Transatlantic Bipolarity and the End of Multilateralism
John Van Oudenaren examines the trend toward the establishment of a bipolar relationship between the United States and its European allies, based on the consolidation of the European Union and the EU’s increased responsibilities for foreign, security, economic and monetary policy. He challenges the view that a bipolar transatlantic relationship, even if conceived of as a “partnership,” will be harmonious or will lead to a revitalization of the multilateralism that characterized the post-World War II period.

The 2004 Presidential Election: The Emergence of a Permanent Majority?
PAUL R. ABRAMSON, JOHN H. ALDRICH, and DAVID W. ROHDE examine the election results, the appeals of the candidates, the exit poll conducted by Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International, and a series of polls conducted by Knowledge Networks over the course of the 2004 election year to evaluate the reasons that George W. Bush was reelected. They conclude that the vote decisions were based largely upon retrospective evaluations in which Bush was perceived by a narrow margin to have been a successful president as well as a leader who would be successful in combating terrorism. They argue that pundits may have exaggerated the role of social divisions in the election. Analyses of candidate appeals and of the concerns of the electorate show that the candidates made few appeals to values and that only a small proportion of the public said that social issues would be the most important factor in determining their vote.

The Implications of Leadership Change in the Arab World
Daniel L. Byman addresses how changes in leadership in the Arab world will affect the region’s politics and relationship to the United States. He pays particular attention to identifying which factors hinge upon individual leaders, which are related to particular regimes, and which are inherent to the interests of the state in question.

State Secrets and Executive Power
WILLIAM G. WEAVER and ROBERT M. PALLITTO examine the state secrets privilege, the most powerful tool of secrecy available to the president of the United States. They conclude that the privilege is increasingly subject to abuse and is wrongly used to protect the executive branch from embarrassment, to hide criminal activity, and to thwart legal requests for information.

Law, Rules, and Presidential Selection
SAMUEL ISSACHAROFF argues that the electoral college is a historic compromise that, despite its problematic origins, is not a significant departure from the weak majoritarianism in American constitutional politics. Indeed, the greatest distortion in American politics resulting from the electoral college arises from an excess of majoritarianism, the winner-take-all feature of awarding electoral votes in almost all states.

Correspondence

America Alone: The Neo-Conservatives and the Global Order, Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke
Reviewed by Robert Jervis

What We Owe Iraq: War and the Ethics of Nation Building, Noah Feldman
Reviewed by Robert I. Rotberg

The Colonial Present: Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Derek Gregory
Reviewed by Charles Tilly

Democratic Challenges, Democratic Choices: The Erosion of Political Support in Advanced Industrial Democracies, Russell J. Dalton
Reviewed by Eric M. Uslaner

Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times: The Citizenry and the Break-down of Democracy, Nancy Bermeo
Reviewed by Marc Morjé Howard

Deliberation Day, Bruce Ackerman and James S. Fishkin
Reviewed by Adam J. Berinsky

Dismantling Democratic States, Ezra N. Suleiman
Reviewed by Roger Schoenman

Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security, Barry Buzan and Ole Wœver
Reviewed by Kristian Skrede Gleditsch

At War's End: Building Peace after Civil Conflict, Roland Paris
Reviewed by Roberto Belloni

Reading Humanitarian Intervention: Human Rights and the Use of Force in International Law, Anne Orford
Reviewed by Richard Falk

The Paradox of Peace: Leaders, Decisions, and Conflict Resolution, John D. Orme
Reviewed by Randall L. Schweller

Getting It Done: Postagreement Negotiation and International Regimes, I. William Zartman and Bertram I. Spector, eds.
Reviewed by Andrea Bartoli

You, the People: The United Nations, Transitional Administration, and State-Building, Simon Chesterman ; Peace Time: Cease-Fire Agreements and the Durability of Peace, Virginia Page Fortna
Reviewed by Roy Licklider

Understanding Peacekeeping, Alex J. Bellamy, Paul Williams and Stuart Griffin
Reviewed by James S. Sutterlin

Power and Purpose: U.S. Policy toward Russia after the Cold War, James M. Goldgeier and Michael McFaul
Reviewed by Peter Juviler

Human Rights: Between Idealism and Realism, Christian Tomuschat
Reviewed by George Andreopoulos

European Security after 9/11, Peter Shearman and Matthew Sussex, eds.
Reviewed by Jakub J. Grygiel

The Missing Peace: The inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace, Dennis Ross
Reviewed by Peter L. Hahn

The Democratic Century, Seymour Martin Lipset and Jason M. Lakin
Reviewed by Ethan J. Leib

Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age, Matthew A. Baum
Reviewed by Thomas E. Patterson

Electoral Engineering: Voting Rules and Political Behavior, Pippa Norris
Reviewed by Herbert Kitschelt

The Politics of Child Support in America, Jocelyn Elise Crowley
Reviewed by Bryan D. Jones

Defining America through Immigration Policy, Bill Ong Hing
Reviewed by Louis DeSipio

Robert Ball and the Politics of Social Security, Edward D. Berkowitz
Reviewed by Brian Balogh

Cities in the International Marketplace: The Political Economy of Urban Development in North America and Western Europe, Paul Kantor and H. V. Savitch
Reviewed by Peter Marcuse

Under the Eagle's Claw: Exceptionalism in Postwar U.S.-Greek Relations, Jon V. Kofas
Reviewed by Katherine E. Fleming

Corporate Power and Social Policy in a Global Economy: British Welfare under the Influence, Kevin Farnsworth
Reviewed by Sandra L. Suárez

Democratization without Representation: The Politics of Small Industry in Mexico, Kenneth C. Shadlen
Reviewed by Peter Kingstone

Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, Edward L. Gibson, ed.
Reviewed by Maria Escobar-Lemmon

The Information Revolution and Developing Countries, Ernest J. Wilson III
Reviewed by Kenneth Rogerson

The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Benny Morris
Reviewed by Issam Nassar

The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran, Charles Kurzman
Reviewed by Mohsen Ashtiany

The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future, Elizabeth C. Economy
Reviewed by Shui-Yan Tang

Bare Branches: The Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population, Valerie M. Hudson and Andrea M. den Boer
Reviewed by Gayl D. Ness