Central / national / federal government Books
Penguin Publishing Group The Return of Great Powers
Book Synopsis
£22.50
Ascent Publishing, LLC From the Company of Shadows
£20.64
Princeton University Press Democracy Erodes from the Top
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Foreign Affairs Best of Books""Bartels, a leading analyst of electoral democracy and public opinion in the United States, turns here to a central question in European politics: Do right-wing populist parties pose a threat to democracy, moderate politics, and multilateral cooperation? His point in this important book is simple yet powerful."---Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs"Eye-opening."---Jan-Werner Mueller, Project Syndicate
£21.25
Permuted Press Laptop from Hell: Hunter Biden, Big Tech, and the
Book SynopsisAs seen on Tucker Carlson Tonight! USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller! The inside story of the laptop that exposed the president’s dirtiest secret.When a drug-addled Hunter Biden abandoned his waterlogged computer at a Mac repair shop in Delaware in the spring of 2019, just six days before his father announced his candidacy for the United States presidency, it became the ticking time bomb in the shadows of Joe Biden’s campaign. The dirty secrets contained in Hunter’s laptop almost derailed his father’s presidential campaign and ignited one of the greatest media coverups in American history. This is the unvarnished story of what’s really inside the laptop and what China knows about the Bidens, by the New York Post journalist who brought it into the open. It exposes the coordinated censorship operation by Big Tech, the media establishment, and former intelligence operatives to stifle the New York Post’s coverage, in a chilling exercise of raw political power three weeks before the 2020 election. A treasure trove of corporate documents, emails, text messages, photographs, and voice recordings, spanning a decade, the laptop provided the first evidence that President Joe Biden was involved in his son’s ventures in China, Ukraine, and beyond, despite his repeated denials. This intimate insight into Hunter’s dissolute lifestyle shows he was incapable of holding down a job, let alone being paid tens of millions of dollars in high-powered international business deals by foreign interests, unless he had something else of value to sell—which of course he did. He was the son of the vice president who would go on to become the leader of the free world.
£18.00
Simon & Schuster Truman
Book SynopsisThe Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Harry S. Truman, whose presidency included momentous events from the atomic bombing of Japan to the outbreak of the Cold War and the Korean War, told by America’s beloved and distinguished historian.The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters—Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson—and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man—a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined—but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman’s story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman’s own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary “man from Missouri” who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history.Trade Review"Meticulously detailed, elegantly written, tightly constructed, rich in revealing anecdotes and penetrating insights. It is, as its subject demands, biography on the grand scale." -- Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post"A warm, affectionate and thoroughly captivating biography....the most thorough account of Truman's life yet to appear. " -- Alan Brinkley, The New York Times Book Review"McCullough's marvelous feel for history is based on an appreciation of colorful tales and an insight into personalities. In this compelling saga of America's greatest common-man president, McCullough adds luster to an old-fashioned historical approach...the sweeping narrative, filled with telling details and an appreciation of the role individuals play in, shaping the world." -- Walter Isaacson, Time"Remarkable....you may open it at any point and instantly become fascinated, so easy, lucid, and energetic is the narrative and so absorbing the sequence of events." -- The Economist"McCullough is a master storyteller whose considerable narrative skills have been put to exquisite use in re-creating the life and times of America's 33rd president." -- Robert Dallek, Los Angeles Times Book ReviewTable of ContentsCONTENTSPart One -- SON OF THE MIDDLE BORDER1. Blue River Country2. Model Boy3. The Way of the Farmer4. SoldierPart Two -- POLITICIAN5. Try, Try Again6. The Senator from Pendergast7. Patriot8. Numbered DaysPart Three -- TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY9. The Moon, the Stars, and All the Planets10. Summer of DecisionPart Four -- MR. PRESIDENT11. The Buck Stops Here12. Turning Point13. The Heat in the Kitchen14. Fighting ChancePart Five -- WEIGHT OF THE WORLD15. Iron Man16. Commander in Chief17. Final DaysPart Six -- BACK HOME18. Citizen TrumanACKNOWLEDGMENTSSOURCE NOTESBIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX
£16.14
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Predicting the Next President
Book SynopsisIn the days after Donald Trump's unexpected victory on election night 2016, The New York Times, CNN, and other leading media outlets reached out to one of the few pundits who had correctly predicted the outcome, Allan J. Lichtman. While many election forecasters base their findings exclusively on public opinion polls, Lichtman looks at the underlying fundamentals that have driven every presidential election since 1860. Using his 13 historical factors or keys (four political, seven performance, and two personality), Lichtman had been predicting Trump's win since September 2016. In the updated 2024 edition, he applies the keys to every presidential election since 1860 and shows readers the current state of the 2024 race. In doing so, he dispels much of the mystery behind electoral politics and challenges many traditional assumptions. An indispensable resource for political junkies!
£18.04
The Armchair Traveller at the Bookhaus A Life
Book SynopsisVeil, the former French politician who became first President of the European Union, was born Simone Jacob in 1927. In her long-awaited memoir, she describes in vivid detail a time of happiness and innocence spent in Nice where she grew up. This happy time came to an abrupt end in 1944, when at the age of 17, her family was deported to the camps. Her mother, father and brother all died in captivity. With undeterred resolve, she studied law and political science and became Minister for Health (1974- 1979) in the government of Jacques Chirac where her hardest political fight was to introduce the law to legalize abortion. She was elected the first female President of the European Parliament (1979-1985) and returned to French government as Minister for Social Affairs (1993-1995). In 1998, aged 70, she received an honorary damehood (DBE) from the British Government for her contributions to humanity. Veil, one of France’s most beloved political figures, is admired for her personal and political courage, and enjoys respect from all political spectrums. Her memoir is a sincere and candid account of an extraordinary life and career, which reflect her humanity and determination to improve social standards at home and maintain economical and political.
£11.69
Random House USA Inc Dark Money
Book Synopsis
£11.48
Chelsea Green Publishing Co The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young
Book SynopsisA New York Times Bestseller! “I hope we wake up quickly because history shows it’s a small window in which people can fight back before it is too dangerous to fight back.”—Naomi Wolf on Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson Tonight In a stunning indictment, best-selling author Naomi Wolf lays out her case for saving American democracy. In authoritative research and documentation Wolf explains how events parallel steps taken in the early years of the 20th century’s worst dictatorships such as Germany, Russia, China, and Chile. The book cuts across political parties and ideologies and speaks directly to those among us who are concerned about the ever-tightening noose being placed around our liberties. In this timely call to arms, Naomi Wolf compels us to face the way our free America is under assault. She warns us–with the straight-to-fellow-citizens urgency of one of Thomas Paine’s revolutionary pamphlets–that we have little time to lose if our children are to live in real freedom. “Recent history has profound lessons for us in the U.S. today about how fascist, totalitarian, and other repressive leaders seize and maintain power, especially in what were once democracies. The secret is that these leaders all tend to take very similar, parallel steps. The Founders of this nation were so deeply familiar with tyranny and the habits and practices of tyrants that they set up our checks and balances precisely out of fear of what is unfolding today. We are seeing these same kinds of tactics now closing down freedoms in America, turning our nation into something that in the near future could be quite other than the open society in which we grew up and learned to love liberty,” states Wolf. Wolf is taking her message directly to the American people in the most accessible form and as part of a large national campaign to reach out to ordinary Americans about the dangers we face today. This includes a lecture and speaking tour, and being part of the nascent American Freedom Campaign, a grassroots effort to ensure that presidential candidates pledge to uphold the constitution and protect our liberties from further erosion. The End of America will shock, enrage, and motivate–spurring us to act, as the Founders would have counted on us to do in a time such as this, as rebels and patriots–to save our liberty and defend our nation.Trade ReviewLibrary Journal (starred review)- This latest offering from best-selling author Wolf, The Beauty Myth, is a harbinger of an age that may finally see the patriarchal realm of political discourse usurped. Here is Wolf's compellingly and cogently argued political argument for civil rights, not women's rights. She contributes this call to action to a canon that from Plato and Aristotle to Hobbes and Locke and forward, with a few exceptions (e.g., Hannah Arendt), has been largely populated by men. Wolf's work is actually closer to the agitated, passionate polemics of Emma Goldman than the ponderous, philosophical musings of Arendt. Readers will appreciate her energy and urgency as she warns we are living through a dangerous "fascist shift" brought about by the Bush administration. Her chapters outline the "Ten Steps to Fascism" citing historical corollaries (as well as the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm), with headings like "Invoke an External and Internal Threat," "Establish Secret Prisons," and "Target Key Individuals." In other words, fascism can exist without dictatorship. Her book's publication through a small press in Vermont that is committed to "the politics and practice of sustainable living" rather than through a large trade house is itself a political act. Highly recommended for all collections. -- Theresa Kintz, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, PA"One of the most important books that's been written, certainly in the last decade or two, and perhaps in my lifetime."