eastasia.at Vol. 4, No. 2, December 2005 ISSN 1684-629X   Editorial Democracy Revisited In the early 1990s, several leading political scientists, such as Samuel P. Huntington, spoke of a further wave of democratization in modern history. The so-called Third Wave toppled regimes in Europe, Africa, America and Asia. In the mid-1990s, Larry Diamond was the first to raise the question whether a reverse wave had emerged over the past few years. Diamond’s assumption unfortunately proved to be true and was confirmed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in its 2001 Human Development Report, which concluded that a growing number of the new democracies had regarded democracy subordinate to economic growth. Such developments have contributed to a global decay of democratic values and a redefinition of democracy. The subsequent reverse wave has not only affected new democracies but also traditional ones. <more>   Article Thailand and Thaksin Shinawatra: From Election Triumph to Political Decline by Michael H. Nelson Before the latest general election on 6 February 2005, critical political observers had perceived Thailand's incumbent prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, as a threat to the country's fledgling democracy. This was accompanied by the implementation of a multitude of 'populist' policies that accrued tangible benefits to the great majority of voters. They repaid Thaksin’s performance at the helm of government with an overwhelming election triumph. Nevertheless, recent developments indicate changes in the Thai political landscape. <more>   Books   Democracy without Competition in Japan   by Ethan Scheiner   Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Publication Date: 2005   Table of Contents               Understanding Modern East Asian Politics   by Christian Schafferer (ed.)   Publisher: Nova Science, New York Publication Date: 2005   Table of Contents
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