Liberal Autocracies vs. Illiberal Democracies: A Twenty-First Century Dilemma. This paper will argue that Zakaria's thesis - while undeniably strong in many respects - is significantly flawed. It will be demonstrated that this thesis - which represents a fundamental challenge to the principles of Western democracy in favour of more autocratic modes of governance - is defensible only if we ignore the "iron fist" within the velvet glove, that was revealed in such autocratic atrocities as the Chinese Tiananmen Square massacre or the East Timor genocide. Instead, it will be argued, a more nuanced approach to the question of governance should be considered; one that takes into account the influence upon good governance of an educated populace and powerful, non-governmental forces. 4 pgs. Bibliography lists 1 source. Pages: 4 Bibliography: 1 source(s) listed Filename: 8295 Liberal Autocracies Democracies.doc Price: 35.80