Democracy in Context: Between Universal Ideals and Local Values By Hussein Banai B.A., York University, 2003 MSc., The London School of Economics and Political Science, 2005 M.A. Brown University, 2007 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy In the Department of Political Science at Brown University Providence, Rhode Island May 2012 © 2011 by Hussein Banai All rights reserved. This dissertation by Hussein Banai has been accepted in its current form By the Department of Political Science as satisfying the Dissertation requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy Date ____________ ___________________________________ Corey L. Brettschneider, Advisor Recommended to the Graduate Council Date ____________ ___________________________________ Sharon R. Krause, Reader Date ____________ ___________________________________ Charles Larmore, Reader Date ____________ ___________________________________ Nina Tannenwald, Reader Date ____________ ___________________________________ James Der Derian iii ABSTRACT The aims of this dissertation are twofold: (1) to expose the limitations of the dominant theories of democracy as regards the relationship between universal democratic ideals and local values; and (2) to offer a normative framework for a contextual conception of democratic legitimacy. These objectives have been undertaken not in order to offer a single, unified theory of democracy, but in an effort to draw attention to the ineluctable hybridity of democracy as both a system of government and a much-cherished political value. At the root of this view is the notion that the pursuit and realization of democratic ideals are legitimized through individual and collective histories, local and global vernaculars, and persistent political struggles. The chief merit of democracy is that it bestows upon the individual and the collective certain rights and privileges with which to contemplate the terms of membership and coexistence in society. Genuine understanding of the potential pitfalls and triumphs brought about by democracy requires one to understand the concrete constellation of ideas, beliefs, traditions, and values within which it is located. The moral and political legitimacy of democracy, it is argued, rests on its reflective capacity to be responsive to the vicissitudes of context: to be “of, by and for” a people, and all that being part of such a historical construct entails. It is this receptivity to the diversity of human experience across time and space that sets democracy apart from other forms of government. iv CURRICULUM VITAE Hussein Banai was born in Tehran, Iran on September 19, 1980. He completed his elementary and part of his secondary education in Iran until the age of fifteen, at which point he and his family moved to Ontario, Canada, where he completed the remainder of his secondary education at York Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto. He obtained a BA (Hons.) in Political Science from York University (2003), his MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (2005), his PhD from Brown University (2011). He served as Deputy Editor of Millennium: Journal of International Studies in 2004-2005, and has acted as a referee for various political science journals such as International Studies Quarterly, Gender and Politics, and Cambridge Review of International Affairs. Among his publications are Becoming Enemies: U.S.-Iran Relations During the Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988 (co-author with James Blight, janet Lang, Malcolm Byrne and John Tirman) (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011); “Diplomacy and Public Imagination,” in Sustainable Diplomacies, edited by Costas Constantinou and James Der Derian (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010); “Politics and Democratic Consciousness in Iran,” Review of Middle East Studies (2011); and “Diplomatic Imaginations: Mediating Estrangement in International Society,” Cambridge Review of International Affairs (2011). He has presented papers at various regional, national, and international conferences over the course of his graduate studies, and maintains an active membership in the major professional organizations in his fields of study. In addition, he has assisted in teaching and taught his own courses in political theory, international relations, and Middle East studies at Brown. He is currently a visiting faculty in Middle East Studies at Brown, a visiting scholar at the Political Theory Project, and research affiliate at the Center for International Studies at MIT. In the 2012- 2013 academic year he will join the faculty at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA as Assistant Professor in the Department of Diplomacy and World Affairs. v For my parents, Mitra Movasagh-Nekoonam and Reza Banai, exemplary democrats. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly indebted to the members of my dissertation committee – Professors Corey Brettschneider (chair), Sharon Krause, Charles Larmore, Nina Tannenwald, and James Der Derian – for their generous encouragement and consideration at various stages of writing this dissertation. If there is even the slightest hint of insight in the pages that follow, the credit is entirely due to them (needless to say, any errors or shortcomings are my responsibility alone). Corey has been the model mentor, patiently guiding me through a torrent of false dilemmas and needless anxieties. It was he who first suggested that I give the “contextual” itch a good scratch, and I am impressed to the point of envy that he continues to understand and articulate the promise and aims of my project much better than I can. I very much treasure his friendship and intellectual example. I had the great fortune of starting my doctoral studies at Brown just as Sharon and Charles made their respective moves from Harvard and the University of Chicago. To the extent that I can claim familiarity with topics in political theory, I owe this to Sharon, who through her teaching and mentorship paved the path for my intellectual growth. Her copious comments on numerous drafts of chapters and other papers were beyond helpful and nearly always accompanied by words of encouragement. I cannot thank her enough. It was a special honor for me to have Charles on my committee. Too often I would rejoice at the prospect of a breakthrough thought only to discover that Charles had already thought and written about it much better than I or anyone else would ever be able to. I am extremely grateful for his patience, lucidity and directness during the writing of the dissertation; I have learned so much from his writings, teaching and intellectual example. I was delighted that Nina agreed to join the committee at a late stage; her clarity of thought and helpful suggestions have made the arguments that touch on topics in international relations more precise and lucid. I also have learned immensely from Nina’s work on the role of norms and ideas in international politics, topics about which I am sure to bother her time and again in the future. Lastly, I owe a special debt to James for his always-helpful comments and continued encouragement. He exemplifies engaged scholarship, and many of us who have had the privilege of working with him are not just better scholars but also better persons for it. I am grateful for his continued generosity and friendship. I am deeply beholden for friendship and advice to other faculty members at Brown and beyond: James Morone, John Tomasi, Pauline Jones-Luong, Melani Cammett, Richard Snyder, Peter Andreas, Mark Blyth, David Estlund, Nancy Khalek, Matthew Gutmann, Lucas Swaine, Michael Goodheart, Bob Gooding-Williams, Jason Brennan, John Tirman, James Blight, and janet Lang. Special thanks are also due to Suzanne Brough and Patti Gardner, both of whom I consider dear friends – my professional training would not have been nearly as enriching without them. This dissertation has benefited greatly from the friendly comments and suggestions of fellow graduate students at Brown, especially those affiliated with the Graduate Political Philosophy Workshop: Jennie Ikuta, Sean Aas, Derek Bowman, Dana Howard, Tim Syme, Matthew Lyddon, Jason Swadley, Molly Wallace, Jack Amoureux, John Phillips, Minh Ly, Christopher Tallent, Gavril Bilev, Feryaz Ocakli, Heather Silber vii Mohamed, Elizabeth Bennett, Dan Ehlke, Emily Farris, Eli Feiman, Kelly Bay, Jorge Alves, Eduardo Moncada, Rich Maher, and David Blanding. Two individuals deserve special mention for their unconditional friendship and intellectual companionship during the writing of this dissertation. Erin Beck through her warmth and unconditional support has been a model of friendship. Jeremy Johnson has been a most compassionate and generous intellectual companion throughout my time at Brown. I hope he will not think it hyperbolic to be described as a paragon of virtue, for I can mobilize an entire community to assure him of it. This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Mitra Movasagh-Nekoonam and Reza Banai, who have given much to the cause of democracy in our native homeland of Iran. The inspiration they have provided as rootless cosmopolitans, together with the example they have set as engaged citizens, have been invaluable to the development of my own thoughts on democracy. I am also grateful to my siblings, Azadeh and Sepehr, for their love and support. To the never failing love, generosity and glowing vitality of my wife, Tracey Wilkinson, the words “gratitude” and “debt” do not begin to do justice. viii Freedom of will is the highest human good;