Introduction

As there is not a single general theory of democratization, this articles suggests, first, to develop the research question - that is why some countries have not transformed their political regimes into democracies and have remained authoritarian regimes or have become hybrid ones? - into two more specific questions: (1) what are those domestic and external actors and factors (DEAFs) that, in each country and in a specific temporal period, prevent a successful democratization of the political regime? And (2) what happens when some of these DEAFs interact with each other? Second, it is hypothesized that the most important interactions (in terms of reinforcing or weakening democratization) are those combining domestic and external lelvels of analysis. In the light of the case studies presented in the volume, the chapter presents a comparative assessement of the main DEAFs, their interactions, and in particular the specific obstables they can pose to a successful democratization.