Stanley Hoffmann Quotes

Advancing democracy does not always foster political stability.

Democracy for people who are not used to it can undermine stability, resulting in war.

Democratization is not necessarily the best way to fight Islamic extremism, because the transition to democracy has been found to be an especially vulnerable period for states across the board.

Establishing a stable democracy is a two stage process. First you get rid of the old regime, then you build a durable democratic replacement. Because the first stage is dramatic, many people think the game is over when the dictator is gone. But the second stage is more difficult. There are many examples of broad coalitions coming together to oust dictators but relatively few of them stayed together and agreed on what a new regime should look like.

Only two countries in this hemisphere are not democratic, but many countries in both Central and South America, and in the Caribbean, are really fragile democracies.

Not all countries are ready for it [democracy].

The desire for a democratic political system does not by itself create the capacity for establishing one.

The willingness of local elites to cope with the uncertainty of fully competitive politics will thus be the ultimate factor in determining whether competitive authoritarianism proves a way station for democratic development or a safe house for autocrats. .

The richest countries in the world are democracies. The most stable countries in the world are democracies. There are no tensions between the two.

A democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. These will produce an eruption and carry desolation in their way.

What my job is, is to get on with getting the process of democratic politics, back on the road, entrenching the peace settlement, and I ask you to judge me on my record.

The so-called Arab Spring has proved that the fall of a Mubarak-like presidency does not mean the immediate rise of democracy. In spite of this, I am confident that Egypt will not return to an authoritarian governing system again, and that, with some time, it will achieve its democratic goals.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Latin America moved decisively away from military rule and toward civilian democracy.

While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile.

France is a pretty stable democracy, but incidents occur. And I was pleased to have police accompaniment.

All nations are not ready for this.

What would happen if we withdrew? Anarchy and confusion.

Democracy is good, provided the government can function.

Nothing can destroy democracy in America faster than a political-military crisis.

A democratic crisis can only be settled by more democracy.

Today in Russia, we have this extreme form of democracy, which is called anarchy.

Africa must develop a genuine culture of alternation and opposition, without which democracy in any country, including the West, cannot exist.

Striking a balance between governability and historical reckoning is most difficult during the early years of a democratic transition.

If America wants to make the world safe for democracy, then she had better make democracy safe in America.

I worry that a democratic transition in this period for a state like the U.a. E. would put, us in the throes of reactionary conservatism, probably for the next 30 or 40 years. I look at what is happening in Egypt and other places, and I wonder, do I need that kind of transition?