The last thirty years have seen many states democratize, yet others have been unable to fully complete this transition and remain stuck in authoritarian or semi-democratic states. This article addresses the recent theoretical literature on democratization, where the focus has been on explaining factors that lead to successful democratization. The consensus appears to be that the nature of the transition to democracy – whether it is antagonistic or cooperative – is a major factor in determining the outcome, yet there are also cases, particularly in the former Soviet Union, where this is not apparent. This article argues that scholars should move away from the inevitability suggested by „democratization studies,‟ and instead develop a broader framework of „regime change‟ that focuses on why some countries revert to authoritarianism or other forms of non-democratic rule rather than complete the transition to democracy.

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