Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions, and Issues

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 6
PREFACE......Page 13
ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 20
1 Introduction: The Study of Politics......Page 24
Power......Page 25
Order......Page 27
Justice......Page 32
For What Purposes?......Page 33
By What Methods?......Page 34
The Political (Science) Puzzle......Page 37
The Public Interest......Page 41
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 43
Summary......Page 44
Recommended Reading......Page 45
2 The Idea of the Public Good: Ideologies and Isms......Page 48
Political Ends and Means......Page 49
Ideologies and the Public Good......Page 50
Antigovernment Ideologies......Page 51
Ideologies of the Right......Page 52
Ideologies of the Left......Page 58
The Uses and Abuses of Labels......Page 62
Conservatives: The Primacy of Economic Rights......Page 63
Liberals: The Primacy of Civil Rights......Page 66
The \"Values Divide\" and the War on Terror......Page 67
Conservatives, Liberals, and Public Policy Choosing Sides......Page 69
Choosing Sides......Page 70
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 71
Summary......Page 72
Recommended Reading......Page 73
PART 1 COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS: MODELS AND THEORIES......Page 76
3 Utopias: Model States......Page 78
Plato\'s Republic: Philosophy is the Answer......Page 79
Francis Bacon\'s New Atlantis: Science is the Answer......Page 84
Karl Marx\'s Classless Society: Economics is the Answer......Page 86
B. F. Skinner\'s Walden Two: Psychology is the Answer......Page 89
Utopia Revisited......Page 91
Dystopia: From Dream to Nightmare......Page 93
Summary......Page 95
Review Questions......Page 96
Recommended Reading......Page 97
4 Constitutional Democracy: Models of Representation......Page 100
Liberal Democracy: Models and Theories......Page 101
The Idea of America......Page 103
Four Models of American Democracy......Page 105
Tocqueville: The Tyranny of the Majority......Page 119
John Locke: The Rule of Law......Page 121
Constitutionalism and Due Process......Page 122
Remodeling Democracy: Have It Your Way......Page 123
The Future of Democracy: Nationalism or Cosmopolitanism?......Page 126
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 128
Summary......Page 129
Key Terms......Page 130
Recommended Reading......Page 131
5 The Authoritarian Model: Myth and Reality......Page 134
The Virtues of Authoritarianism......Page 135
The Vices of Authoritarian Rulers......Page 136
The Characteristics of Authoritarian States......Page 140
Authoritarianism in Practice: A Tale of Two Countries......Page 141
Authoritarianism in Theory: Myth versus Reality......Page 146
The Future of Authoritarianism......Page 152
Authoritarianism and U.S. Foreign Policy......Page 153
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 155
Summary......Page 156
Recommended Reading......Page 157
6 The Totalitarian Model: False Utopias......Page 160
The Revolutionary Stage of Totalitarianism......Page 162
The Consolidation of Power......Page 169
The Transformation of Society......Page 172
The Human Cost of Totalitarianism......Page 180
Other Faces of Totalitarianism......Page 182
The Short Life of the Worst Regimes......Page 184
Summary......Page 185
Review Questions......Page 186
Recommended Reading......Page 187
PART 2 ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING DEMOCRACIES......Page 190
7 Parliamentary Democracy......Page 192
Great Britain: Mother of all Parliaments......Page 194
France: President Versus Parliament......Page 200
Germany: Federalism Against Militarism......Page 207
Japan: Between East and West......Page 214
India and Israel: Challenged Democracies......Page 221
Presidents Versus Parliaments: A Brief Comparison......Page 227
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 234
Summary......Page 235
Recommended Reading......Page 236
8 States and Economies in Transition: Between Democracy and Yesterday......Page 240
The Collapse of Communism......Page 242
Russia: Old Habits Die Hard......Page 243
Eastern Europe: Two-Track Transition......Page 256
China: Police-State Capitalism......Page 260
Two Asian Tigers: Still Role Models?......Page 269
Latin America: Waiting for the Curtain to Go Up......Page 273
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 277
Summary......Page 278
Review Questions......Page 279
Recommended Reading......Page 280
9 The Other World: Development or Anarchy?......Page 282
Classifying Developing Countries......Page 285
Understanding Developing Countries......Page 286
The Legacy of Colonialism......Page 288