--Thom Hartmann, best-selling author and host of The Thom Hartmann Radio Program"Naomi Wolf 's End of America is a vivid, urgent, mandatory wake-up call that addresses momentous issues of tyranny, democracy, and survival."--Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of the three-volume Eleanor Roosevelt and distinguished professor at John Jay College "Naomi Wolf sounds the alarm for all American patriots. We must come together as a nation and recommit ourselves to the fundamental American idea that no president, whether Democrat or Republican, will ever be given unchecked power."--Wes Boyd, co-founder, MoveOn.org"The framers of our Constitution fully understood that it can happen here. Patriots like Madison, Paine, and Franklin would certainly applaud Naomi Wolf and recognize her as a sister in their struggle."--Mark Crispin Miller, author of Fooled Again"You will be shocked and disturbed by this book. Most Americans reject outright any comparison of post 9/11 America with the fascism and totalitarianism of Nazi Germany or Pinochet's Chile. Sadly, the parallels and similarities, what Wolf calls the 'echoes' between those societies and America today, are all too compelling."--Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional RightsTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: Ten steps 1. The founders and the fragility of democracy 2. Invoke an external and internal threat 3. Establish secret prisons 4. Develop a paramilitary force 5. Surveil ordinary citizens 6. Infiltrate citizens' groups 7. Arbitrarily detain and release citizens 8. Target key individuals 9. Restrict the press 10. Cast criticism as "espionage" and dissent as "treason" 11. Subvert the rule of law Conclusion: The patriot's task
£12.74
Encounter Books,USA Agency for Internal Corrpution
Book SynopsisAn inside perspective of the federal bureaucracy, with personal intrigue and prescriptions for future administrations."In the United States you can elect any president you want, but a small group of people you’ve never heard of still run everything — year after year, administration after administration. That’s not democracy. It’s oligarchy, and Mark Moyar explains exactly how it works." —Tucker CarlsonThis book tells a remarkable true story of bureaucratic assassination during the Trump presidency, revealing in vivid detail how career federal employees thwarted President Trump’s efforts to drain the swamp.Mark Moyar, a senior political appointee at the US Agency for International Development,
£20.89
Harvard University Press Creating Public Value
Book SynopsisMoore presents his summation of 15 years of research, observation, and teaching about what public-sector executives should do to improve the performance of public enterprises. This book explicates some of the richest cases used at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and illuminates their broader lessons for government managers.Trade ReviewIf you haven’t been able to slip out to Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government for the latest in public management training, Mark Moore’s book…will bring you up to speed. * National Journal *Basing extended and thoughtful analyses and comments on a series of cases in managing an assortment of federal, state, and local public agencies (libraries, the EPA, a department of child and youth services, a redevelopment agency, the Centers for Disease Control, a housing authority, and a police department), Kennedy School professor Mark Moore seeks to expand the traditional bureaucratic conceptions of public administration. * ARNOVA News *[An] important argument to counter the image of the rigid bureaucrat, with case studies of youth services, a library, a redevelopment project, a police department, and a housing authority. * Future Survey *This is at once the most broadly thoughtful and specifically useful book I’ve read in the field of public management. -- Hale Champion, former Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and WelfareTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Purposes Sources and Methods Tests 1. Managerial Imagination The Town Librarian and the Latchkey Children Public Managers and Public Management An Alternative Approach to Public Administration PART I ENVISIONING PUBLIC VALUE 2. Defining Public Value The Aim of Managerial Work Different Standards for Reckoning Public Value Municipal Sanitation: An Example Toward a Managerial View of Public Value 3. Organizational Strategy in the Public Sector William Ruckeishaus and the Environmental Protection Agency Jerome Miller and the Department of Youth Services Managerial Discretion and Leadership in the Public Sector Defining Mission and Goals in the Private Sector Defining Mission and Goals in the Public Sector The Mission of the EPA: Pollution Abatement The Mission of DYS: Humanizing the Treatment of Children The Managerial Utility of Mission Statements Evaluative Criteria for Organizational Strategies PART II BUILDING SUPPORT AND LEGITIMACY 4. Mobilizing Support, Legitimacy, and Coproduction: The Functions of Political Management Miles Mahoney and Park Plaza David Sencer and the Threat of Swine flu Political Management: A Key Managerial Function Who Is Important in Political Management Combining Diverse Interests and Values The Dynamics of the Authorizing Environment The Challenge of Political Management 5. Advocacy, Negotiation, and Leadership: The Techniques of Political Management Mahoney's Initiatives Sencer's Initiatives Evaluation The Ethics and Techniques of Political Management Entrepreneurial Advocacy Managing Policy Development Negotiation Public Deliberation, Social Learning, and Leadership Public Sector Marketing and Strategic Communication Helping to Define and Produce Public Value PART III DELIVERING PUBLIC VALUE 6. Reengineering Public Sector Production: The Function of Operational Management Harry Spence and the Boston Housing Authority Lee Brown and the Houston Police Department The Function of Operational Management Defining Organizational Mission and Product Redesigning Production Processes Using Administrative Systems to Influence Operations Innovating and Capitalizing From Diagnosis to Intervention 7. Implementing Strategy: The Techniques of Operational Management Spence: Rehabilitating Public Housing in Boston Brown: Exploring the Frontiers of Policing Reengineering Organizations: What Strategic Managers Think and Do Acting in a Stream Conclusion: Acting for a Divided, Uncertain Society Ethical Challenges of Public Leadership Psychological Challenges of Public Leadership Notes Index
£33.11
Hoover Institution Press,U.S. Why Government Is the Problem
Book SynopsisFriedman discusses a government system that is no longer controlled by “we, the people”. Instead of Lincoln's government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, we now have a government “of the people, by the bureaucrats, for the bureaucrats”, including the elected representatives who have become bureaucrats.
£5.84
Pan Macmillan Occupational Hazards
Book SynopsisA personal look at the UK's involvement in the Iraq war.Trade ReviewBeautifully written, highly evocative . . . a joy to read. -- John SimpsonA marvellous book . . . a devastating narrative. -- Simon JenkinsAbsolutely absorbing. -- Ken LoachStrikes gut and brain at once. -- James MeekWonderfully observed, wise, evocative. * Observer *The best book by far to come out of the Iraq mess. * Sunday Herald *
£12.34
Simon & Schuster The Pardon
Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author and CNN legal commentator Jeffrey Toobin comes a timely exploration of the most controversial presidential pardon in American historyGerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixonand its profound implications for our current political landscape.In this deeply reported narrative, Jeffrey Toobin recreates the behind-the-scenes political melodrama during the tumultuous period leading up to and following Nixon's resignation. The narrative features a rich cast of charactersincluding Alexander Haig, Nixon's last chief of staff, who pushed for the pardon, and a young Justice Department lawyer named Antonin Scalia, who provided the legal justification. The Pardon also introduces you to a largely forgotten figure, Benton Becker, the Washington lawyer sent personally by Ford to negotiate the pardon with Nixon. Becker's fresh reflections provide a startling and cinematic picture of the former Presidentwho proved a master manipulator even in exile. Ford's shocking decision to pardon Nixon was widely criticized at the time, yet it has since been reevaluated as a healing gesture for a divided country even by former critics. Toobin anticipates the next turn in the debate by arguing that Ford's pardon was a disasteran unwise gift to an undeserving recipient, and one that creates an unsettling precedent that is likely to be tested by the next occupant of the Oval Office. The Pardon is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, the complex dynamics of power within the highest office in the nation, and the implications of presidential mercy.
