Political Systems

American politics seems to grow more contentious and complicated by the day, and whether American democracy works well is hotly debated. Amidst all this roiling partisan argument and confusing claims and counterclaims, there has never been a greater need for an impartial primer on the basics of the American political system.

Winner of the 2021 IRE Book Award Winner of the 2022 Texas Institute of Letters Carr P. Collins Award for Best Book of Nonfiction In the age of #MeToo, learn how brave whistleblowers have dared to lift the federal court’s veil of secrecy to expose powerful judges who appear to defy laws they...

Explore Philip K. Dick’s thought‑provoking novelette The Last of the Masters, set 200 years after an anarchist revolt dismantles governments. Hidden in a remote valley, a benevolent robot ruler maintains humanity’s last functioning state—until insurgents challenge the fragile balance. This intense clash of anarchism and authoritarianism delves into themes of technology, empathy, and political power.

In today’s modern world, every political regime, even the most authoritarian or repressive, describes itself as democracy or a democratic people’s republic. The concept of rule by the people and on behalf of the people has come to be accepted as the norm. Very few would overtly espouse the cause of dictatorship, absolute monarchy, or oligarchy as the most desirable political system upon which to base the government of any country.

Nach einer langen Zeit, die eher von politischer Sprachlosigkeit geprägt war, ist nun eine Zeit des politischen Brüllens und Niedermachens angebrochen. Doch wo verläuft die Grenze zwischen konstruktivem demokratischen Streit und einer Sprache, die das Gespräch zerstört, die ausgrenzt, entmenschlicht? Mit viel Leidenschaft erinnert Robert Habeck in Wer wir sein könnten daran, dass die Frage, wie wir sprechen, entscheidend ist für die Gestaltungskraft unserer Demokratie.