BOOKS
The President's Speeches: Beyond "Going Public"Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha Why do presidents bother to give speeches when their words rarely move public opinion? Arguing that "going public" isn't really about going to the public at all, Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha explores to whom presidential speeches are in fact targeted, and what—if any—influence they have on public policy. Eshbaugh-Soha shows that, when presidents speak, their intent is More > | ![]() |
The Presidents’ Wives: The Office of the First Lady in US Politics, 2nd EditionRobert P. Watson Robert Watson's groundbreaking study on the presidents' wives proved that the first lady can be an influential force in presidential politics and is a subject worthy of scholarly attention. Now, this fully revised second edition incorporates the first ladyships of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama in each chapter. The new edition also includes a decade-and-a-half of More > | ![]() |
The Problem of Force: Grappling with the Global BattlefieldSimon W. Murden Why, despite indisputably superior military might, have the US-led military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq been so fraught with setbacks? Does it make sense in today’s security environment to use military force to achieve strategic objectives? How does the contemporary battlefield function? Addressing these questions, Simon Murden explores the contradictions inherent in attempting to More > | ![]() |
The Promise of Restorative Justice: New Approaches for Criminal Justice and BeyondJohn P. J. Dussich and Jill Schellenberg, editors with a foreword by Mark S. Umbreit The increasing popularity of restorative justice has prompted new and varying applications of its core principles. The authors of The Promise of Restorative Justice highlight the ways that these new ideas now spark innovations both throughout the criminal justice system and in arenas as diverse as business, education, athletics, and the aftermath of ethnic conflict. They offer fresh More > | ![]() |
The Puzzle of Ethiopian PoliticsTerrence Lyons How did a group with its origins in a small Marxist-Leninist insurgency in northern Ethiopia transform itself into a party (the EPRDF) with eight million members and a hierarchy that links even the smallest Ethiopian village to the center? How do the legacies of protracted civil war and rebel victory over the brutal Derg regime continue to shape contemporary Ethiopian politics? And can the EPRDF, More > | ![]() |
The Quality of Democracy in Latin AmericaDaniel H. Levine and José E. Molina, editors In considering the nature and future prospects of the current wave of democracies in Latin America, analysis has shifted from a concern with regime change, transitions, and consolidation to a focus on the quality of these democracies. To what extent, for example, do citizens participate and influence decisionmaking? Are elections free and fair? Are there ways of ensuring government More > | ![]() |
The Reform of the Bolivian State: Domestic Politics in the Context of GlobalizationAndreas Tsolakis In 2005, two decades after President Victor Paz Estenssoro's New Economic Policy heralded the beginning of a profound transformation for Bolivia, violence had become endemic in the country, the economy was weak, and political corruption was flourishing. Evo Morales was elected to the presidency in a climate of intense social conflict and disorder, promising to deconstruct the entire political More > | ![]() |
The Renegotiation of NAFTA. And China?Enrique Dussel Peters, editor After more than a year of negotiations, the differences between NAFTA and the new United States–Mexico–Canada agreement (USMCA) are minor—especially considering the initial stance of the Trump administration in 2017—with one notable exception. The new agreement explicitly prohibits its members from negotiating free-trade agreements with "non-market economies" such More > | ![]() |
The Repudiation [a novel]Rachid Boudjedra, translated by Golda Lambrova, with an introduction by Heidi Abdel Jaouod In this turbulent novel of shame, violence, and hypocritical morality, the adolescent son of a repudiated mother grows up in a hostile, erotic, bourgeois world, where he must fight for his own soul. Using violence against violence, the young hero seeks to realize his better nature by overcoming the powers of hedonism, religious conformity, and tribalism. First published in French in 1969. More > | ![]() |
The Resilience of the State: Democracy and the Challenges of GlobalizationSamy Cohen, translated by Jonathan Derrick In this politically incorrect essay, Samy Cohen, one of France's leading specialists in international relations, attacks an established sacred cow: the theory of state decline. According to the conventional wisdom, states are on the wane under the impact of globalization, and frontiers are being gradually abolished; the outcome could be at worst an anarchic world, at best an international More > | ![]() |