Reviews (12)

The world doesn't always move in curves
This book is recommended, but with a caveat.Like most books about international relations written by social scientists who tend to simplify things for the sake of providing an over-arching structure, this one is to be read with a measure of skepticism.For a detailed review (or two), check out the recent debate in Slate.com between the journalists Bill Emmott and Fareed Zakaria, who are, respectively, an editor of The Economist and a columnist for Newsweek.(You can search within Slate by typing out their names and the title of the exchange: "Debating the J-Curve".)Here's two quotes from their exchanges.
Simplistic and Unoriginal
The main argument of the book is simple: as countries go from dictatorship to democracy things get worse before they get better. This has been a central argument of political science, and Mr. Bremmer neither acknowledges what others have said nor does he add much to them. All he book has to say comes in the first ten pages. After that it is snipets of histories of countries which do not add much.

Worth the Read
Whether you're an avid reader or professional investor, Ian Bremmer's book is worth your time. Ian's writing is organized, clear and concise. The book is written for the average reader; you do not need to be a policy wonk to understand his points. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, Ian Bremmer's book provides an excellent basis for continuing debate regarding U.S. foreign policy.
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Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Government - Comparative    3. History & Theory - General    4. International Relations - General    5. Political Science    6. Political Theory    7. Political development    8. Political stability    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. World politics    12. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    13. Political Science / International Relations   

Reviews (1)

A great read!
An interesting and compelling read, providing great insight to the complications of Earl Warren. A must for anyone who enjoys American or California history, or the Law. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1891-1974    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Judges    5. Law    6. Lawyers & Judges    7. Legal History    8. Political    9. Supreme Court    10. United States    11. United States - 20th Century    12. United States.    13. Warren, Earl,    14. Biography & Autobiography / Lawyers & Judges   

Subjects:  1. Criminal Procedure    2. Criminal justice, Administration of    3. Criminology    4. Jurisprudence    5. Law    6. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Crime & criminology    10. Law / Jurisprudence   

Reviews (3)

A beginning
My opinion on this book lies some where between the two already presented. The application of economics and game theory to this problem is most definitely original and is the greatest achievement of the book. It is a tribute to the authors that such a simple model that so ruthless applies Occam's razor can explain so much, however the work is flawed it simply does not reflect reality. The reasons behind democratisations are more complex than this model, as powerful as it is, can reflect. This book and the model developed within should be viewed as beginning which other works can develop and expand upon. I have no doubt that economists will continue to contibute to this field with more advanced and better models. For this reason alone political scientists and historians should not ignore this text, but rather accept it for what it is a new way of looking at an old problem.

Wielding Occam's Razor
Economists are turning their focus of inquiry to subjects that were once the exclusive preserve of their colleagues in other social sciences--history, sociology, and political science. The title of this book, "Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," appears to have been deliberately, even provocatively, chosen for contrast with its famous predecessor, "Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," by the sociologist Barrington Moore. It is as if the economists are saying, "You've had your go. It is now our turn."
Interesting but ...
This substantial work provides a useful review of the relevant literature,and outlines the simple but powerful idea that the political impact of different types of assets [land, labor or capital] and the costs of repression rather than democratization are key influences on the process of democratization or political repression.This approach has however already been spelt out more succinctly by Carles Boix.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Democracy    5. Democratization    6. Economic aspects    7. Economics - General    8. Equality    9. Government - Comparative    10. Political Ideologies - Democracy    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Public Policy - Economic Policy    13. Business & Economics / Economics / General    14. Economic history    15. Political economy    16. Political structures: democracy    17. Political structures: totalitarianism & dictatorship   

Editorial Review

"Hutus kill Tutsis, then Tutsis kill Hutus--if that's really all there is to it, then no wonder we can't be bothered with it," Philip Gourevitch writes, imagining the response of somebody in a country far from the ethnic strife and mass killings of Rwanda. But the situation is not so simple, and in this complex and wrenching book, he explains why the Rwandan genocide should not be written off as just another tribal dispute.Read more

Reviews (199)

Disappointed
I was disappointed by the tone of the first chapter.
Remarkable and Life-Changing
This book will change your worldview.Gourevitch makes you realize how much we marginalize Africa, and how we refuse to recognize unpleasant realities to avoid the responsibility for dealing with them.While his account includes a lot of horrible examples of inhumanity, there are also some splendidly inspiring examples of humanity, which make you believe that change is possible, and even ultimately inevitable.