£18.00
Random House USA Inc After the Fall: The Rise of Authoritarianism in
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£11.05
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd Advanced Introduction to Nationalism
Book SynopsisElgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This original Introduction presents nationalism as the most important social force shaping the ways modern men and women live their lives. It explains the formative influence of nationalism in the public spheres of politics and the economy, as well as in the most private ones of emotional life and mental illness. Along the way, it illuminates widely used but rarely clarified concepts, such as social institution, revolution, ideology, and totalitarianism, and introduces new ones, among them dignity capital and nationalism as the double-helix of modern politics. Basing its conclusions on over twenty-five years of original comparative historical research, this book bears the characteristic Liah Greenfeld imprint: fact-based discussion, logical rigor, unexpected connections, and an exceptionally wide range of issues weaved together to explain the way we live now.Key features include:- Discusses nationalism as an empirical phenomenon, not an object of speculation- Distils findings of over twenty-five years of original comparative historical research- Introduces original concepts of dignity capital and nationalism as the double-helix of modern politics.Trade Review'Why does science thrive? Why do economies grow? Why, in an age of globalization, does nationalism still have a powerful grip on populations worldwide? Liah Greenfeld's Advanced Introduction to Nationalism offers a dazzling account of our age: to wit, that a startling range of phenomena have their roots in the adoption of nationalism as the basis of modern social order. A must for sociologists, political scientists, and anyone who wants to understand the passions of modern times.' --Chandler Rosenberger, Brandeis University'There is no more consistently brilliant thinker on nationalism than Liah Greenfeld. This book will undoubtedly be a "must read" for both scholars and students of the subject.' --Jonathan Eastwood, Washington and Lee UniversityTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction: Nationalism and Modernity 2. What is Nationalism? Where it came from? 3. Institutionalization of Nationalism in Politics and Ideology 4. Nationalism and Modern Economy 5. Nationalism and Modern Passions 6. Conclusion: Globalization of Nationalism Index
£18.00
Little, Brown & Company End the Fed
Book SynopsisDuring the 2008 presidential campaign over 4,000 students gathered at the University of Michigan to hear Republican candidate Ron Paul speak. As he began to address the topics of monetary policy and the coming depression, a chant came from the crowd, ''End the Fed! End the Fed!'' As dollar bills were set on fire, it became clearer than ever that the real problem, one that nobody in the media was talking about, was the central bank - an unconstitutional entity and a political, economic and moral disaster. Most people think of the Federal Reserve as an institution that has always been there and isn''t going anywhere. But in END THE FED, Ron Paul draws on American history, economics and fascinating stories from his own political life to argue that the Federal Reserve is both corrupt and unconstitutional. It is inflating currency today at nearly a Weimar or Zimbabwe level, a practice that threatens to put the US into an inflationary depression where $100 bills are worthless. What most
£12.34
Penguin Publishing Group The Federalist Papers Signet Classics
Book SynopsisA DOCUMENT THAT SHAPED A NATIONAn authoritative analysis of the Constitution of the United States and an enduring classic of political philosophy. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers explain the complexities of a constitutional government—its political structure and principles based on the inherent rights of man. Scholars have long regarded this work as a milestone in political science and a classic of American political theory. Based on the original McLean edition of 1788 and edited by noted historian Clinton Rossiter, this special edition includes: ● Textual notes and a select bibliography by Charles R. Kesler ● Table of contents with a brief précis of each essay ● Appendix with a copy of the Constitution cross-referenced to The Federalist Papers ● Index of Ideas that lists the major political concepts discussed ● Co
£7.95
Hachette Book Group USA Trumps Triumph
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£24.30
Harvard University Press Breaking the Vicious Circle
Book SynopsisSupreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer explores three generic difficulties plaguing efforts to reduce health risks and sets out a proposal for a new administrative entity to develop a coherent regulatory system adaptable for use in different risk-related programs—a mission-oriented, independent agency commanding significant prestige and authority.Trade ReviewReads like one of those intellectually exciting lectures for which some professors become so well known that their courses are fittingly oversubscribed every year. The style is clear and the analysis is dotted with the kind of provocative questions at the heart of this debate: how much regulation is enough, how much is too much, and the ultimate question, what is the dollar value of a life? -- Neil A. Lewis * New York Times Book Review *An eloquent meditation on how to regulate perilous activities in a world that cannot afford to reduce risk to zero. -- Peter Passell * New York Times *Breyer takes the reader by the hand through what he calls a ‘vicious circle’ of skewed public perception, congressional reaction, and scientific uncertainty to show why the U.S. has been unable to balance the cost of regulating substances with the benefit of protecting the public… Breyer’s book gives the public an understandable introduction to the complexity of regulating health risks. -- Mary Beth Regan * Businessweek *One of the more trenchant proposals yet for what might constitute the next leg on the endless journey toward legislative reform… A clear and thoughtful meditation on how to build a better government, by taking the nature of the press, politics and scientific knowledge into account. -- David Warsh * Boston Sunday Globe *[Breyer’s] discussion of the inconsistencies in our current approach to environmental regulation is a tour de force, confidently integrating science and policy in terms easily accessible to the intelligent layman… Breyer’s analysis surely can illuminate. -- Stephen F. Williams * Michigan Law Review *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Systematic Problems 2. Cause: The Vicious Circle 3. Solutions Notes Index
£26.31
Yale University Press The Heart of the Declaration The Founders Case
Book SynopsisAn eye-opening, meticulously researched new perspective on the influences that shaped the Founders as well as the nation's founding documentTrade Review"This book resets our baseline for the American Revolution. Far from a localized protest against big government, that rebellion grew from a widely shared vision of public responsibility to stimulate economic development and consumer demand. This is a provocative history both true to its period and stunningly relevant to our times."—Christine Desan, author of Making Money: Coin, Currency, and the Coming of Capitalism"Steve Pincus shows that a simple question shadowed not just the modern world, but American independence: is prosperity the fruit of an activist or a nightwatchman state? American patriots thought the former, the British government the latter, the result was the US. Brilliant."—James A. Robinson, author of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty"Pincus is one of our best historians. His account is audaciously original, decidedly well-written, and delightfully slim. On display here is rare talent indeed."—Don Herzog, University of Michigan Law School"Sparkling with interpretive originality and brimming with original sources, Heart of the Declaration contributes mightily not only to the history of the Declaration but also to our understanding of imperial politics, the Revolution, and the political economy of the Atlantic world."—Daniel Hulsebosch, author of Constituting Empire: New York and the Transformation of Constitutionalism in the Atlantic World, 1664-1830"The Heart of the Declaration incisively probes the affinity between liberty and a capable national state. Drafted with a sharply-etched pen, it absorbingly interprets ideas about political economy, territory, slavery, and statecraft to deepen understanding of the American Founding—then and now."— Ira Katznelson, author of Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time
£21.38
Penguin Books Ltd Kissinger 19231968 The Idealist
Book Synopsis''Riveting ... this will be his masterpiece'' - Andrew Roberts, The New York Times''For big, bold and compelling, it is impossible to ignore Kissinger'' - John Bew, New Statesman, Books of the Year ''This is a superb history of the modern world as well as a biography of Kissinger ... a tour de force'' William Shawcross, The TimesNo American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Hailed by some as the indispensable man, whose advice has been sought by every president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, Kissinger has also attracted immense hostility from critics who have cast him as an amoral Machiavellian - the ultimate cold-blooded realist.In this remarkable new book, the first of two volumes, Niall Ferguson has created an extraordinary panorama of Kissinger''s world, and a paradigm-shifting reappraisal of the man. Only through knowledge of Kissinger''s early life Trade ReviewThis will be his masterpiece -- Andrew Roberts * New York Times *I acquired valuable knowledge, elegantly conveyed -- Paul Johnson * Standpoint Magazine *The book illustrates just what an extraordinary human being Kissinger is -- Robert Service * Daily Telegraph *A work of engrossing scholarship * The Economist *this is a superb history of the modern world as well as a biography of Kissinger... Ferguson's tour de force shows that because Kissinger was a refugee from horror he understood from the day he first saw the Statue of Liberty that US engagement is vital to the peaceful development of the world -- William Shawcross * The Times *Ferguson is undoubtedly persuasive in presenting the young Kissinger as a man of ideals as well as ideas. His advantage as the authorised biographer, deployed with full force, has been access to a vast mass of previously unseen private correspondence that reveals his subject as nothing like the calucating cold fish of legend -- Marcus Tanner * Independent *With his usual meticulous research, Ferguson is master of all his work surveys. At least as important, he writes in an unobtrusive but compelling style that carries the reader along with unforced ease. Even on its own, the first volume of Ferguson's life of Kissinger is a great work about a great man by - it has to be admitted - a great historian. It should be read, and enjoyed, by every serious student of the history of our times -- Sherard Cowper-Coles * Spectator *For big, bold and compelling, it is impossible to ignore Kissinger - 1923-1968: the idealist (Allen Lane), the first volume of Niall Ferguson's biography of Henry Kissinger, which asks us to reconsider America's best-known "realist" as more Kantian than Machiavellian, more Castlereagh than Meternich, at least up to 1968, when President Nixon first granted the Harvard academic high office. -- John Bew * New Statesman *Some might question whether Ferguson really needs 1000 pages to tell half of Kissinger's life. Other will revel in the wealth of detail on this most controversial of American statesman -- Bee Wilson * Sunday Times *a formidably detailed, closely argued study of the making of one of the giants of 20th-century foreign policy -- Gideon Rachman * FT *
