ... An excellent and invaluable book for anyone wishing to understand what is happening in the Horn of Africa today. Liberation Journal
A brilliant exposure of the flawed theory and practice of democracy promotion as a tool of US foreign policy. Poorly practiced at home, US 'democracy', embedded in global capitalism produces failed states in the global south, where stronger national sovereignty is necessary to achieve authentic democracy rooted in local cultures. Stephen McBride Professor, McMaster University, Canada
This is a captivating analysis of how the system of governance has evolved in Ethiopia, Sudan and South SudlS.
![The Poisoned Chalice of US Democracy: Studies from the Horn of Africa [Hardcover]](/itemImage/2/1/8/2/2_7197783.jpg "The Poisoned Chalice of US Democracy: Studies from the Horn of Africa [Hardcover]")