Example international politics dissertation topic 3:

Estonia: A model of democracy emerging after communism.

As the most northerly of the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, this dissertation looks at the political and economic realignment of the country in the decades following the collapse of communism. In so doing it addresses two primary areas of research: first, whether the nature of state-building in post-communist Eastern Europe is materially different to that which follows regime change elsewhere. Secondly, the paper examines the lessons that may be learnt from the embracing of democracy by Estonia for other states that are presently in a state of political-system upheaval: focusing particularly on Syria and Libya.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Berglund, S. (2001). Challenges to democracy: Eastern Europe ten years after the collapse of communism. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
• Diamond, L. and Plattner, M.F. (200). Democracy after communism. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Laitin, D.D. (2007). Nations, states, and violence. New York: Oxford University Press.