The Perils and Promise of Global Transparency: Why the Information Revolution May Not Lead to Security, Democracy, or Peace

Kristin M. Lord

SUNY Press, Oct 12, 2006 - Political Science - 208 pages

While the trend toward greater transparency will bring many benefits, Kristin M. Lord argues that predictions that it will lead inevitably to peace, understanding, and democracy are wrong. The conventional view is of authoritarian governments losing control over information thanks to technology, the media, and international organizations, but there is a darker side, one in which some of the same forces spread hatred, conflict, and lies. In this book, Lord discusses the complex implications of growing transparency, paying particular attention to the circumstances under which transparency’s effects are negative. Case studies of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the government of Singapore’s successful control of information are included.

About the author

Kristin M. Lord is Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She is the coeditor (with Bernard I. Finel) of Power and Conflict in the Age of Transparency.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Perils and Promise of Global Transparency: Why the Information Revolution May Not Lead to Security, Democracy, or Peace; SUNY series in Global Politics
• Author: Kristin M. Lord
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: SUNY Press, 2006
• ISBN: 0791468852, 9780791468852
• Length: 208 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / International Relations / General; Political Science / Security (National & International)