Rising China and Asian Democratization: Socialization to "Global Culture" in the Political Transformations of Thailand, China, and Taiwan

This book argues that democratization is inherently international: states democratize through a process of socialization to a liberal-rational global culture. This can clearly be seen in Taiwan and Thailand, where the elites and attentive public now accept democracy as universally valid. But in China, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) resists democratization, in part because, its leaders believe, it would lead to China's "permanent decentering" in world history; they see global culture as Western, not universal. As China's national power increases, the CCP could begin restructuring global culture by emboldening and inspiring actors in other Asian countries to uphold or restore authoritarian rule.
          
           A book in the East-West Center series, Contemporary Issues in Asia and the Pacific, published by Stanford University Press. Available exclusively from ISEAS for distribution in Southeast Asia.