Democracy itself is an evolutionary process that is controlled by the people, and as such has no major problems so long as the people are well informed. This is not a "hard-wired" or stagnate process that must be defined by past attempts at democracy. The only requirement is that the people are in charge and majority opinion decides at least the major rules. If the people are not in charge, it is not democracy!

It requires a high level of civil society to function.

If the society is 70% illiterate, it doesn't work. (Afghanistan)
If the society is full of religious fanaticism, it doesn't work. (Iraq)
If the country does not have governing expertise, it doesn't work. (most of the former colonial countries in Africa)
If the country is in the middle of a civil war, you have to be a lunatic to think democracy will work. (Libya)

Unfortunately most of the western countries appear to be lunatics in this regard.