American politics is increasingly driven by apocalyptic rhetoric. The religious right foretells an end of time battle between good and evil, but their voices are only the most obvious of several strains of apocalyptic thought. Immigration reformers, financial elites, and environmentalists all present doomsday scenarios. This book examines their rhetoric, narratives, and policy agendas as well as mainstream media treatment. Highlighting possible adverse consequences of such politics for our freedom and quality of life, the book suggests alternative policy agendas, religious and philosophical discourses, cultural framing and modes of daily living in an effort to defuse what it takes to be a divisive politics that paradoxically increases the very risks it highlights.

The very future of the nation was at stake. This handsome, affordable paperback edition contains James Madison's entire narrative of the stirring historic debates that led to the creation of one of the free world's most respected documents: the Constitution of the United States. Known today as the "Father of the Constitution," Madison clearly and precisely chronicles the often-heated discussions, and his is the primary record of the events that established the United States government, its division of power, and ultimately the character of American democracy. Through Madison's words we understand the essence of the personalities involved and the conflict and compromise that was inherent in the drafting of the document. The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 includes Madison's notes and remarks as well as other requisite information for interpreting the events of that historic year. The work is divided into three parts: "Antecedents of the Federal Convention of 1787," which presents the complete text of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation; "The Federal Convention of 1787," a day-by-day description of the debates surrounding the formation of the Constitution; and "The Constitution, Its Ratification, and Amendments," which presents the complete text of the Constitution, documents attesting to its ratification, and the Bill of Rights. With a preface by University of Richmond historian Robert Alley, this landmark work is absolutely indispensable for historians, scholars, and all those who treasure America's heritage.

Through a unique collection of essays drawn from rich case studies, Authoritarianism in the Middle East provides important insights into the ongoing instabilities of the Middle East, and the authoritarianism and democratisation processes that have led to dramatic socio-political transformations.

Laird accomplishes two major goals: he provides an analytical, blow-by-blow description of the collapse of the Soviet Union under Mikhail GorbacheV's leadership, and he explores the legacy left by the experiment in communism by the Soviet Union. Laird concludes that the burden of that legacy is so great that for many years--probably generations--authoritarian systems, perhaps disguised as democracies, will prevail in the newly independent republics, and the economies of the republics will continue to deteriorate before they get better.

This volume analyzes the changing power relations in the Russian regions and in their relationship with the centre. Some papers analyze Russian federalism and the significant changes to it that Putin has introduced, both at the broad systemic level and in the case of individual regions. Others look at the distribution of power at the regional level, in particular the role of business in regional politics. The result is a rich survey of the state of federal relations in Russia.

Through a detailed historical and empirical account of post-independence years, this book offers a new assessment of the role of the judiciary in Pakistani politics. Instead of seeing the judiciary as helpless or struggling against an authoritarian state, it argues that the judiciary has been a crucial link in the creation of state and political inequality in Pakistan. This rubs against the central role given to the judiciary in developing countries to fix the 'corrupt politicians and stubborn bureaucracies' in the World Bank's 'Good Governance' paradigm and rule of law initiatives. It also challenges the contemporary legal and judicial discourse that extols the virtues of Public Interest Litigation. While the book's core analysis is a critique of the contemporary liberal legal project, it also adds to the critical tradition of social theory by linking political economy to a social theory of law. The theoretical aspect of the study is applicable to any developing society whose judiciary is going through foreign-sponsored 'rule of law' judicial reforms.

Katharine Adeney demonstrates that institutional design, rather than the role of religion, is the most important explanatory variable in understanding the different types and intensities of conflict in India and Pakistan. Deploying an innovative methodological approach, Adeney focuses on the rationale behind the creation and different designs of federal and consociational structures in the two countries. Deftly interweaving historical narrative with an analysis of the salient cleavages in both countries, Adeney examines the politics of institutional design and ethnic conflict regulation, as well as the extent to which previous constitutional choices explain current conflicts.

Hazlehurst explores the political importance of ethnicity for a minority indigenous population, the Maori of New Zealand. Drawing on close ethnographical observation and extensive interviews with key participants, Kayleen Hazlehurst provides a comprehensive narrative and analysis of the creation of the Mana Motuhake party and its formative electoral experiences. Hazlehurst places the emergence of the party in the early 1980s in the context of historical patterns of resistance and cooperation with the European majority. Modern political networks, leadership styles, mobilization strategies, ideologies, political rhetoric and symbology are examined. The study provides an overview of the contested nature of Maori ethnicity and of conflicting modern and traditional loyalties.

