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The Future of Freedom by Fareed Zakaria
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The Future of Freedom (2003)

by Fareed Zakaria

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Hind sight is much easier than foresight, so I tried to read beyond that and current political views, and enjoyed at least the first ½ to 2/3rds of the book very much. He makes a valiant and worthy effort in trying to bring to terms the unrelated terms of Freedom and Democracy, yet like so many falls back into the trap of proceeding on the assumption of one necessitating the other. He meets the other ultimate trap of assuming Democracy was designed to give us a nest of security, safety and be stability. When in fact it is just the opposite, our Republican Democracy was created to maintain our freedom, allow us to use our wings and to be a constantly changing order, to adapt to a constantly changing world, in fact to encourage it. One must remember Freedom is not free, it is a constant effort to find and maintain, stagnation is it’s greatest enemy. I often revert to this sightless insight: Security is mostly superstition; it does not exist in nature. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. – Helen Keller ( )
  Newmans2001 | Mar 16, 2011 |
Zakaria's one of the more interesting writers on international relations working today. There's a lot of good analysis in this book, but it could use a little more polish. ( )
1 vote wanack | Apr 1, 2010 |
very informative -- wish I had read the book when it first came out. am motivated to read his update. I found the last third of the book the most interesting when Zakaria goes into detail about how too much democracy might not necessarily be a good thing -- example = California, and how the state has put itself in difficult financial positions through voter decisions.
Good book. ( )
  fyi715 | Aug 17, 2009 |
In this book, Mr. Zakaria differentiates between Liberal and Illiberal Democracies. The main idea is that taking free elections as the only aspect of democracy results in catastrophic results as in the case of Nazi Germany or Hamas in Gaza.
Instead, he says that liberal democracy, which implies individual rights, rule of law, separation of powers and free elections are essential requirements to have a successful state.
I found this book very interesting and the author's ideas clear and thought provoking. I think I'll look forward to reading more by Mr. Zakaria. ( )
1 vote dezert | Apr 24, 2009 |
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Full title (2003): The future of freedom : illiberal democracy at home and abroad / Fareed Zakaria.; Dutch edition (2003) has title: De toekomst van vrijheid : de paradoxen en schaduwzijden van democratie ; German edition (2005) has title: Das Ende der Freiheit? : Wieviel Demokratie verträgt der Mensch?; Italian edition (2003) has title: Democrazia senza libertà in America e nel resto del mondo
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0393324877, Paperback)

A national bestseller, including extended stays on the "New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and "Washington Post lists, this major work by "Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria has been touted by the "New York Times as "brave and ambitious...updated Tocqueville" and the "Chicago Tribune as "essential reading for anyone worried about the promotion and preservation of liberty." "Intensely provocative and valuable," according to "Business Week, and with an easy command of history, philosophy, and current affairs, "The Future of Freedom calls for a restoration of the balance between liberty and democracy and shows how liberal democracy has to be made effective and relevant for our lime. Woodrow Wilson said the challenge of the twentieth century was to make the world safe for democracy. This penetrating book challenges us to make democracy safe for the world.

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:27:53 -0500)

(see all 4 descriptions)

"American democracy is, in many people's minds, the model for the rest of the world. Fareed Zakaria points out that the American form of democracy is one of the least democratic in use today. Members of the Supreme Court and the Federal Reserve, institutions that fundamentally shape our lives, are appointed, not elected. The Bill of Rights enumerates a set of privileges to which citizens are entitled, no matter what the majority says. By restricting our democracy, we enhance our freedom"--Container.… (more)

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