Political culture is a phrase used to describe popular attitudes and beliefs about the appropriate role of government in a society. Many political observers have claimed the United States is different from most other developed democracies. In a word, they describe the United States’ political culture as “exceptional”. To what extent is America an “exceptional” nation? 

Political culture is a phrase used to describe popular attitudes and beliefs about the appropriate role of government in a society. Many political observers have claimed the United States is different from most other developed democracies. In a word, they describe the United States’ political culture as “exceptional”. To what extent is America an “exceptional” nation? 

Political culture is a phrase used to describe popular attitudes and beliefs about the appropriate role of government in a society. Many political observers have claimed the United States is different from most other developed democracies. In a word, they describe the United States’ political culture as “exceptional”. To what extent is America an “exceptional” nation? 

Political culture is a phrase used to describe popular attitudes and beliefs about the appropriate role of government in a society. Many political observers have claimed the United States is different from most other developed democracies. In a word, they describe the United States’ political culture as “exceptional”. To what extent is America an “exceptional” nation? 

Written as events unfolded, this edited collection of articles offers insightful and diverse perspectives on the Arab uprising, and expands to consider related political unrest outside the predominantly Arab world.

The U.S. political system suffers from endemic design flaws and is notable for the way that a small subset of Americans—whose interests often don’t align with those of the vast majority of the population—wields disproportionate power. Absent organized and persistent action on the part of ordinary Americans, the system tends to serve the already powerful. That’s why this text is called Attenuated Democracy. To attenuate something is to make it weak or thin. Democracy in America has been thin from the beginning and continues to be so despite some notable progress in voting rights. As political scientists Benjamin Page and Martin Gilens wrote, “The essence of democracy is not just having reasonably satisfactory policies; the essence of democracy is popular control of government, with each citizen having an equal voice.” (1) Since this is likely to be your only college-level course on the American political system, it is important to point out the structural weaknesses of our system and the thin nature of our democracy. Whenever you get the chance—in the voting booth, in your job, perhaps if you hold elected office—I encourage you to do something about America’s attenuated democracy.

During recent years the phenomenon of Boko Haram has dominated policy debates among academics and policymakers interested in African and Nigerian politics. Yet, many issues about the sect remain unclear and contested. This collection of articles on Boko Haram by selected experts is essential reading for those interested in Nigeria, and the broader issues of state building, terrorism, humanitarian emergencies, conflict resolution and intrastate violence.

Congress boasts “the power of the purse" – the authority to tax, spend, or borrow. In recent decades, annual government spending has exceeded tax revenues, forcing the government to borrow money and increasing the size of the national debt. Why does Congress continue to engage in deficit spending? Is the national debt a serious threat to America’s prosperity and security? Featured: James Thurber, Center for Congressional & Presidential Studies, School of Public Affairs, American University

Congress boasts “the power of the purse" – the authority to tax, spend, or borrow. In recent decades, annual government spending has exceeded tax revenues, forcing the government to borrow money and increasing the size of the national debt. Why does Congress continue to engage in deficit spending? Is the national debt a serious threat to America’s prosperity and security? Featured: Stephen C. Ellis, V.P., Taxpayers for Common Sense, Washington, D.C.

The events of the Arab Spring, beginning in December 2010, saw renewed hope for Arab Civil Society. However, the fall of authoritarian regimes did not always seem to benefit Civil Society – whilst Political Islamic movements often took advantage. In Syria, Iraq, and beyond, groups like the Islamic State are declaring Caliphates in the territories they seize in an attempt to fulfil the Political Islam ideal of a ‘global Islamic Caliphate’ encompassing the Muslim world. This collection of articles aims to address common questions about Political Islam, as well as to provide an assessment of the Islamic State/ISIS/ISIL and finally challenge common understandings on the issue of Islam and democracy.

This book by senior undergraduate and graduate student in the Department of History at the University of Regina describes how Canadian Prime Ministers articulated their vision of Canada from 1935 to 2015 through their Speeches from the Throne and in their Leaders' Day speeches. It demonstrates that each of Canada's Prime Ministers had a vision for the country and articulated that vision in their speeches and through their words.

Federal Government (GOVT-2305) course created by Laredo College Faculty to align with the state mandated ACGM Objectives and to provide additional Open Education Resources (and Zero Cost Textbooks) to students at Laredo College.

100+ concise, engaging case studies on various topics in ethics. Case studies cover current topics in digital ethics, free speech, journalism, advertising, public relations, political communication, art, health communication, and sports media. Each case highlights arguments and values on various sides of a conflict, and each case study is available in PDF form with discussion questions and references for further information.

Welcome to American Government 2e, an OpenStax resource. This textbook was written to increase student access to high-quality learning materials, maintaining highest standards of academic rigor at little to no cost.

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The purpose of this collection is to present Samuel P. Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilizations’ thesis, and to appraise its validity and shortcomings 25 years after the publication of his landmark article.The notion of a ‘clash of civilizations’ is examined from a multidisciplinary perspective. First, the volume examines Huntington’s contribution from a theoretical perspective, focusing on his ideas about politics and the concept of civilization. Second, the individual articles also consider Huntington’s thesis in the light of recent events, including the conflict in Ukraine, the rise of ISIS, China–India relations, the electoral success of far-right movements in Europe, the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean and the activity of the International Criminal Court in Africa. In sum, this book offers a vibrant and multifaceted conversation among established and emerging scholars on one of the most important paradigms for the understanding of international politics.

This is an assignment that has students apply political science theories of political behavior to examine why health care systems differ across the world. The assignment requires students to watch a PBS frontline documnetary, which is available for anyone to watch. 

The Middle East’s geographical and strategic uniqueness has made every great power in history to seek to advance its interests in the region. Yet, the region constitutes the greatest single reserve of oil in the world, which has made it a regular source of foreign interference in the post-World War II era. In addition to its geographical and strategic uniqueness, the Middle East is the birthplace and spiritual center of the world’s three most important monotheistic religions. Due to its geopolitical importance, any inter- and intra-state conflict in the Middle East has the potential not only for destabilizing the region as a whole or upsetting the regional balance of power but also affecting global stability. After employing the Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT) in order to define and delimit the region of the Middle East, the chapters of this book address the question of regional order, examine how regionalism and globalism feature in Middle Eastern integration processes, explore regional bids for hegemony, and investigate the approaches and policies of major international actors.

This is a set of core political science questions to help students have a baseline approach or framework for understanding political science course content, processes, and outputs. 

Critical Epistemologies of Global Politics combines social science and cultural studies approaches to IR, showing why contemporary Border Studies needs to be trans-disciplinary if it is to avoid reproducing the epistemological and political order that has led to contemporary global crises like the rise of ISIS, global migration, or increasing contestations of the State form as such. The volume offers a critical epistemology of global politics and proposes an enriched vision of borders, both analytically and politically, that not only seeks to understand but also to reshape and expand the meanings and consequences of IR.