Liberalism and the problem of knowledge

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David Dreier and Lee H. Hamilton, co-chairs

"The United States has not been nearly as effective at the United Nations as it can or should be. To address this concern, the Council on Foreign Relations and Freedom House consponsored an Independent Task Force to assess the U.S.-UN relationship and to suggest a new strategy for improving the effectiveness and reputation of the United States at the UN." "The Task Force calls for a U.S. strategy of building a coalition of democracies at the United Nations to carry forward three aims: building further support for democratization around the world, promoting respect for human rights principles, and coming together more effectively in the war against terrorism." "In making its analysis, the Task Force identified several obstacles to U.S. effectiveness at the UN, including U.S. reluctance to support international agreements; the U.S. practice of withholding treaty-obligated dues; long gaps in the confirmation of a permanent U.S. representative to the UN; and a reluctance to engage in the outreach and lobbying at the UN for which American democracy is famous. The report also concludes that politicization in UN bodies, including the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights, has made the institution an inconsistent voice for democracay and human rights." "This report includes the Task Force's findings and recommendations, as well as key UN documents in the areas of democracy, human rights, and counterterrorism." --Book Jacket.

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Jorge G. Castañeda

"Esta segunda edición de la versión española es precedida de un prólogo que confronta las tesis originales del libro con los acontecimientos más recientes, especialmente el movimiento de Chiapas, cuyo examen ocupa la mayor parte de dicho prólogo y tiene un valor en sí como análisis. Según el autor, aquellas tesis (agotamiento de la vía revolucionaria, función reformista de la izquierda) quedan corroboradas, lo cual no impide que puedan reclamarse condiciones más justas dentro del esquema imperante"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

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August H. Nimtz, Jr

"August H. Nimtz, Jr. argues that Marx and his partner, Frederick Engels, had a far more acute and insightful reading of American democracy than Tocqueville because they recognized that the overthrow of slavery and the cessation of racial oppression were central to its realization. Nimtz's account contrasts both the writings and the civil action of Tocqueville, Marx, and Engels, noting that Marx and Engels actively mobilized the German American community in opposition to the slavocracy prior to the Civil War and that Marx heartily supported the Union cause. "This trenchant investigation into the approaches of these major thinkers provides fresh insight into past and present debates about race and democracy in America."--Jacket.

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Simon Goldhill and Robin Osborne

These new and specially commissioned essays discuss the ways in which performance is central to the practice and ideology of democracy in classical Athens. From theatre to law-court to gymnasium to symposium, performance is a basic part of Athenian society; how do these different areas interrelate and inform the politics and culture of the democratic city? Drama, rhetoric, philosophy, literature and art are all discussed by leading scholars in this interdisciplinary volume.