£17.09
Vintage Publishing Nancy: The Story of Lady Astor
Book SynopsisIn 1919, Nancy Astor became the first woman to take a seat in parliament.She was not what had been expected. Far from a virago who had suffered for the cause of female suffrage, she was already near the centre of the ruling society that had for so long resisted the political upheavals of the early twentieth century, having married into the family of one of the richest men in the world. She was not even British. She would prove to be a trailblazer and beacon for the generations of women who would follow her into Parliament.This new biography charts Nancy Astor's incredible story, from penury in the American South, to a lifestyle of the most immense riches, from the luxury of Edwardian England, through the 'Jazz Age', and on towards the Second World War: a world of great country estates, lavish town houses and the most sumptuous entertainments, peopled by the most famous and powerful names of the age. But hers was not only the life of power, glamour and easy charm: it was also defined by principles and bravery, by war and sacrifice, by love and bitter disputes. With glorious, page-turning brio, Adrian Fort has brought to life this restless, controversial American dynamo, an unforgettable woman who left a deep and lasting imprint on the political life of our nation.Trade ReviewFort casts fresh light on a remarkable woman, whose toughness and independence of opinion allowed this outsider to chart a new course for women. * Good Book Guide *The spirited story of the indomitable girl from America who married a millionaire and fought fiercely to become Britain’s first female MP * Sunday Times *Fort’s well researched biography is excellent -- Janet Christie * Scotsman *Adrian Fort does justice to her energetic, forceful and outspoken personality -- Christopher Silvester * Daily Express *A masterful and compassionate book, every bit as multi-facet as the extraordinary woman * Country Life *
£14.24
University of California Press Senator Joe McCarthy
Book SynopsisThe story of Senator Joseph McCarthy's rise to unprecedented power and the decline of his influence is a dramatic one. This title documents the process by which a clever, power hungry individual came to mislead and manipulate members of Congress and the American public and to damage countless lives.Table of ContentsForeword by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr What He Was and What He Did-1 What He Was and What He Did-2 Early Days Great Days Last Days Those Days Seen from These Days Author's Note Index
£22.95
Princeton University Press Secrets and Leaks
Book SynopsisSecrets and Leaks examines the complex relationships among executive power, national security, and secrecy. State secrecy is vital for national security, but it can also be used to conceal wrongdoing. How then can we ensure that this power is used responsibly? Typically, the onus is put on lawmakers and judges, who are expected to oversee the execuTrade ReviewWinner of the 2014 Louis Brownlow Book Award, National Academy of Public Administration Winner of the 2015 Myres S. McDougal Prize, Society of Policy Scientists One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2014 "Were Snowden's leaks justified? Rahul Sagar's Secrets and Leaks sheds important light on the question. In carefully argued and lucid prose, Sagar, a professor of politics at Princeton, argues that secrets are inevitable, as are leaks--and that leaks have an important if precarious part in checking secrecy abuse."--David Cole, New York Review of Books "This is an excellent book that comes at an essential time. Snowden's leaks, which took place after Sagar finished the book, have focused public debate on the secrecy/transparency paradox, and Sagar's book is infinitely superior to the sloganeering that dominates the media."--Eric Posner, New Republic "Rahul Sagar's new book Secrets and Leaks: The Dilemma of State Secrecy is both an important new work on the deep problem of political accountability in the context of U.S. government secrecy, and it is an excellent teaching resource."--Mary L. Dudziak, Balkinization "Sagar makes a compelling argument that leaking plays an important role in uncovering wrongdoing in an arena in which both Congress and the courts are institutionally inhibited."--Gabrielle Appleby, Inside Story "In his new book, Secrets and Leaks, the Princeton political scientist Rahul Sagar ably documents ... growth in secrecy and the problems it poses, excavating from his thorough research a concise history of concealment and revelation from the Revolutionary War to the present. Atop this scholarship, he adds legal analysis and an attempt to map a regulatory framework that will keep the country secure, make the government accountable, and still preserve Americans' civil liberties."--Jack Shafer, Foreign Affairs "[Secrets and Leaks is] a shining deed in a naughty world."--International Affairs "[A] fresh, original and provocative contribution to the field... [Sagar] is about as critical of his own arguments as he is towards those of others, and readers will be the wiser for it."--Steven Aftergood, Lawfare "Rahul Sagar's Secrets and Leaks ... is a thoughtfully considered work that clarifies an unsolvable dilemma at the heart of democratic governance."--Gabriel Schoenfeld, Claremont Review of Books "Sagar's new book could not come at a more opportune time. As a fresh national and even international debate about the morality of whistle-blowing and state secrecy develops, Sagar presents a compelling set of arguments about the balance between national security and liberty. In doing so, he examines all of the relevant actors: the national security apparatus, the courts, Congress, the leakers, and of course the executive itself... In fact, Secrets and Leaks can be read as a case study in the inexorable tensions of executive power in a liberal democracy. This profound and profoundly important book deserves to inform the on-going debate."--Choice "Whether one accepts or rejects this conclusion, Secrets and Leaks is a provocative, thoughtful, and important contribution to our understanding."--Geoffrey R. Stone, Political Science QuarterlyTable of ContentsPreface to the Paperback Edition xi Acknowledgments xvii Who Watches the Watchers? 1 Chapter 1 The Problem: How to Regulate State Secrecy? 16 Chapter 2 Should We Rely on Judges? Transparency and the Problem of Judicial Deference 51 Chapter 3 Should We Rely on Congress? Oversight and the Problem of Executive Privilege 80 Chapter 4 Should the Law Condone Unauthorized Disclosures? Fire Alarms and the Problem of Legitimacy 103 Chapter 5 Should We Rely on Whistleblowers? Disobedience and the Problem of Retaliation 127 Chapter 6 Should We Trust Leakers? Anonymous Sources and the Problem of Regulation 153 Conclusion Bitter Medicine 181 Notes 205 Selected Bibliography 245 Index 269
£18.00
Princeton University Press Democratic Authority
Book SynopsisDemocracy is not naturally plausible. Why turn such important matters over to masses of people who have no expertise? This title offers an alternative based on the idea that democratic authority and legitimacy must depend partly on democracy's tendency to make good decisions.Trade Review"Estlund offers a thoughtful, philosophically dense discussion arguing for the legitimacy of democratic order... Estlund argues that epistemic proceduralism is a superior justification for democracy because it shows that democracies have the capacity to achieve good decisions that have legitimacy. His comparison of the decisions of a democracy to those of a jury is particularly illuminating. The work includes careful discussion of many prominent democratic and liberal theorists, such as Kenneth Arrow and John Rawls."--M. Coulter, Grove City College, for Choice "Democratic Authority is a rich book. Anyone working on political philosophy in general will find much of interest in it."--Peter S. C. Chau, Journal of Value InquiryTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER I: Democratic Authority 1 CHAPTER II: Truth and Despotism 21 CHAPTER III: An Acceptability Requirement 40 CHAPTER IV: The Limits of Fair Procedure 65 CHAPTER V: The Flight from Substance 85 CHAPTER VI: Epistemic Proceduralism 98 CHAPTER VII: Authority and Normative Consent 117 CHAPTER VIII: Original Authority and the Democracy/Jury Analogy 136 CHAPTER IX: How Would Democracy Know? 159 CHAPTER X: The Real Speech Situation 184 CHAPTER XI: Why Not an Epistocracy of the Educated? 206 CHAPTER XII: The Irrelevance of the Jury Theorem 223 CHAPTER XIII: Rejecting the Democracy/Contractualism Analogy 237 ChAPTER XIV: Utopophobia: Concession and Aspiration in Democratic Theory 258 Notes 277 Bibliography 295 Index 303
£31.50
Seven Stories Press,U.S. To The Ramparts: How Bush and Obama Paved the Way
Book SynopsisThe great elder statesman of consumer rights shows how previous administrations allowed unchecked corporate power to lead us to the criminality of Trump.
