Victorious and vulnerable : why democracy won in the 20th century and how it is still imperiled / Azar Gat.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Why Democracy Won in the Twentieth Century -- 2. The Ascent of Capitalist Parliamentarianism -- 3. Free Trade or Imperialism? -- 4. The Return of the Nondemocratic Great Powers -- 5. The Modern Transformation and the Democratic Peace -- 6. The Democracies' Way in Conflict -- 7. Why Counterinsurgency Fails (with Gil Merom) -- 8. Did Democracies Exterminate the Natives of North America and Australia? -- 9. Unconventional Terror and the New World Disorder -- 10. Conclusion: Strengths and Vulnerabilities -- Democracies' Unique Traits in Conflict.

"In the blink of an eye, liberal democracy's moment of triumph was darkened by new threats, challenges, and doubts. Rejecting the view that liberal democracy's twentieth-century victory was inevitable, distinguished student of war Azar Gat argues that it largely rested on contingent factors and was more doubtful than has been assumed. The world's liberal democracies, with the United States at the forefront, face new and baffling security threats with the return of capitalist, nondemocratic great powers - China and Russia - and the continued threat of unconventional terror." "The democratic peace, or near absence of war, among themselves is a unique feature of liberal democracies' foreign policy behavior. Arguing that this is merely one manifestation of much more sweeping and less recognized pacifist tendencies typical of liberal democracies, Gat offers a panoramic view of their distinctive way in conflict and war. This book provides a politically and strategically vital understanding of the peculiar strengths and vulnerabilities that liberal democracy brings to the formidable challenges ahead."--BOOK JACKET.