Book cover of Infiltrating Society: The Thai Military’s Internal Security Affairs by Puangthong Pawakapan
Asia

Infiltrating Society: The Thai Military’s Internal Security Affairs

This lucidly written book uncovers the ‘military-led civil affairs’ that earn the armed forces the omnipotent role in Thai society. It enriches our understanding of the Thai military in both empirical and theoretical ways. Empirically, the book illuminates how the soldiers have been intensively involved in supposedly civic activities ranging from forest land management to poverty reduction. […Learn More]

Book cover of The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure by Yascha Mounk
International & World Politics

The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure 

From one of our sharpest and most important political thinkers, a brilliant big-picture vision of the greatest challenge of our time—how to bridge the bitter divides within diverse democracies enough for them to remain stable and functional

Some democracies are highly homogeneous. Others have long maintained a brutal racial or religious hierarchy, with some groups dominating and exploiting others. Never in history has a democracy succeeded in being both diverse and equal, treating members of many different ethnic or religious groups fairly. […Learn More]

Book cover of Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security -- From World War II to the War on Terrorism by Julian Zelizer
History

Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security — From World War II to the War on Terrorism

It has long been a truism that prior to George W. Bush, politics stopped at the water’s edge — that is, that partisanship had no place in national security. In Arsenal of Democracy, historian Julian E. Zelizer shows this to be demonstrably false: partisan fighting has always shaped American foreign policy and the issue of national security has always been part of our domestic conflicts. […Learn More]

Book cover of Democracy Rule by Jan-Werner Müller
Politics & Government

Democracy Rules

A much-anticipated guide to saving democracy, from one of our most essential political thinkers.

Everyone knows that democracy is in trouble, but do we know what democracy actually is? Jan-Werner Müller, author of the widely translated and acclaimed What Is Populism?, takes us back to basics in Democracy Rules. In this short, elegant volume, he explains how democracy is founded not just on liberty and equality, but also on uncertainty. […Learn More]

Book cover of Censored: Distraction and Diversion Inside China's Great Firewall by Margaret E. Roberts
International & World Politics

Censored: Distraction and Diversion Inside China’s Great Firewall

A groundbreaking and surprising look at contemporary censorship in China

As authoritarian governments around the world develop sophisticated technologies for controlling information, many observers have predicted that these controls would be easily evaded by savvy internet users. In Censored, Margaret Roberts demonstrates that even censorship that is easy to circumvent can still be enormously effective. Taking advantage of digital data harvested from the Chinese internet and leaks from China’s Propaganda Department, Roberts sheds light on how censorship influences the Chinese public. […Learn More]

Politics & Government

Future Politics: Living Together in a World Transformed by Tech

Politics in the Twentieth Century was dominated by a single question: how much of our collective life should be determined by the state, and what should be left to the market and civil society?

Now the debate is different: to what extent should our lives be directed and controlled by powerful digital systems – and on what terms?

Digital technologies – from artificial intelligence to blockchain, from robotics to virtual reality – are transforming the way we live together […Learn More]