What a horrific tale
A lot of books I've read down through the years, even books I have enjoyed, I have forgotten almost as soon as I finished them.
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Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. Current Affairs    3. Ethnic relations    4. Genocide    5. Government - Comparative    6. International    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics and government    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Rwanda    11. Armed conflict   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (9)

Russian Muckraking
This is a hard book to judge. In the first place, it's a collection of articles for what the author refers to as a newspaper, though the "New Gazette" appears to publish biweekly. This leads to some jarring articles next to one another: the first article denounces officials involved in the identification of the corpses of Russian soldiers killed in the first Chechen War 1994-6, and the second article, immediately following, denounces the first one as biased and reverses all of its statements. It's a bit strange.
Good overview
I have to disagree to some degree with those who say this is a *completely* biased piece.I also have suspicions that those who trash this work have not read it in it's entirety, if at all.Anna is certainly an advocate for the Chechen people, but she also attempts to show, albeit in small bits, the human side of Russian troops.Her writing is vivid, impassioned, but sometimes choppy.It can be difficult to read sometimes, but that may be the translation.I'm not sure how the September 11th attacks should obscure any opinions in favor of Chechen independence.Those views expressed appear to be shallow, with a blind, "follow the leader" approach.This shouldn't be an issue where you chant, "go team!"--Why not consider both sides?If you go to www.hrw.org there are plenty accounts of Russian abuse of Chechens, to be fair there is also abuse from Chechen fighters on civilians.This is a dirty war because it is corrupt on all sides.You can also find numerous other articles, not just from Politkovskaya, that echo the same problems with corruption, human rights abuses, etc.Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times is also a good source.Why is it so unfathomable that soldiers might commit abuses, be xenophobic, rape, etc.What about Elza Kungayeva's rapist?He was a high ranking colonel.Even though her rape was ommitted from her autopsy report and he was never actually convicted of rape, he still murdered her.Is that okay?Is that fair or right?Is that not terrorism at it's finest? To form a solid opinion you really need to consider all sides; you need to look at the root problems, it isn't a simple issue.---And it's obvious that it cannot be resolved through military measures alone.There really has to be some considerate discussion.(Putin has blasted that idea so I don't think it will happen.)And you cannot put blinders up and think that abuse is impossible, or even okay.It's too easy to reduce the Chechens to a nation of terrorists.

An Interesting Story yet Too Biased for Comfort
This book was somewhat of a disapointment. This is largely due to it's obviously biased viewpoints. However, what really bothered me was its lack of real information. The story was basically a compilation of dramatic stories all stressing how inhumane or heartless the Russian soldiers were and how ignorant westerners are, which would have been okay had that not been the only thing Politkovskaya said throughout the book.
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Subjects:  1. Chechnia (Russia)    2. Chechnëiìa    3. Civil War, 1994-    4. Current Affairs    5. Government - Comparative    6. History    7. History & Theory - General    8. Media Studies    9. Political    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Politkovskaia, Anna    13. Politkovskaëiìa, Anna    14. Press coverage    15. Russia (Federation)    16. Travel    17. Armed conflict    18. CHECHNIA (RUSSIA)_HISTORY_CIVIL WAR, 1994-    19. Chechnia    20. Chechnya    21. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    22. History / General    23. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)    24. Journeys    25. Other prose: from c 1900 -    26. Politkovskaya, Anna    27. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (1)

Great book!
This book is great, the website that comes with the book works well also. The author explainsRead more

Subjects:  1. Crime    2. Criminal Investigation    3. Criminal Procedure    4. Criminal justice, Administrati    5. Criminal justice, Administration of    6. Criminology    7. Government - Judicial Branch    8. Government policy    9. Legal System    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. United States    13. Crime & criminology    14. Law / Jurisprudence   

Editorial Review

The winter holidays are usually a quiet time for news, but the December 2005 revelations of the Bush administration's extensive, off-the-books domestic spying program by Read more

Reviews (72)

Want to Know Who Knew What and When? Read This Book.
One of the few authoritative books on pre-Iraq war intelligence, Risen interviewed CIA agents and sources where possible.One of the surprises for Americans is that a group of Iraqi-Americans braved incarceration in Iraq to get information on WMD and the state of the Iraqi nuclear program BEFORE the war was launched.The courage and patriotism of these people could have saved many lives if the media had done their job.
Essential reading
As my country was involved in the invasion of Iraq and there are still Australian soldiers serving in Iraq, l approached this book hoping to learn more about why the USAgovernment intervened in Iraq and gain some insight into the function of USA government and politics. Here in OZ the government has been very deceptive and sneaky about why we are involved in a war thousands of miles from home and after reading this book l detect similar themes in the USA.
A must read if you care about your liberty
Risen's excellent book is essentially a series of lengthy newspaper stories (Risen, of course, writes for the NYT). No doubt some of the things he reports here will be expanded upon or revised. Indeed, the recent USA Today story on the NSA's large-scale data collection program is a follow-on to Risen's work. Risen paints an ugly picture of the way things work in Bush's administration; Cheney and Rumsfeld dominate, Rice gets pushed aside, Tenet was a lap dog, and Colin Powell was sadly irrelevant. It's difficult to tell whether Bush is the leader or just gets pushed along. The book details a number of distressing stories; take your pick: domestic phone-taps, ignoring contrary evidence on WMD in Iraq, kidnapping targets and flying them to secret prisons (euphemistically called 'extraordinary renditions') and more.
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Subjects:  1. (George Walker),    2. 1924-    3. 1946-    4. Bush, George W.    5. Bush, George,    6. Central Intelligence Agency    7. General    8. Government - Executive Branch    9. Intelligence Agencies    10. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    11. Political Science    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Politics/International Relations    14. U.S. President    15. United States - 21st Century    16. United States.    17. Political Science / Foreign Legal Systems   

