Autochthonous Routes to Democracy: Assessing the Brics Polities

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

In reviewing the extent to which the democracies among the BRICS are complementary of the West or asserting their own forms of governance, this chapter assesses the role played by the West in creating their domestic political systems. To varying degrees, it argues, the BRICS countries have proven impervious to the influence of the West in their political systems. Those which are widely regarded as democratic (Brazil, India and South Africa) obtained and retained their democratic dispensations despite and not because of the West. In Brazil, the United States backed a coup against a democratically elected government in 1964; in South Africa, the United States showed a lacklustre stance towards the democratisation movement, and any claims of India’s being a democracy due to the British are inter alia readily dismissed by the fact of Pakistan and Bangladesh, the other components of British India, having had repeated military coups, while the Republic of India has not.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationInternational Political Economy Series
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Pages35-63
Number of pages29
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Publication series

NameInternational Political Economy Series
ISSN (Print)2662-2483
ISSN (Electronic)2662-2491

Keywords

  • BRICS
  • Colonialism
  • Democracy
  • Governance
  • Liberal democracy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Economics, Econometrics and Finance (all)
  • Political Science and International Relations

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