Monarchy & democracy in the 21st century

"There has been very little discourse on one of the oldest and most important political institutions in Human history monarchy. The portrayal of royalty has been largely ceremonial and existing literature on monarchy, particularly in the second half of the 20th century, is overwhelmingly a literature of nostalgia. Based on the premise that this subject deserves deeper discussion, 16 journalists and scholars met in Paro, Bhutan, in May, 2009, to share their views on the role of monarchy in the context of emerging democracies in the 21st century. Their conversations prompted this collection of essays on monarchies around the world, through different periods of history, from the powerful Juan Carlos of Spain to the soft power of the Scandinavian monarchies, from the important symbolic function of Japan's monarchy to the volatile situation in Thailand today, from the demise of monarchy in Nepal to the democratic constitutional monarchy in Bhutan. The papers are not meant to be definitive statements on the topic of monarchy and democracy, but they are offered in the hope that they will lead to discussion and a better understanding of the relationship between monarchy and democracy against the background of the experiences of transformation in different political, social, economic and cultural environments across the world." --Back cover.