Democracies derive their resilience and vitality from the fact that the rule of a particular majority is usually only of a temporary nature. By looking at four case studies, The Awkward Embrace studies democracies of a different kind: rule by a dominant party which is virtually immune from defeat. Such systems have been called Regnant Democracies or Uncommon Democracies. They are characterized by distinctive features: the staging of unfree or corrupt elections; the blurring of the lines between ruling party, government and the state; the introduction of a national project which is considered to be above politics; and the erosion of civil society. The Awkward Embrace addresses major issues such as why one such democracy, namely Taiwan, has been moving in the direction of a more competitive system; how economic crises, such as the present one in Mexico, can transform the system; how government-business relations in Malaysia are affecting the base of the dominant party; and whether South