If one considers as well the persistent popular aspirations for better governance in sub-Saharan Africa, even among (we know now, from several rounds of Afrobarometer surveys) very poor and ill-educated citizens and the signs of civic vitality in at least a few post-Soviet states (such as Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan) it is hard to sustain analytically the current mood of gloom about democracy’s prospects. Democracy, to be sure, can hardly have a secure future without a restoration of confidence in its ability to function in the wealthy, advanced states of the West. But governance is always a difficult challenge, especially in the internet age of intensified attention and heightened cynicism. It is worth considering the intrinsic political dilemmas of authoritarian regimes, and the tenacity of popular aspirations for government that is open and accountable, before we conclude that the historical moment for democracy has passed.