Ep. 378 Why Postwar Germany and Japan Don't Prove It's Easy to Spread Democracy

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Neoconservatives and left-liberals think spreading democracy is both desirable and manageable -- why, it worked with Germany and Japan! We take a closer look at this claim today. Show notes below!

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Discussions of spreading democracy in the Middle East always come back to Germany and Japan — if it can be done there, the argument goes, it can be done anywhere. Christopher Coyne discusses the flaws in this argument.

About the Guest

Christopher Coyne is the and F. A. Harper Professor of Economics at George Mason University and the associate director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center. He is the co-editor-in-chief of the Review of Austrian Economics, co-editor of the Independent Review, and book review editor of Public Choice.

Book Discussed

After War: The Political Economy of Exporting Democracy

Guest’s Other Book

Doing Bad by Doing Good: Why Humanitarian Action Fails

Guest Website

ccoyne.com

Guest’s Twitter

@ccoyne1

“Did the United States Create Democracy in Germany?” by James L. Payne

Article Mentioned

“The Marshall Plan: Myths and Realities,” by Tyler Cowen

Previous Appearance

Ep. 154 Why Humanitarian Action Fails (Chris Coyne)

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