American Political Decay or Renewal?

Two years ago, I argued in these pages that America was suffering from political decay. The country’s constitutional system of checks and balances, combined with partisan polarization and the rise of well-financed interest groups, had combined to yield what I labeled “vetocracy,” a situation in which it was easier to stop government from doing things than it was to use government to promote the common good. Recurrent budgetary crises, stagnating bureaucracy, and a lack of policy innovation were the hall-marks of a political system in disarray.

"Israel and the Post-American Middle East" is from the July/August 2016 issue of Foreign Affairs.

©2016 Foreign Affairs (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Brilliant and very important

An excellent analysis of our country’s descent into political decay (Huntington’s great phrase) whereby our political institutions cannot keep up with the demands placed on them. Essential for anyone looking to better understand why Congress is so polarized, the perils of our “vetocracy,” why and how quid pro quo became the catchword of the impeachment story, and what we need to do get of this mess.

Interesting take on the politics of today

Any additional comments?

It's an interesting short peace that I highly recommend listening too. It could have been a bit longer and deeper, but as it does its job and has got a couple of interesting perspectives I haven't considered before.