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INTRODUCTIONTHE PROCESS OF REDEMOCRATIZATION, the "return" to democratically elected government, has been a major trend in much of the developing world in the 1980s. In particular, this trend has been strong in Latin America. The list of countries returning to the democratic fold is indeed impressive: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador and Peru. Even Haiti, in the Caribbean, witnessed the fall of the Duvalier regime and some initial movement, though halting, toward democracy. It appears in 1988 that Suriname could be rejoining the "democratic club" after several years of near-authoritarian rule, characterized by executions of opposition leaders, curtailment of press freedom, and a protracted insurrection.It is the purpose of this article to examine Suriname's redemocratization. Did the insurgency help set the stage for a middle path between authoritarianism and greater societal disruption? Prospects for the new government headed by President Ramsewak Shankar will also be considered. It is advanced that the insurrection helped push the return to democratic government in Suriname, but the major impetus came from civilian political groups that remained within the political system, seeking to promote a peaceful transition between the power of the armed forces headed by Lt. Colonel Desi Bouterse and the rebels led by Corporal Ronnie Brunswijk. In its initial stages, the middle path Scott B. MacDonald is Chief International Economist at MNC International Bank, Baltimnore (MD). He is the author of TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE CARIBBEAN (Praeger, 1986) and of DANCING ON A VOLCANO: THE LATIN AMERICAN DRUG TRADE (Praeger, 1988). This content downloaded from 169.229.32.137 on Thu, 8 May 2014 17:08:13 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 1o6 JOURNAL OF INTERAMERICAN STUDIES AND WORLD AFFAIRSappears to be succeeding in returning the country to political stability, as it has provided a badly-needed "third path" from authoritarianism and near-civil war. Redemocratization in Suriname, as in other countries like Haiti and Panama, is a fragile process and the danger of "slippage" remains a constant concern. SURINAME BEFORE THE 1980 COUP SURINAME IS LOCATED ON THE NORTHEAST shoulder of South America and covers an area slightly larger than the state of Georgia in the United States. It was colonized by the Dutch, who granted it independence in 1975 (Gastmann, 1968; Dew, 1978). The Netherlands left behind a parliamentary democracy and an economy substantially endowed with a ...