Political Development: Four Challenges......Page 292
Democracy and Development......Page 293
The Development Steeplechase......Page 295
Dysfunctional States......Page 307
Overdevelopment: The Enemy Within......Page 310
Summary......Page 312
Key Terms......Page 313
Recommended Reading......Page 314
PART 3 POLITICS BY CIVIL MEANS: CITIZENS, LEADERS, AND POLICIES......Page 318
10 Political Socialization: The Making of a Citizen......Page 320
The Good Citizen......Page 321
Political Culture: Defining the Good......Page 325
Political Socialization: Forming Citizens......Page 328
Socialization and Political Behavior......Page 341
When Political Socialization Fails......Page 343
Summary......Page 344
Recommended Reading......Page 345
11 Political Participation: The Price of Infl uence......Page 348
Defining Participation......Page 349
Rationalizing Participation: Why Vote?......Page 359
Participating as a Spectator: Outsiders......Page 366
Participating as a Player: Insiders......Page 367
Participation and Political Parties......Page 370
Participation and Interest Groups......Page 373
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 381
Summary......Page 382
Recommended Reading......Page 383
12 Political Leadership: The Many Faces of Power......Page 386
The Ideal Leader......Page 389
Four Exemplary Leaders......Page 392
The Eclipse of Leadership?......Page 399
American Demagogues......Page 402
Politicians......Page 406
Citizen-Leaders......Page 409
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 413
Review Questions......Page 414
Recommended Reading......Page 415
13 Issues in Public Policy: Principles, Priorities, and Practices......Page 418
The Pursuit of Security......Page 419
The Pursuit of Prosperity......Page 432
The Pursuit of Equality......Page 442
Affirnative Action or Reverse Discrimination?......Page 445
Who Deserves Preferential Treatment?......Page 446
The Pursuit of Liberty......Page 447
The Pursuit of Justice......Page 452
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 456
Summary......Page 457
Key Terms......Page 458
Recommended Reading......Page 459
PART 4 POLITICS BY VIOLENT MEANS: REVOLUTION, WAR, AND TERRORISM......Page 460
14 Revolution: In the Name of Justice......Page 462
The Frequency of Revolutions......Page 463
Modern Revolutions: Two Traditions......Page 464
Is Revolution Ever Justified? Burke, Paine, and Locke......Page 472
The Causes of Revolution......Page 477
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 483
Summary......Page 484
Review Questions......Page 485
Recommended Reading......Page 486
15 Terrorism: Weapon of the Weak......Page 488
What is Terrorism?......Page 492
The Origins of Terrorism......Page 494
Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?......Page 503
Terrorism and Society......Page 504
Countering Terrorism......Page 508
Can Terrorism be Contained?......Page 514
Summary......Page 516
Review Questions......Page 517
Recommended Reading......Page 518
16 War: Politics by Other Means......Page 522
The Causes of War......Page 524
In Search of a Definitive Theory......Page 535
Total War: Wars Everybody Fights......Page 540
Accidental War: Wars Nobody Wants......Page 541
Nuclear War: Wars Nobody Wins......Page 542
Just Wars: Wars Others Start......Page 543
A War on What? The Politics of Hyperbole......Page 548
Weapons of Mass Disruption: Cyber war......Page 551
Gateways to the World: Exploring Cyberspace......Page 553
Summary......Page 554
Review Questions......Page 555
Recommended Reading......Page 556
PART 5 POLITICS WITHOUT GOVERNMENT......Page 558
17 International Relations: The Struggle for Power......Page 560
Get Real! Machiavelli and Morgenthau......Page 562
The Classical System: Eurocentric......Page 563
The Cold War System: Global......Page 565
After the Cold War: A New World Order?......Page 569
Living in a Hostile World: U.S. Foreign Policy......Page 578
The Great Debate: Realism Versus Idealism......Page 584
Reinventing Statecraft: Toward a New Realism......Page 587
Apocalyptic Visions: Culture Wars and Anarchy?......Page 591
Summary......Page 593
Review Questions......Page 595
Recommended Reading......Page 596
18 International Organization(s): Globalization and the Quest for Order......Page 598
Nonstate Actors on the World Stage......Page 600
The Amazing European Union......Page 606
The United Nations......Page 610
Unconventional Nonstate Actors......Page 621
International Law......Page 623
The Quest for a Perpetual Peace......Page 632
Summary......Page 633
Key Terms......Page 634
Recommended Reading......Page 635
ENDNOTES......Page 636
GLOSSARY......Page 670
INDEX......Page 691