£16.19
Spokesman Books The Speaker the Commons and Democracy No 94 The
Book Synopsis
£5.53
Trine Day In the Shadows of a Presidency
Book SynopsisOn November 8, 2016, the seemingly impossible became real: Donald Trump—billionaire tycoon with fundamentally xenophobic, savage, and populist speech—won the presidency and began endangering values like democracy and world peace. Author Daniel Estulin argues that nothing about this situation was accidental and that behind this terrifying event many interests are hidden. This volume asks: How did America get here? Was it a truly democratic event? And, above all, what are the interests behind the election of Trump? From his privileged status as a Russian ex-spy, Daniel Estulin dives into the long process that has led Donald Trump to the presidency. In The Shadows of a Presidency offers a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the actors, governments, companies, and institutions involved in his election and the payout it will yield for insiders.
£19.76
Silver Dolphin Books Presidential Inaugural Addresses
Book Synopsis
£13.95
Little, Brown Book Group Landslide
Book Synopsis''First there was Fire and Fury, then there was Siege, now there is Landslide. The third is the best of the three'' Guardian ''Cruel, unforgiving, muckracking, scandalous . . . Michael Wolff concludes his Trump trilogy - with the best book'' Telegraph ''Wolff is the shrewdest chronicler of Trump'' Sunday TimesPolitics has given us some shocking and confounding moments but none have come close to the careening final days of Donald Trump''s presidency: the surreal stage management of his re-election campaign, his audacious election challenge, the harrowing mayhem of the storming of the Capitol and the buffoonery of the second impeachment trial. But what was really going on in the inner sanctum of the White House during these calamitous events? What did the president and his dwindling cadre of loyalists actually believe? And what were they planning?Drawing on an exclusive and wide range of soTrade ReviewMichael Wolff's third Trump book is his best - and most alarming ... Fire and Fury infuriated a president and fuelled a publishing boom. Its latest sequel is required reading for anyone who fears for American democracy. * Guardian *If Donald Trump seems like a distant, bad dream, Michael Wolff's pacily readable account of his last months as president warns that we shouldn't write him off yet. This is the US journalist's third book on the Trump administration - after Fire and Fury and Siege - and it uncovers new depths of dysfunction there. * Evening Standard *Smart, vivid and intrepid * New York Times *Wolff's previous books on this president - Fire and Fury and Siege - titillated us with inside tales from a dysfunctional White House; terrified us a bit with gut-wrenching episodes of Diet Pepsi-fuelled craziness. They were warm-up acts. Low energy in comparison. Now we get the real deal. Landslide cuts deeper than any previous book about this president, indeed about any president. * The Times *[Wolff] provides a seamless, cinematic narrative of unfolding events in the White House, as if he was quietly sitting in the corner, unnoticed, taking notes, with some preternatural insight into the innermost thoughts of all the protagonists .... Cruel, unforgiving, muckraking, scandalous. I couldn't stop reading it. * Telegraph *In Landslide, Michael Wolff, the shrewdest and most colourful chronicler of the Trump years, focuses on 'the big lie', how Trump's conviction that November's election was stolen from him led him down the path towards insurrection and infamy. * Sunday Times *
£9.99
Melville House Publishing The Mueller Report: Report on the Investigation
Book SynopsisMelville House publishes Robert Mueller's long-awaited report into allegations that Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia.
£8.54
Liberty Fund Inc Federalism Liberty and the Law 18 Collected Works
Book Synopsis
£10.40
Rowman & Littlefield Transforming Our World: President George H. W.
Book SynopsisFrom the fall of the Soviet Union to the Gulf War, the presidency of George H. W. Bush dealt with foreign policy challenges that would cement the post-Cold War order for a generation. This book brings together a distinguished collection of foreign policy practitioners – career and political – who participated in the unfolding of international events as part the Bush administration to provide insider perspective by the people charged with carrying them out. They shed new light on and analyze President Bush’s role in world events during this historic period, his style of diplomacy, the organization and functioning of his foreign policy team, the consequences of his decisions, and his leadership skills. At a time when the old American-led post-World War II order is eroding or even collapsing, this book reminds readers of the difference American leadership in the world can make and how a president can manage a highly successful foreign policy.
£34.90
Oxford University Press British Politics
Book SynopsisAt a time when politics in Britain is experiencing unprecedented turmoil, this Very Short Introduction examines the past, present, and possible future of British politics. Tony Wright puts current events into a longer and larger perspective, ranging from political ideas to political institutions, and offering an overview of the British political tradition. Throughout, he identifies key characteristics and ideas of British politics, and investigates what makes it distinctive, while emphasizing how these characteristics are reflected in the way the political system functions.This new edition includes key material on Brexit, analysing the divisions revealed by the Brexit vote and the extent to which Britain now has a politics of identity, and considering whether the referendum itself has fundamentally altered the constitutional landscape.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsPreface List of illustrations 1: The Britishness of British politics 2: The constitution: old and new 3: Arguing: the politics of ideas 4: Governing: still the strong centre? 5: Representing: voters and parties 6: Accounting: parliament and politicians 7: Whither British politics Further reading Index
£9.49
PublicAffairs,U.S. Keeping At It: The Quest for Sound Money and Good
Book SynopsisAs chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979-1987), Paul Volcker slayed the inflation dragon that was consuming the American economy and restored the world's faith in central bankers. That extraordinary feat was just one pivotal episode in a decades-long career serving six presidents.Told with wit, humour, and down-to-earth erudition, the narrative of Volcker's career illuminates the changes that have taken place in American life, government, and the economy since World War II. He vibrantly illustrates the crises he managed alongside the world's leading politicians, central bankers, and financiers. Yet he first found his model for competent and ethical governance in his father, the town manager of Teaneck, NJ, who instilled Volcker's dedication to absolute integrity and his "three verities" of stable prices, sound finance, and good government.