This book transforms our understanding of the recent political history of Central Africa. It charts the complex life and thought of Harry Nkumbula (ca. 1917-1983), the first openly nationalist African politician in Northern Rhodesia and, later, the leader of parliamentary opposition during Zambia's multi-party First Republic. Based mainly on his personal papers and the newly opened archives of UNIP, Zambia's ruling party between 1964 and 1991, the volume looks at how Nkumbula imagined a Zambian nation for the first time and, later, presented a liberal alternative to dominant state-led models of political and economic development. By exploring the trajectory of Nkumbula's ANC, a minority liberal party with strong ethnic roots, the book throws new light on the under-acknowledged fractiousness of Zambian nationalism and warns against reading African post-colonial politics solely in terms of clientelism.

Populism comes in many guises. Both Berlusconi's personalization of politics and the Northern League's antiimmigrant regionalist movement are viewed as examples of the phenomenon of populism. A type of leftwing populism embodied by Hugo Chavez swept across Latin America. Insurgent and antisystem movements and parties in places as different as the Netherlands, India, Norway, Thailand, Russia and the United States have experienced what have been labeled populists movements. Such varied manifestations beg the question: what is populism? The objective of this edited volume is to provide an answer by examining "the many faces of populism." The unifying element across the different explorations of the phenomenon of populism is that there is a shared genus that allows for a typology of the different faces of populism and a demarcation of what is not a form of populism.

Politics Through a Looking-Glass is a ground-breaking exploration of the connection between storytelling and politics. Author Eloise Buker examines how stories--both imaginative narratives and historical narratives--offer new ways of understanding social and political life. Basing her analysis on extensive field studies she conducted in two diverse political cultures--a rural working-class community in Hawaii and a suburban upper-middle class community in Ohio--Buker begins by developing a model for interpreting narratives which builds upon structural analysis and philosophical hermeneutics. She then applies her model to the interpretation of narratives from political leaders in the two different communities, arguing that stories are windows through which we gain insight into a community's experiences, values, struggles, and conflicts.

This book investigates the consecutive shifts between three types of intermediary institutions in the European context: Corporatist, Neo-corporatist and Governance institutions. It does so by combining insights from European Political Economy; European Integration and governance studies; and, socio-legal studies in the European context.

Hoy establishes a basis for a naturalistic political theory that can be sustained as a continuity from Aristotle through the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment contributions of David Hume, John Dewey, Evolutionary Biology, and Deep Ecology.

This entails several contentions. First he argues that the contemporary relevance of Aristotelian naturalism can be defended within the context of a pragmatic realism without recourse to a no-longer-tenable metaphysical biology. Second, he calls for an emphasis on a historicized nature--the human capacities for language, sociality, and habituation that are the product of biological-cultural interaction in human evolution. Third, Hoy contends that, while humans are perceived as the apex of other forms of life, a compassionate relation of humans to non-human nature is a logical extension of human community and moral obligation. His final contention is that an integrative framework for a naturalistic political theory can be formulated within the theoretical categories contributed by John Dewey. Scholars and students of political theory, philosophy, evolutionary biology, and deep ecology in particular will find this study of interest.

His message was simple, repeated almost like a mantra: cut taxes, cut spending, reduce bureaucracy, deregulate. His followers saw him as a conservative revolutionary; his detractors saw him as Mr. Magoo. Now that Reagan's achievements and failures have become more obvious, it is time for a new nonpartisan appraisal of his leadership and its impact on the nation. That is precisely what John Sloan delivers.

Sloan focuses especially on the questions raised in the highly polemical debates between conservatives and liberals concerning Reagan's economic policies. He gives equal time to both sides, showing how liberals were wrong in their predictions of gloom, while conservatives continue to grant Reagan more credit and status than he deserves.

"The Reagan Effect" reveals how the failures of the Carter administration set the stage for Reagan's success, describes how he united diverse conservative factions, and shows how Reagan's personality affected his decision-making style. In examining the economic record, it explains how Reagan persuaded Congress to pass budget and tax cuts while funding a costly defense buildup, and it analyzes the construction of a policy regime that prolonged the growth phase of the business cycle by lowering the threat of inflation. It also provides fresh insights into the Reagan administration's responsibility for the savings and loan disaster and tells how it dealt with trade imbalances.

The political success of Reagan's presidency, observes Sloan, can largely be attributed to the combined efforts of conservatives, pragmatists, and public relations experts. Reagan was a populist anti-intellectual, a former actor who knew how to deliver his message in a way that pleased his audiences, and who never allowed "the facts" to undermine his convictions. Sloan stresses that Reagan's rhetoric functioned to keep consevatives loyal while masking pragmatic compromises.

