Omar Khalifa, the managing director at Egypt’s O Media told The Takeaway that, although he believes in freedom, he feels that his country is not yet ready for a Democratic government. But is a country ever ready for the messiness of democracy?
To answer that question we speak to Al Stepan, director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration and Religion at Columbia University, where he studies the theory behind transitions toward democracy. We also speak with Pauline Maier, The William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of American History at MIT. Maier is the author of “Ratification: The People Debate the Consitution 1787-1788,” and she tells us the fears and ingredients that went into building the American democracy.