In the grand tradition of Paul Kennedy s The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers comes this provocative history of world democracy, which begins with the ancient Myceans and ends in our fractious present. Overturning long-cherished notions, John Keane poses challenging questions: Did democracy actually begin in ancient Greece or earlier in Mesopotamia? Do the American and British systems actually live up to their democratic ideals? Why is there a bad moon rising over the world s democracies? Written by a leading political theorist, this book presents readers with a counterintuitive look at democracy s past, present, and future, which Keane argues lies not in the West but in the turbulent democracies of the East, especially in India. Avoiding the triumphalism of global democracy s most boisterous pundits, Keane cautions that democracy today is more fragile than ever and that, unless major corrective measures are taken, we may be sleepwalking our way into even deeper trouble.

【作者简介】

约翰·基恩（John Keane） 当代著名政治哲学家，生于澳大利亚，以对民主及其未来的创新性观点而闻名。他现任悉尼大学和柏林社会科学研究中心政治学教授，是“悉尼民主网络”（SDN）的联合创办人和负责人。

英国《泰晤士报》将基恩列为在英国最具领导地位的思想家和作家之一，并称其作品具有“世界性的影响”。基恩的研究领域包括：国际政治、暴力与民主、公共生活与传播自由等。他最近的研究兴趣扩展到中国、亚太地区的民主政治问题。

其著作有《民主与媒体的堕落》《暴力与民主》《全球公民社会》《一种政治生活：汤姆·潘恩传》《中国式民主》（将于2017年出版）等。

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

【译者简介】

安雯 译作另有《人性中的善良天使：暴力为什么会减少》《邵武四十年：美国传教士医生福益华在华之旅，1892—1932》。