The 2008 Presidential and Congressional Elections: Anti-Bush Referendum and Prospects for the Democratic Majority
Gary C. Jacobson analyzes the 2008 presidential and congressional elections. He concludes that the elections were, through myriad pathways, largely a referendum on the Bush administration and a reaction to the economic meltdown. He questions whether Democratic Party control of the presidency and Congress will be a stable phenomenon.

How Countries Democratize
Samuel P. Huntington describes the diverse political processes through which thirty-five countries moved from authoritarianism toward democracy and derives guidelines from these experiences for future “democratizers.”

The Rise and Fall of Colin Powell and the Powell Doctrine
Walter LaFeber discusses the rise of the Weinberger/Powell Doctrine by tracing Colin Powell’s career to 2001. He emphasizes how the George W. Bush administration not only overthrew the doctrine after 2001, but how Powell, notably in his February 2003 speech at the UN, helped in the overthrow by placing his then-highly respected reputation behind misleading and false evidence to justify war against Iraq.

The Place of Inequality: Non-participation in the American Polity
Joe Soss and LAWRENCE R. JACOBS argue that the widely held prediction that rising inequalities would motivate the disadvantaged to use their political rights seems to falter badly in the United States today. They present findings that demonstrate how inequality has reshaped participation patterns in the American polity.

A Capacity for Mitigation as the Next Frontier in Homeland Security
Patrick S. Roberts examines the basic functions of homeland security, including defense against terrorist, natural, and industrial disasters. He concludes that the prevailing understanding of homeland security in theory and in practice undervalues the role of “mitigation,” or reducing the damage when disasters occur.

Camp David Rashomon: Contested Interpretations of the Israel/Palestine Peace Process
Myron J. Aronoff looks at the summit peace conference between Israel and the Palestinian Authority mediated by the United States at Camp David in 2000. He examines the similarities and differences among the various interpretations of the causes of the breakdown of the peace process.

Imagining America in 2033: How the Country Put Itself Together after Bush, Herbert J. Gans
Reviewed by Jennifer Hochschild

Unconventional Wisdom: Facts and Myths About American Voters, John R. Petrocik, Karen M. Kaufmann and Daron R. Shaw
Reviewed by Bruce Cain

Democracy, America, and the Age of Globalization, Jay R. Mandle
Reviewed by Jeffrey M. Stonecash

Nixon, Kissinger, and U.S. Foreign Policy Making: The Machinery of Crisis, Asaf Siniver
Reviewed by Richard C. Thornton

Undeclared War and the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy, Kenneth B. Moss
Reviewed by William C. Martel

China's Struggle for Status: The Realignment of International Relations, Yong Deng
Reviewed by Andrew Scobell

Warring Friends: Alliance Restraint in International Politics, Jeremy Pressman
Reviewed by James Goldgeier

Congress Behaving Badly: The Rise of Partisanship and Incivility and the Death of Public Trust, Sunil Ahuja
Reviewed by Eric M. Uslaner

Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City, Colin Gordon
Reviewed by Kenneth T. Jackson

The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power, Gene Healy
Reviewed by David A. Crockett

Rethinking American Electoral Democracy, Matthew Streb
Reviewed by Michael A. Unger

The President Shall Nominate: How Congress Trumps Executive Power, Mitchel A. Sollenberger
Reviewed by Donna R. Hoffman

American Environmental Policy, 1990–2006: Beyond Gridlock, Christopher McGrory Klyza and David Sousa
Reviewed by David Vogel

Mathematics and Democracy: Designing Better Voting and Fair-Division Procedures, Steven J. Brams
Reviewed by Marek Kaminski

The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to George W. Bush, Elvin T. Lim
Reviewed by Bruce Miroff

The Education Mayor: Improving America's Schools, Kenneth K. Wong, Francis X. Shen, Dorothea Anagnostopoulos and Stacey Rutledge
Reviewed by Charles L. Glenn

Betrayal: How Black Intellectuals Have Abandoned the Ideals of the Civil Rights Era, Houston A. Baker
Reviewed by Hanes Walton, Jr.

Queer Inclusions, Continental Divisions: Public Recognition of Sexual Diversity in Canada and the United States, David Rayside
Reviewed by Raymond A. Smith

All the Presidents' Spokesmen: Spinning the News—White House Press Secretaries from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush, Woody Klein
Reviewed by Lori Cox Han

Presidential Travel: The Journey from George Washington to George W. Bush, Richard J. Ellis
Reviewed by Emily Jane Charnock

The Hidden Power of the American Dream: Why Europe's Shaken Confidence in the United States Threatens the Future of U.S. Influence, Giovanna Dell'Orto
Reviewed by Mark Kesselman

China's Water Warriors: Citizen Action and Policy Change, Andrew C. Mertha
Reviewed by Bryan Lohmar

China's Communist Party: Atrophy and Adaptation, David Shambaugh
Reviewed by Anthony Saich

Securing Japan: Tokyo's Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia, Richard J. Samuels
Reviewed by Thomas U. Berger

Site Fights: Divisive Facilities and Civil Society in Japan and the West, Daniel P. Aldrich
Reviewed by John Martin Gillroy

Twilight War: The Folly of U.S. Space Dominance, Mike Moore
Reviewed by Brian D'Agostino

Winners Without Losers: Why Americans Should Care More About Global Economic Policy, Edward J. Lincoln
Reviewed by Thomas D. Willett

Four Crises and a Peace Process: American Engagement in South Asia, Stephen P. Cohen, P.R. Chari and Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema
Reviewed by T.V. Paul

Military Control in Pakistan: The Parallel State, Mazhar Aziz
Reviewed by Aqil Shah

Chechnya: From Nationalism to Jihad, James Hughes
Reviewed by Emma Gilligan

Appeasing Bankers: Financial Caution on the Road to War, Jonathan Kirshner
Reviewed by Anastasia Xenias

Judging Democracy, Christopher P. Manfredi and Mark Rush
Reviewed by Richard L. Hasen

The Cost of Counterterrorism: Power, Politics and Liberty, Laura K. Donohue
Reviewed by Peter Romaniuk

Spanish Politics, Omar G. Encarnación
Reviewed by Donald Share