£15.29
Penguin Putnam Inc Grand Delusion
Book SynopsisA longtime American foreign policy insider’s penetrating and definitive reckoning with this country’s involvement in the Middle East—and its bitter endThe culmination of almost forty years at the highest levels of policymaking and scholarship, Grand Delusion is Steven Simon’s tour de force, offering a comprehensive and deeply informed account of U.S. engagement in the Middle East. Simon begins with the Reagan administration, when American perception of the Middle East shifted from a cluster of faraway and frequently skirmishing nations to a shining, urgent opportunity for America to (in Reagan’s words) “serve the cause of world peace and the future of mankind.”Reagan fired the starting gun on decades of deepening American involvement, but as the global economy grew, bringing an increasing reliance on oil, U.S. diplomatic and military energies were ever more fatefully absorbed by the Middle East until the Obama admi
£25.60
Columbia University Press Chaos Reconsidered The Liberal Order and the
Book SynopsisWhat does the future hold for the international order? In Chaos Reconsidered, leading scholars assess the domestic and global effects of the Trump and Biden presidencies.Trade ReviewChaos Reconsidered is a stellar collection of essays examining the Trump years from a dizzying array of angles. Collecting them together will give scholars, students, and policymakers much to chew on, just as Robert Jervis intended. -- Elizabeth N. Saunders, Georgetown School of Foreign ServiceWith the liberal world order under increasing strain, the highly readable, provocative, and original essays in this book offer a wealth of expertise and deep-seated knowledge on the impact of changes made by the Trump administration as well as their legacy. A must-read for policymakers and students. -- Deborah Welch Larson, University of California, Los AngelesThis collection of essays explores the longevity, durability, and contradictions of the institutions and practices put in place by the United States in the wake of World War II. Readers are in for a treat, ranging from a lucid analysis by the late Robert Jervis of the seriousness of the challenges to Michael N. Barnett’s damning analysis of the hypocrisies of the ‘liberal’ world order to Deborah Avant’s compelling argument about the need to consider the inherent tensions between the illiberal at home and the promotion of a liberal world order abroad. The collection makes an exceptionally strong theoretical contribution to understanding the multiple effects of race on the liberal world order. A must-read for anyone interested in the evolving global system. -- Janice Gross Stein, University of TorontoA fascinating window on how political scientists and historians who study international politics grappled with the implications of the Trump presidency for their subject. Rich with insights worthy of consideration in their own right, Chaos Reconsidered will stand as a primary source on how the field and reacted to a seminal event occurring at a crucial stage of intellectual development. -- William C. Wohlforth, Daniel Webster Professor, Dartmouth CollegeTable of ContentsIntroduction, by Robert Jervis, Diane N. Labrosse, Stacie E. Goddard, and Joshua RovnerPart I. Trump and International Relations Theory1. The Trump Experiment: An Assessment, by Robert Jervis2. Trump Huffed and Puffed, and Liberal International Relations Theory Blew Down, by Michael N. Barnett3. America First? The Erosion of American Status Under Trump, by Michelle Murray4. Has Trump Changed How We Think About American Security?, by Deborah Avant5. Trump’s Realism, by Randall SchwellerPart II. America First6. When Donald Met Washington: The Genesis of “Great-Power Competition”, by Emma Ashford7. What Trump’s Nationalism Ended Up Looking Like, by Thomas W. Zeiler8. Trump’s Presidency as History, by Ryan Irwin9. Globalism and U.S. Foreign Relations After Trump, by Frank Ninkovich10. The Derangements of Sovereignty: Trumpism and the Dilemmas of Interdependence, by Samuel Zipp11. The Trump Presidency in Historical Perspective, by John A. ThompsonPart III. American Institutions and Alliances After Trump12. Presidents, Precedents, and the Laws of War, by Matthew Evangelista13. Trump to the Intelligence Community: You’re Fired, by Richard Immerman14. The Trump Administration and Economic Sanctions, by Nicholas Mulder15. Donald Trump and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Deal, by Susan Colbourn16. Trump’s Transactional Follies: The Consequences of Treating the Arms Trade Like a Business, by Jennifer SpindelPart IV. Trump Abroad17. Trump and Russia: Less Than Meets the Eye, by Angela Stent18. Trump and U.S.-China Strategic Competition as the “New” Normal, by Jonathan DiCicco19. Engage? Trump and the Asia-Pacific, by Dayna Barnes20. Riding the Rollercoaster: India and the Trump Years, by Tanvi Madan21. Swaggering Home: Trump, Grenell, and Pompeo in Conflict with Germany, by William Gray22. Death-Grip Handshakes and Flattery Diplomacy: The Macron-Trump Connection and Its Larger Implications for Alliance Politics, by Kathryn Statler23. “Mr. Brexit”: Donald Trump and the United Kingdom’s Departure from the European Union, by Lindsay Aqui24. The Trump Administration and the Middle East: Not Much Change, Not Much Success, by F. Gregory Gause III25. Fences Make Bad Hombres: Trump and Latin America, by Christy ThorntonPart V. The Expanding Meaning of International Security: Human Rights, Racial Justice, and COVID-1926. “Shithole Countries”: Was Trump’s Foreign Policy Racist?, by William I. Hitchcock27. Rethinking Vulnerability: Structural Inequality as National Insecurity, by Jason Ludwig and Rebecca Slayton28. Lifting the Veil on Racial Capitalism: American Foreign Policy Before and After Trump, by Nivi Manchanda29. Racialized Threats and Security Rationales in U.S. Immigration Policies, by Audie Klotz30. The Trump Presidency, the Question of Palestine, and Biden’s Business as Usual, by A. Dirk Moses and Victor Kattan31. The Trump Administration’s Insidious Approach to Human Rights, by Sarah B. SnyderPart VI. Is Liberal Internationalism Still Alive?32. Trump’s Foreign Policy Legacy, by Joshua Busby and Jonathan Monten33. “America First” Meets Liberal Internationalism, by Stephen Chaudoin, Helen V. Milner, and Dustin Tingley34. Liberal Internationalism and Partisan Conflict in the Post-Trump United States, by George N. Georgarakis and Robert Y. ShapiroPart VII. Looking Forward: The Prospects for Joe Biden’s Presidency 35. The Biden Administration and Russia: Deeper Into a U.S.-Russia Cold War, by Robert Legvold36. Joe Biden, American Democracy, and the China Challenge, by James Goldgeier37. Transatlantic Relations After Trump: Mutual Perceptions and Strategy in Historical Perspective, by Alessandro Brogi38. One Eye on the Rearview Mirror: The Middle East from Trump to Biden, by James Stocker39. Reclaiming America and Its Place in the World, by Elizabeth EconomyPart VIII. Coda40. World History, the American President, and the Gibbon Paradox, by Jeremy Adelman41. Trump’s Limited Legacy, by Lawrence Freedman42. American Constraints: Trump’s “Legacy” or Inexorable History, by Charles S. Maier43. Making Trump History, by Martin ConwayList of ContributorsIndex
£25.50
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Come On Man
Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLEROpen borders, record inflation, and skyrocketing crimeJoe Biden's first term is one of the most craptastic in American history. Though Biden may seem like a doddering idiot, stumbling from one mistake to the next, his blunders always hew closely to progressive dreams for American policy.
£17.60
Potomac Books Inc Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from
Book SynopsisGrappling with centuries-old feuds, defeating a shrewd insurgency, and navigating the sometimes paralyzing bureaucracy of the U.S. military are issues that prompt sleepless nights for both policymakers in Washington, DC and soldiers at war, albeit for different reasons. Few, however, have dealt with these issues in the White House situation room and on the front line. Michael G. Waltz has done just that, working as a policy advisor to Vice President Richard B. Cheney and also serving in the mountains of Afghanistan as a Green Beret, directly implementing strategy in the field that he helped devise in Washington. In Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan, Waltz shares his unique firsthand experiences, revealing the sights, sounds, emotions, and complexities involved in the war in Afghanistan. Waltz highlights the policy issues that plagued the war effort, from the drug trade to civilian casualties, to a lack of resources in comparison to Iraq, to the overall coalition strategy. He points out that stabilizing Afghanistan and the region remains crucial to national security and that a long-term commitment to Afghanistan is imperative if the United States is to remain secure.Trade Review"Waltz, a lieutenant colonel in the Army reserves, commanded a Special Forces company in Afghanistan and held high counterterrorism positions at the Pentagon and White House. Combining what he saw on the ground with what he gleaned in Washington, Waltz offers his thoughts on the U.S. military and government’s management of the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. . . . Waltz succeeds in his goal of explaining how the war in Afghanistan has been executed, making a case that the continuing chaos that nation endures is "directly connected" to the U.S. national interest."—Publishers Weekly"Warrior Diplomat [is] a memoir of unique insight into the hope and tragedy of America’s war in Afghanistan. . . . There is an almost surreal quality in the memoir of a man who briefed and wrote policy proposals for the powerful Vice-President one month, and in the next, shared meals with Afghan farmers or scrambled over walls in the dark of night to grab a Taliban commander, visiting relatives. . . . A must read book to understand how America’s war in Afghanistan was fought so hard, for so long to so few measurable results."—Mark Safranski, Pragati"Few people in Washington must execute the policies they help craft. Warrior Diplomat is a must-read, firsthand examination of the Afghan war through the experiences of a practitioner at both ends of the spear."—Robert M. Gates, former U.S. secretary of defense"Michael Waltz distills the hard-earned wisdom of more than a decade of deep involvement in America’s Afghan campaign. Unlike most other participants, however, Waltz served as a Special Forces officer on the ground and as a senior policy maker in Washington. One can only wish that more of our decision-makers possessed his breadth of vision and experience."