Reviews (7)

Breathtaking in Concept, Scope and Execution
"Our Nation's Archive: The History of the United States in Documents" is a phenomenal one-of-a-kind historical compendium that will thrill not only the historian and student, but also any citizen mildly interested in our country's evolution.
Superb
This is a book for those who are interested in the history of this country and want to read that history from the original documents rather than someone's interpretation of those documents.I suggest that, serially, you look for an area that interests you and then enjoy the stimulation of reading the original thoughts on your own.Other reviews that are critical apparently prefer reading academic media with plenty of footnotes.You'll learn a lot more from reading any part of this book than you will reading almost any academic article including all of its footnotes.You'll also come away with more appreciation for the spirit of the documents by reading them in the original.

Good Primary Source Guide
Excellent book of primary sources.The author did not intend to put whole documents in this book.If you feel like you need the whole document, most of these can be found on the web. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. Legal History    5. Political History    6. Sources    7. United States    8. United States - General    9. History / United States / General   

Subjects:  1. Appellate procedure    2. Courts    3. Courts - General    4. Criminal Law    5. Criminal Law - General    6. Criminal Procedure    7. Jurisprudence    8. Law    9. Legal Reference / Law Profession    10. United States    11. Law / Jurisprudence   

Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Criminal Law    3. Criminal Law - General    4. Jurisprudence    5. Law    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. United States    8. Crime & criminology    9. Social Science / Criminology   

Reviews (1)

Law Dictionary
This is one of the most reliable law dictionary ever made. Even if you are from a country with a different legal system, you can still use it for your references. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries & Terminology    3. Great Britain    4. Jurisprudence    5. Law    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Reference    8. United States   

Subjects:  1. Business Ethics    2. Jurisprudence    3. Law    4. Law enforcement    5. Moral and ethical aspects    6. Police ethics    7. Police training    8. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Politics / Current Events    11. United States    12. Political Science / Law Enforcement   

Reviews (4)

Criminal justice student
My book was recieved on time and in perfect condition. I saved alot of money buying my book from amazon.com.I will defintely be ordering here next semester.

Great!!!!
Thank you so much for the book in the time that I needed it.

nice introduction to the criminal justice field
i just bought this book at my campus the other day. I can't put it down.This book is very interesting and laid out nicely, definitions are madeclear. i feel as if i am there when i look at the pictures in this book andwhen i am reading about a particular incident.another thing i like aboutthis book is it combines traditional learning with the author wanting thereader to use the internet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal Law - General    2. Criminal justice, Administrati    3. Criminal justice, Administration of    4. Criminology    5. Jurisprudence    6. Law    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Crime & criminology    10. Law / Jurisprudence   

Reviews (4)

A good start for analytical jurisprudence, but no more
Hart takes apart the legal positivism of Austin and acknowledges some validity in natural law theory.But Hart fails to connect the "minimum content of natural law" with his analysis of a "rule of recongition" that allows a legal system to exist.
Obligatory reading.
One of the highest achievements in the history of jurisprudence. Simple to read, complex to thoroughly grasp, written in clear prose but full of ideas. Previous familiarity with Kelsen and Austin should prove helpful to extract the most out of this book. You can follow it by reading Dworkin and Bobbio (sadly unavailable in English - his Teoria della norma giuridica and Teoria dell'ordenamento giuridico are as obligatory as Kelsen and Hart). a seminal text on legal philosophy and jurisprudence
One of the most important books written in the field of jurisprudence and legal philosophy.A must-read for anyone who wants to talk intelligently about the topic.Each of Dr. Hart's chapters has been the springboard for entire areas of discussion since its publication, such as law as a system of rules, the separation of law and morality, etc.After you finish this book, read Prof. Dworkin's critique in "The Model of Rules," 35 Univ.Chi.L.Rev. 14 (1967) (excerpted in "The Philosophy of Law") and Prof. Dworkin's "Taking Rights Seriously" to see how Hart's theories have affect jurisprudential scholarship since the publication of this text in 1961.Again, if one had to select the top thinkers in the field, it's Austin, Hart, and Dworkin. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Jurisprudence    3. Law    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Philosophy Of Law    6. Jurisprudence & philosophy of law    7. Law / Jurisprudence    8. Law | Jurisprudence and Legal Philosophy   

Reviews (2)

Good Book
I had Dr. Lyman in a class and I think he wrote a good book. He is detailed and provided me with alot of information.If you are into organized crime, not just mafia, get this book - it is a good resource.

