Violent Democracy

This fascinating and provocative book will change the way you think about democracy. Challenging conventional wisdom, Daniel Ross shows how from its origins and into its globalized future, violence is an integral part of the democratic system. He draws on the examples of global terrorism and security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the relation of colonial powers to indigenous populations, and the treatment of asylum seekers. His analysis of these controversial issues moves beyond the comfortable stances of both left and right to show that democracy is violent, from its beginning and at its heart.

• Written with a rigorous, yet accessible, style which rejects specialist jargon and lengthy references to political and philosophical theory • Posits the controversial theory that there is violence inherent in democracy • Challenges the views of those on both the left and right of the political spectrum about issues from refugee policy to global terrorism

Introduction; 1. The high horse and the low road; 2. Strangers in a familiar land; 3. Sorry we killed you; 4. The great debate; 5. Border protection and alien friends; 6. Enemy combatants.

‘This highly-topical book examines how democracies are trying to cope with the potentially endless war on terrorism. The author argues that the origin and heart of democracy is essentially violent and that the threat of terrorist attack is not only exposing new forms of ‘democratic violence’ but could transform the very character of the democracies we seek to defend. Do we have the right, for example, to bring democracy to others by force? A revealing and disturbing work that every democratic leader should study while there is still time.’ Phillip Knightley, author of The Second Oldest Profession, a history of war correspondents and propaganda