Political Engagement by Wealthy Americans
FAY LOMAX COOK, BENJAMIN I. PAGE, and RACHEL L. MOSKOWITZ examine the political behavior of wealthy Americans—those with income or wealth in the top 1 percent. They find that the top 1 percent are exceptionally active in politics and discuss the implications of such high rates of participation for democratic policy making.

Authoritarianism and Democracy in Muslim Countries: Rentier States and Regional Diffusion
Ahmet T. Kuru analyses why most of 49 Muslim-majority countries, especially those in MENA and Central Asia, are authoritarian. He challenges explanations that point to Islam, the absence of secularism, patriarchy, and Arab exceptionalism as causes. He argues that the combined effects of rentier states and regional diffusion lead to disproportionate authoritarianism in these countries.

Candidate Emergence Revisited: The Lingering Effects of Recruitment, Ambition, and Successful Prospects among House Candidates
L. Sandy Maisel and WALTER STONE identify the sources of political ambition of potential congressional candidates. They find that potential candidates are influenced by their perceived prospects for success, by their ambition for a congressional career, and by the costs associated with running for congress. 

China and Taiwan: Balance of Rivalry with Weapons of Mass Democratization
Andrew Scobell discusses the ongoing rivalry between China and Taiwan.  He explains why Beijing continues to view Taipei as a serious rival despite the growing hard power imbalance in China’s favor. He argues that Beijing’s concern appears focused on the potency of Taipei’s soft power—Taiwan’s emergence as a vibrant participatory democracy.

Identity Politics and Foreign Policy: Taiwan’s Relations with China and Japan, 1895–2012
Yinan He explores how identity narratives have shaped Taiwan’s foreign policy toward China and Japan. The author argues that the political discourse of the two “others” defining Taiwan’s national identity has been frequently employed by political elites battling over whom the Taiwanese are and where their future lies. She claims that Taiwan’s neutrality depends upon Beijing maintaining a moderate approach toward Taiwan and upon stable Sino-Japanese relations. 

Secrets and Leaks: The Dilemma of State Secrecy, Rahul Sagar
Reviewed by Geoffrey R. Stone

Take Up Your Pen: Unilateral Presidential Directives in American Politics, Graham G. Dodds
Reviewed by WILLIAM P. MARSHALL

Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Peter Baker
Reviewed by Michael Nelson

The Language of Contention: Revolutions in Words, 1688–2012, Sidney Tarrow
Reviewed by JOHN KRINSKY

American Umpire, Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman
Reviewed by Meena Bose

The End of Exceptionalism in American Education: The Changing Politics of School Reform, Jeffrey R. Henig
Reviewed by Terry M. Moe

The Adversary First Amendment: Free Expression and the Foundation of American Democracy, Martin H. Redish
Reviewed by Mark A. Graber

Changing Minds or Changing Channels? Partisan News in an Age of Choice, Martin Johnson and Kevin Arceneaux
Reviewed by Robert Y. Shapiro

Presidents and the Dissolution of the Union: Leadership Style from Polk to Lincoln, Fred I. Greenstein
Reviewed by Matthew J. Dickinson

China Goes Global: The Partial Power, David Shambaugh
Reviewed by Andrew Scobell

Practicing Stalinism: Bolsheviks, Boyars, and the Persistence of Tradition, J. Arch Getty
Reviewed by Kimberly Marten

The Limits of Partnership: U.S.–Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century, Angela Stent
Reviewed by ANDREI TSYGANKOV

The Politics of Belonging: Race, Public Opinion, and Immigration, Jane Junn and Natalie Masuoka
Reviewed by TODD K. HARTMAN

Democratic Peace: A Political Biography, Piki Ish-Shalom
Reviewed by Joseph M. Parent

Reflections on Judging, Richard A. Posner
Reviewed by David Klein

The Constitution of Risk, Adrian Vermeule
Reviewed by AZIZ Z. HUQ

Long Wars and the Constitution, Stephen M. Griffin
Reviewed by JOSEPH MARGULIES

Women in the Club: Gender and Policy Making in the Senate, Michele L. Swers
Reviewed by ROSALYN COOPERMAN

When Things Went Right: The Dawn of the Reagan–Bush Administration, Chase Untermeyer
Reviewed by J. DAVID HOEVELER

US Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era: Restraint versus Assertiveness from George H.W. Bush to Barack Obama, Tudor Onea
Reviewed by Stuart Gottlieb

Blinking Red: Crisis and Compromise in American Intelligence after 9/11, Michael Allen
Reviewed by Glenn Hastedt

National Security Through a Cockeyed Lens: How Cognitive Bias Impacts U.S. Foreign Policy, Steve A. Yetiv
Reviewed by James H. Lebovic

Justice Interrupted: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in the Middle East, Elizabeth Thompson ; Law, State, and Society in Modern Iran: Constitutionalism, Autocracy and Legal Reform, 1906–1941, Hadi Enayat
Reviewed by Saïd Amir Arjomand

Transforming India: Challenges to the World’s Largest Democracy, Sumantra Bose
Reviewed by WALTER ANDERSEN

Governing Guns, Preventing Plunder: International Cooperation against Illicit Trade, Asif Efrat
Reviewed by DENISE GARCIA

Armed Political Organizations: From Conflict to Integration, Benedetta Berti
Reviewed by Leonard Weinberg

Democratic Uprisings in the Middle East: Youth, Technology, Human Rights and US Foreign Policy, Mahmood Monshipouri
Reviewed by BARIS KESGIN

Our Political Nature: The Evolutionary Origins of What Divides Us, Avi Tuschman
Reviewed by John R. Hibbing

Competing Motives in the Partisan Mind: How Loyalty and Responsiveness Shape Party Identification and Democracy, Eric W. Groenendyk
Reviewed by CHRISTOPHER D. JOHNSTON

The Art of the Watchdog: Fighting Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption in Government, Daniel L. Feldman and David R. Eichenthal
Reviewed by DICK SIMPSON