—Nathaniel C. Fick, author of One Bullet Away"Using his singular set of experiences as a U.S. Army Special Forces operator and Washington policy insider, Mike Waltz captures the policy ambivalences, implementation challenges, and individual heroics that have made the U.S. effort in Afghanistan such a conundrum for presidents, generals, and the American people. But Waltz never loses sight of the human side of the equation and never gives in to defeatism or fatalism. His wise advice for the future should be heeded by U.S. leaders, now and in the future."—David Sedney, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia"Warrior Diplomat is an important book that provides an unparalleled, firsthand account of America's role in Afghanistan. Michael Waltz brings us into the inner sanctums of the White House and the Pentagon, where the war was being planned and debated, and then leads us onto the battlefields of Afghanistan."—Seth G. Jones, author of In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan"Mike Waltz's important new book deftly charts 'what might have been' over the course of a long, largely indecisive war. NATO's largely unseen failures in Afghanistan are perhaps better charted here than in any other recent account—and it is a story that needs to be told as we think about future coalition operations. Mike stitches together the long thirteen-year arc of this story as few others could, from front line to the conference tables of policy makers in Washington and Europe. This is a book that needs to be read to understand what really happened over the last decade-plus in Afghanistan—and why."—Lieutenant General (Ret.) Dave Barno, former commander, Combined Forces Command in Afghanistan"Sometimes the right book comes along at just the right time—such is the case with Michael G. Waltz's new book, Warrior Diplomat released this week. The title describes Waltz well—he served as a Green Beret in Afghanistan and returned to Washington to work for the National Security Council at the White House."—Dana Perino, former spokeswoman for President George W. Bush and co-host of "The Five" on Fox NewsTable of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Maps Foreword by Peter Bergen Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: A Little Girl in Ghazni 1. State of the War: Office of the Secretary of Defense 2. Arabs, Afghans, and Americans: The War of Ideas 3. The Tagab Valley: Patrolling to Ambush 4. The Clinic in Achin: Development Dilemmas 5. The Road to Musa Qala: The Taliban Are Back 6. The French in Maruf: A Pawn in a Diplomatic Game 7. Operation Perth: War by Consensus 8. Back to Washington: The Pentagon and the White House 9. The Mangal Tribe: Protecting People We Can’t Access 10. The Elder in Khost: Risk Aversion and the Cost of Inaction 11. Night Raid: The Catch-and-Release Detention System 12. Blackbeard Rising: The Afghan National Army Commandos 13. On the Border with Pakistan: The Rocket’s Red Glare 14. The Tribes of Chamkani: The Community Defense Initiative 15. Washington Again: Wishing the Problem Away Notes Bibliography Index
£19.79
Springer Nature Switzerland AG The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for
Book SynopsisCity governments are going bankrupt. Even the ones that aren’t are often stuck in financial chaos. It is easy to blame pensions, poor leadership, or a bad economy. But the problems go much deeper. With decades of experience in local government, author Mark Moses showcases the inside world of the city decision-making process that has spawned these crises. It becomes clear: City governments are maxing out their budgets because they are trying to maximize services. This book, likely the most ambitious attempt by someone who has worked in government to radically examine the delivery of municipal services since 'Reinventing Government' was published more than 25 years ago, explores why city governments pursue an open-ended mission and why bailouts and trendy budgeting processes will be, at best, only temporary solutions. Of interest to current and future city council members, regional and state government officials, those covering city government, financial analysts, city management, and individuals and organizations interested in influencing city policy, this book argues that cities won’t thrive until city hall is disrupted.Table of ContentsChapter 1 : Train Wreck Spotting (The Municipal Financial Crisis Is Here).- Chapter 2: Inside City Budgeting.- Chapter 3: What City Government Does and What City Government Is.- Chapter 4: Why City Council Decisions Go Wrong.- Chapter 5: Failed Financial Analysis.- Chapter 6: Budget Non-Solutions (Why Conventional Budget Solutions Fail).- Chapter 7: More Non-Solutions (Further Misguided Attempts to Achieve Financial Stability).- Chapter 8: Zero based Activity Scoping (A New Solution).- Chapter 9: Whither City Government.
£37.99
PublicAffairs,U.S. On That Day: The Definitive Timeline of 9/11
Book SynopsisAnyone who experienced the attacks on September 11 cannot forget the imagery: the smoking, falling towers, the Pentagon smoldering, the Shanksville crash site, the first responders.But there is an invisible story hidden in the wreckage, one that required years of patient investigation and the piecing together of a sequence from many scattered sources. By establishing the most definitive timeline of how that day unfolded, William M. Arkin shows how the US government failed in the face of the unprecedented attack. It is a story of laughable airport security, vulnerable airspace, blind intelligence, poor communications, muddled orders, Pentagon chaos, and presidential isolation. Everything about the emergency procedures of the governments-from White House security to continuity of government to military alerts-went wrong.On That Day is a stunning, nightmare journey through a government reeling in confusion while many civilians performed individual acts of heroism. It is a chilling exposé of government negligence and overreach, and a constitution in crisis.
£14.24
Stanford University Press The Specter of Dictatorship: Judicial Enabling of
Book SynopsisReveals how the U.S. Supreme Court's presidentialism threatens our democracy and what to do about it. Donald Trump's presidency made many Americans wonder whether our system of checks and balances would prove robust enough to withstand an onslaught from a despotic chief executive. In The Specter of Dictatorship, David Driesen analyzes the chief executive's role in the democratic decline of Hungary, Poland, and Turkey and argues that an insufficiently constrained presidency is one of the most important systemic threats to democracy. Driesen urges the U.S. to learn from the mistakes of these failing democracies. Their experiences suggest, Driesen shows, that the Court must eschew its reliance on and expansion of the "unitary executive theory" recently endorsed by the Court and apply a less deferential approach to presidential authority, invoked to protect national security and combat emergencies, than it has in recent years. Ultimately, Driesen argues that concern about loss of democracy should play a major role in the Court's jurisprudence, because loss of democracy can prove irreversible. As autocracy spreads throughout the world, maintaining our democracy has become an urgent matter.Trade Review"David Driesen has written an eloquent and powerful account of the Framers' concern about 'tyranny' and their profound commitment to democracy. His careful historical scholarship and deft analysis of doctrine demonstrate clearly the ways that growing presidential power has imperiled this principle. An urgent and compelling read not just for today's crises, but for understanding the basic dynamics of American democracy and its antagonists." -- Aziz Z. Huq * University of Chicago Law School *"A book for our troubled times. Blending history, law, and politics, David Driesen situates the Trump presidency in the alarming global trend toward autocracy and diagnoses what currently ails democracy in America. Richly detailed, highly informative, and deeply contextual, this book is required reading to understand the forces threatening the liberal democratic values of modern constitutionalism." -- Richard Albert * The University of Texas at Austin *"Constitutional drafters often establish semi-autonomous executive institutions to serve as guardrails of democracy. Over the past several decades, conservative lawyers and judges in the U.S. have systematically targeted such bureaucratic independence as inconsistent with the constitutional theory of a 'unitary executive.' Driesen masterfully lays bare the previously underappreciated role played by unitary executive theory in ongoing processes of democratic erosion." -- Thomas M. Keck * Syracuse University *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction: chapter abstractThis chapter explains that this book will analyze excessive presidential power's potential to undermine democracy by exploring democratic decline primarily in Hungary, Turkey, and Poland. It outlines the book's major lesson: the head of state plays a key role in establishing autocracy by establishing unimpeded control over the executive branch in keeping with the American unitary executive theory, often accelerated through use of emergency powers. It outlines the book's argument that the U.S. Supreme Court has augmented executive power in dangerous ways and describes its principal recommendations for taking the potential for autocracy into account in adjudicating separation-of-powers cases. It summarizes each chapter's contribution to this argument. 1Avoiding Tyranny at the Founding chapter abstractThis chapter establishes that the Founders of this nation shared a goal of avoiding a future drive to autocracy and suggests that this intention should guide the Supreme Court's treatment of presidential power. It explains the controversy over whether the Founders embraced the unitary executive theory and shows that they did not expressly grant emergency powers to the President in the Constitution. It introduces the concept of original intent and explains that it increasingly influences judges and constitutional scholarship, making this chapter's treatment of the creation of the Constitution important to establishing room to take lessons from democracy loss abroad into account in adjudication of separation of powers disputes. 