I think that itโs premature to call Libya a democracy because political order is still so fragile there and the command by the state over the means of violence is still so inadequate that I think state building remains a major challenge. And until the militias can be reined in and the authority of the democratically-elected state can really be firmly established, thereโs still tremendous fragility and vulnerability in the unfolding story in Libya.
Larry DiamondThe problem in Burma is the problem in Egypt, the problem you refer to in Yemen, and the problem in a lot of these countries in the world: that you can get stuck in the process of transition, in whatโs been called a competitive authoritarianโฆ a pseudo democratic regime.
Larry DiamondI think you have a deeply anxious leadership in China that knows its legitimacy is drifting away, thatโs sending its [personal] money and its children abroad because they have no faith in the future of their own regime.
Larry DiamondI am very optimistic about the long run prospects for democracy in China. Chinese society is being dramatically and rapidly transformed. And thereโs rising evidence that the new generation not only lacks faith in communism anymore, they think itโs a joke. Theyโre very cynical about their leadership and they want democratic change.
Larry Diamond