This important text explores the widespread contention that new challenges and obstacles have arisen to democratization and assesses the claim that democratization around the world is facing a serious challenge. Bringing together leading international scholars of democratization, including: Thomas Carothers, Michael McFaul, Laurence Whitehead, Bassma Kodmani, Nancy Bermeo, Shaun Breslin and Mark Leonard, this book examines the issues relating to developments within non-democratic states and issues related to the democratic world and its efforts to support the spread of democracy. It features in-depth studies on the limits of US democracy promotion, the Middle East, Russia, China and new democracies, and will shed light on such questions as: is the wave of democratization now in retreat, or just treading water; or should we be careful not to exaggerate the importance of recent setbacks; do serious, sustainable alternatives to democracy now exist; is international democracy promotion about to run out of steam; and, what implications do recent trends have for the global political order.This book will be of interest to students and scholars of democratization, comparative politics and international politics.