Good Introduction
This book is a good introduction to a difficult topic.The authors don't focus on just the traditional "Costra Nostra" topics that many authors fall prey too.The authors carefully blend National andInternational Organized Crime (OC)Groups, Theories of OC and methods forcontroling the spread and growth of the groups.Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminal Law - General    2. Jurisprudence    3. Law    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Organized Crime    6. United States    7. Law / Jurisprudence   

Reviews (2)

On conditions for democracy
Having read this book, I understand why Linz has gained international reputation. (As an example, he was made honorary doctor at The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Oslo, Norway, 2000.) This book is written in an engaging way, with lots of interesting information. Its clear structure and quite simple language also makes it easy to read. Those believing that political science is "heavy, dry and dull" will probably change their minds if they read "Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation". Personally, I found the chapters on South America very enlightening. The book gives information about how citizens view "democracy" in the respective countries, and the challenges each country faces in terms of democratic transition and consolidation. I agree with the first reviewer that this book is a must-have for all interested in the countries in question or political science in general. (Having just finished my dissertation in political science, I've read my share of less interesting and poorly written works!)

A clear and concise presentation
This is the book for everyone looking for the ultimate answer to the questions regarding democratic transitions in the east as well as in the west. Although somewhat fuzzy and unclear in the theoretical outline it does offer some serious answers as well as questions on the democratization waves in former communist countries and dictatorships all over the planet. This is a must for all political scientists as well as those with inclination towards contemporary political subjects. This will be a standard opus on this subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Democracy    3. Europe, Southern    4. Government - Comparative    5. History    6. Political Ideologies - Democracy    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. South America    10. Constitution: government & the state    11. Eastern Europe    12. Political science & theory    13. Political structures: democracy    14. Southern Europe   

Subjects:  1. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    2. Professional - General    3. Study Aids    4. Study Guides    5. Test Prep    6. Tests    7. Law / Jurisprudence   

Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. Gender & the Law    3. Labor & Employment    4. Law    5. Law and legislation    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Sex Discrimination In Employment    8. Sex discrimination in employme    9. Sexual harassment of women    10. United States   

Reviews (53)

As good as it gets
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in March 2006 after having struggled for 19 years with its symptoms.At last I was put on the right medication, only to find out that lithium gives me severe headaches.So now I am taking depakote, and I read from this book all the time.This newer (second) edition has some important additions, so if you have the first edition, I highly recommend getting this one.I have often had mixed epidodes, and Dr. Mondimore does his best to explain this rare and poorly understood mood state.I could add a few things about it, having experienced them myself.He also does a good job of explaining bipolar disorder in children.I think I had it starting at age 7, which is rare but does happen.Information on children with bipolar disorder is hard to find, and when you do find it, it is usually not very helpful in its level of detail and explanation.I found the information on medications (including anti-psychotic medications, one of which I take) to be very helpful.This section has more information than the first edition had.Overall, I highly recommend this book even if you suffer from a more unusual manifestation of the disease, as do I.

Easy to read with lots of information
As a psychologist who has taught abnormal psychology at the college level for many years, I was impressed by the depth of coverage and the writing style of the author. The author explains in plain language what is known about the disorder and how to cope with it. It can be read by the professional and the non-professional alike. I purchased this book for a friend who has bipolar disorder and is not a professional. She loves the book.

A "Must Read" for Those with Family Members or Friends with bipolar mood disorder
Many books about bipolar disorder are either for psychiatrists or are just generally uninformative.This book is written by a psychiatrist, but for lay persons.Bipolar mood disorder is a disease.This book discusses symptoms, treatment, and how to recognize those with the disease.Case studies are illustrative and helpful.Highly recommended, particularly if your life is affected by someone who you think has bipolar mood disorder. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Affective disorders    2. Bipolar Disorder    3. General    4. Health & Fitness    5. Health/Fitness    6. Manic-depressive illness    7. Mood Disorders    8. Popular Works    9. Psychology    10. Psychopathology - Manic Depressive Illness    11. Political Science / Foreign Legal Systems    12. Social welfare & social services