2The Rise of Presidential Power chapter abstractThis chapter provides an account of the rise of presidential power from the Founding through the late twentieth century. It explores the historical roots of the fear that presidential control over the executive branch of government and the growth of presidential emergency powers would undermine democracy and the rule of law. It canvasses the controversies (judicial and political) over presidential removal of federal officials from office (which the unitary executive theory insists must be free from restriction), from Andrew Jackson's effort to circumvent legislation creating the National Bank to Richard Nixon's attempt to thwart investigation of crimes undertaken to tilt the electoral playing field. It explains how congressional delegation of authority has enhanced the President's power over time. It also shows that the Supreme Court imposed constraints on emergency powers throughout this period, recognizing this presidential power as dangerous to democracy. 3Declining to Adjudicate Claims Against the President chapter abstractThis chapter explains that the courts have augmented presidential power by frequently refusing to adjudicate claims that the President has exceeded his constitutional authority. It explains the key justiciability doctrines that the courts have used to shield Presidents from allegations of misconduct—standing, ripeness, and the political question doctrine. It establishes that the courts have applied these doctrines quite strictly, and sometimes grossly distorted them, to shield allegations of presidential usurpation of power from judicial scrutiny. At the same time, it has been quite liberal in entertaining challenges to congressional efforts to check and balance the executive branch. It shows that the courts' refusal to entertain challenges to unilateral presidential wars has aided the transfer of the war power from Congress to the President. 4Implied Presidential and Congressional Power chapter abstractThis chapter explains that the modern Supreme Court has generously granted the President extensive implied powers at the expense of Congress, while declining to apply the implied-powers doctrine to sustain efforts by Congress to check the executive branch. It shows that the Court's implied-powers jurisprudence has not only expanded the President's foreign affairs power, but also eroded checks and balances domestically. It emphasizes the role of the unitary executive theory and the legislative veto in undermining checks on emergency powers and undermining of the rule of law. This chapter fills a gap in the literature by defining the concept of implied power. It shows that propresidential bias in the Court's treatment of constitutional custom, means/ends reasoning, and congressional intent helps explain the asymmetric results of the Court's implied-power jurisprudence. 5The Specter of Dictatorship: Poland, Hungary and Turkey chapter abstractThis chapter, the heart of the book, examines the role of executive power in undermining democracy in Poland, Hungary, and Turkey. In all three cases, creation of centralized control over the executive branch of government paved the way for autocracy, leading to politicized use of prosecution to undermine political opponents, shrinking of the media available to dissenters, and tilting the electoral playing field. This analysis focuses primarily on centralization of control over prosecution, media authorities, and electoral commissions. In Hungary and Turkey, abuse of emergency powers accelerated the establishment of autocracy. These countries' autocrats eroded democracy with the support of a political party enjoying the support of at least a substantial minority of voters. Party members in Parliament helped destroy democracy by voting in lockstep fashion to support "reforms" undermining independent agencies and prosecutorial independence. 6Parallels to America's Democratic Erosion chapter abstractThis chapter examines the extent to which America's democratic erosion mirrors that of Hungary, Turkey, and Poland. It explains that acceptance of the unitary executive theory has significantly undermined the rule of law, just as centralization of power has in the case studies. It analyzes the extent to which we have emulated the autocracies in tilting the electoral playing field and undermining independent media. It explains that partisan division has led to a breakdown of deliberative democracy very similar to that seen Chapter 5's case studies. It also analyzes our vulnerability to judicial capture and abuse of the war power. It argues that judges lack the capacity to predict the extent of democratic decline, given its complexity and the role of unpredictable shocks in stimulating autocracy, but that we have serious long-term vulnerabilities. 7Judicial Treatment of Presidential Power in an Age of Democratic Decline chapter abstractThis chapter discusses the factors that should influence the courts' separation-of-powers cases. Generally, it counsels judges to give more weight to the possibility of democratic decline than to potential policy mistakes, and to allow for the possibility of presidential bad faith. It shows that national security means protecting the American People's control over the government, not just preventing of physical attacks. It suggests rejecting or limiting the reach of the unitary executive theory, bolstering presidential legal accountability, and relying less on justiciability doctrines to shield presidential actions from judicial review. It also analyzes the role of judicial decision making in protecting and restoring democracy, showing that judicial decisions can aid political forces seeking to preserve or revive an ailing democracy. Conclusion: chapter abstractThis chapter briefly recapitulates the book's lessons. It affirms that the judiciary can and should contribute to democracy protection by considering the possibility of presidential bad faith in making decisions, since the presidency, not the judiciary, constitutes the principal threat to democracy. It calls for the judiciary to reject or at least limit the unitary executive theory, to think of national security in terms of preserving popular sovereignty, and to relax justiciability barriers to adjudicating challenges to excessive presidential power. It argues that the tendency to think of autocracy as a product of a coup, instead of as the product of gradual democratic decline, can blind us to the possibility of autocracy in America, but that signs of serious democratic decline abound. It suggests that judges need to take the possibility of losing a democracy as seriously as the founders of this country did.
£21.59
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd The truth and reconciliation commision A Jacana
Book SynopsisSouth Africa marks the 20th anniversary of the TRC. 15 April 2016 marked 20 years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings began. The TRC was set up to give an opportunity for perpetrators of human rights transgressions to come clean about the atrocities that happened during those evil days of apartheid.
£10.44
Adams Media Corporation The Infographic Guide to American Government: A
Book SynopsisThis vibrant, illustrated guide to the ins and outs of United States politics provides a clearer understanding of the current events and regular processes that shape this nation and the world.Decipher the American political system with this clear, easy-to-understand guide to the basics of the United States political system, from the founding of the thirteen colonies, to the foundations of the constitution, to how elections work. You’ll also find information about the history and context of current issues, like how Supreme Court justices are appointed; the electoral college and the popular vote; and how to get involved in the political process. Perfect for anyone looking for information on basic political processes, The Infographic Guide to American Government includes graphics that help simplify a range of topics from the Revolutionary War to all about a free press.
£12.34
Bombardier Books Pardon of Innocence
Book Synopsis
£21.74
HarperCollins Publishers Out of the Blue
Book SynopsisLiz Truss's journey from schoolgirl revolutionary to Britain's shortest-serving Prime MinisterThe Sunday Times Politics Book of the YearA Guardian Politics Book of the Year 2023An insightful and at times riotously entertaining account of the lengthy rise and abrupt fall of Britain's 56th Prime Minister. What was intended as a prologue to her premiership is now a riveting political obituary in which every page drips with the seeds of both triumph and disaster. Cole and Heale have produced a meticulously reported account of Truss's drive, impulsiveness, eccentricity and ideological certainty which reads like a warning from history. It has elements of tragedy but is frequently very, very funny.' Tim Shipman''Make sure you put your seat belt on. Heale and Cole put you in the passenger seat of the fastest car crash in recent political history. It''s an unmissable romp through Liz Truss''s long journey to the top, fuelled by ambition and espresso. The clues that foretold the extraordinary catastrophe are all there, as the authors reveal in gory detail how Liz Truss nearly had the last laugh, before finally, as her government imploded, the joke was on her.'' Laura KuenssbergDespite being written off and mocked by even her closest colleagues, Liz Truss slowly but determinedly achieved her goal of taking over 10 Downing Street only to instantly plunge her administration into chaos and announce her resignation after a record-breaking 44 days. How did she do it? And what exactly went so wrong?With unrivalled access and insight, award-winning political journalists Harry Cole and James Heale provide the answers, drawing on interviews with Truss's friends and supporters, as well as her worst critics and rivals, from Kwasi Kwarteng to Michael Gove.Tracking Truss's transformation from geeky teenage Lib Dem to Tory PM, with the inside scoop on her first and only month in office, Out of the Blue is the unmissable behind-the-scenes account of Britain's shortest-serving Prime Minister.Trade Review‘Completely absorbing and, in places, astonishing. It is the story of a gigantic error, well told. And important lessons can be learnt.’ Daniel Finkelstein ‘Offers a masterful, behind-the-scenes perspective on a political farce that affected us all’ 4* Telegraph ‘An admirable, thorough and solid body of research’ Times ‘Its lively style and air of authority illuminates [Truss’s] failings … with some wit, insight and a well-informed ear for the telling detail’ Observer ‘An entertainingly written black comedy that reveals much about how we are governed’ The Critic
£18.00
HarperCollins Should America Pay
Book Synopsis
£13.49
