"crisis of democracy" question

[Rob Schaap]

Sez CG Estabrook:

>I quite agree.  The particulars on the book are as follows:
>
>	Michel Crozier, Samuel P. Huntington, Joji Watanuki
>	1975 	The crisis of democracy : report on the governability
>		of democracies to the Trilateral Commission
>		New York University Press.
>
>Chomsky used to make fun of Huntington's (former) title at Harvard as
>"Professor of the Science of Government."


That's where the term comes from as far as Chomsky is concerned - and same
with Robert McChesney (see p288 in his concluding chapter of *Rich Media
Poor Democracy*, Uni of Illinois Press: Chicago 1999 - where, incidentally,
our esteemed listmaster, 'perceptive social critic' that he is, comes in
for some sympathetic critique on p 295.)

Good book, too!  It's perched next to my *Wall St* and assorted Perelmans
on a rapidly growing shelf of recent Yanqui economic and democratic
critique - my fave genre just now.  All very accessible, and particularly
impressive at sensitively leading the reader from established common sense
and values to the radical critiques immanent there-in.  Aye, there's hope
yet.

Talking of which: Good to see the third worlders asserting themselves in
the WTO 'talks', too (some Africans reckon 'lectures' might have been a
better word).  A wash-out, I'm told.  Democracy and equity made up a few
yards both inside and outside the marble halls this week, eh?

Cheers,
Rob.