While Sloan suggests that the net effects of Reagan's presidency were positive, he is not uncritical. He contends that Reagan's ridicule of attempts to promote social justice ultimately diminish his image as a great moral leader. He also observes that effective government-such as relying on the Federal Reserve to control inflation-was an essential component in Reagan's leadership, thus contradicting the anti-government stance of many conservatives. Sloan concludes that Reagan's impact, as opposed to his rhetoric, was not to displace liberalism but to weld conservatism to it, and that neither the era of big government nor the need for effective national public policies is over.

Mayne provides an integrated analysis of contemporary and future politics and government. He first examines major problems and issues occurring worldwide, surveys different regimes, and assesses the wide variety of active and emerging political movements. Mayne then explores political paradigms and ideologies through a main political spectrum to various alternatives. He outlines some possible elements for a new political paradigm that would be holistic in several different ways. Finally, he outlines scenarios for three possible futures and presents conclusions that indicate what can be done to achieve a political transiton to maximize the prospects for a good human future in the 21st century.

Who were the Progressive reformers arguing with? The answer might surprise you. Drawing together a veritable powerhouse of scholars from across the political spectrum, "In Defense of the Founders Republic" examines the historical roots of these critics as well as their potential contribution to current debates about government and role of politics and institutions in our constitutional republic. Profiles and debates across a variety of progressive-era dissenters including politicians, community activists, political scientists, and socialists create a more complete picture of the national conversation, and the development of this monumental American political era. With clear contemporary relevance, ""In Defense of the Founders Republic""is required reading for anyone interested in the complete progressive debate.

In an EU increasingly worried about the security of its citizens and its territory, how should the European Parliament make policy decisions in these areas? This study investigates how the empowerment of the European Parliament has led it to abandon its defence of civil liberties in order to become a full partner in inter-institutional negotiations

Although the Equal Rights Amendment failed to be ratified by the necessary three-quarters majority of the states, the central questions and events that surrounded the campaign for ratification persist as mainstream issues. This annotated bibliography offers a comprehensive guide to the discussion of these issues in books, articles, documents, and the media between 1976, when the campaign for ratification was well under way, and 1985, three years following its defeat. Each chapter begins with the longest and most significant citations, which are fully annotated, followed by listings of briefer items. Author and subject indexes and an appendix listing organizational resources are also supplied. Together with The Equal Rights Amendment: A Bibliographic Study by Anita Miller and Hazel Greenberg (Greenwood Press, 1976), this volume provides access to important information that was hitherto available only in scattered sources.

The definitive and jaw-dropping account of Liz Truss's calamitous 49 days in office by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Johnson at 10.

The shortest-serving prime minister in history. The first former leader to lose their seat since 1935. An inside look at how it all went so wrong.

Liz Truss's disastrous premiership was the shortest and most chaotic in British history. In the space of just 49 days, Truss witnessed the death of the longest-reigning monarch, attempted to remould the economy, triggered a collapse in the value of Sterling and was forced on a series of embarrassing U-turns that ultimately led to her resignation. The aftershocks of her time in office are still felt today. How did she blow her opportunity so spectacularly?

Based on exclusive interviews with key aides, allies and insiders, and focusing on the critical steps that led to her demise, this gripping behind-the-scenes work of contemporary history gives the definitive account of Truss's premiership.

In the developed world, there is an increasing trend towards the use of e-government to further involve citizens in the maintenance of their country. This is not only an improved way to promote existing methods of citizen engagement such as voting or taxation; it also makes information more accessible and increases opportunities for average citizens to make their voices heard. Cloud Computing Technologies for Connected Government explores the latest research on the use of e-government for enhancing the effectiveness and transparency of public institutions. Featuring coverage on cloud-related frameworks and strategies, barriers to e-government development and practice, and case studies revealing the best guidelines for efficient technology use, this timely publication is indispensable for students, educators, information system specialists, technology experts, and anyone involved in public administration or the management of government departments. This book highlights chapters on a broad scope of topics including, but not limited to, citizen empowerment, collaborative public service, communication through social media, cost benefits of the Cloud, electronic voting systems, identity management, legal issues, and security and privacy for e-government users.

Malaysia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world today, and this book reflects current debates about the future directions of the national economy, polity and society in light of the late 1990s watershed period of financial crisis, the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim and the subsequent 1999 general election. Malaysian Economics and Politics in the New Century aims to answer questions about how the economy and society are organized, about how the benefits from economic development are distributed, about government's relations to major national institutions, and about the nature of the political process. With its focus firmly on Malaysia's future, this will be a volume of particular interest to scholars, academics, researchers, business leaders and policymakers involved in the Asian region, and Malaysia in particular.