Spring 2007, No. 4

In our lead feature, Mark Schmitt looks back at the 1990s effort, asks what went wrong, and offers a blueprint to revive campaign finance reform by celebrating, not castigating, the resurgence of a citizen-centered democracy. In our “Recounting” column, Democracy co-editor Andrei Cherny makes the progressive case for reviving the legacy of Louis Brandeis and against “bigness” and the concentration of power. And Kathleen McCarthy, an expert on philanthropy at the City University of New York, argues that in a world in which foundations will have more power than ever before, they need to enhance transparency and openness.

Another critical question facing our democracy is one as old as the republic: How to create a country in which e pluribus unum? Cristina Rodríguez, an assistant professor of law at New York University, counters the hysteria around immigration and the push to “preserve” English by arguing that bilingualism is actually essential to the cohesion of our country. Similarly, Spencer Ackerman, a senior correspondent at the American Prospect, looks at Muslims in America and explains how and why they have become a part of the national mosaic.

A vibrant democracy is founded on the rule of law and an economy that allows all to participate. So Neal Katyal—the Georgetown University law professor who argued the landmark Supreme Court case Hamdan v. Rumsfeld—calls for a new approach to defending human rights. Jerome Skolnick, past president of the American Society of Criminology, examines what caused the great crime decline of the 1990s. Brad DeLong of the University of California, Berkeley draws the lessons for progressives from the life of the recently deceased Milton Friedman. And Christopher Howard of the College of William and Mary reveals that the welfare state is larger than we think—but more unfair than we’d like. Turning abroad to the possible threats to our democracy, Jofi Joseph, foreign relations adviser to Senator Bob Casey, Jr., critiques the Bush Administration’s approach to nonproliferation and offers a different strategy for handling Tehran, while UCLA’s Steven Spiegel outlines a neo-regionalist strategy in dealing with the Middle East.

And because democracy—and Democracy—is, of course, about debate, we have two lively responses to essays from the last issue. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, author of the global bestseller Hitler’s Willing Executioners, rebuts Peter Bergen and Michael Lind’s argument that humiliation fuels violent extremism; what’s important, he argues, is what makes those people feel so humiliated in the first place. And two experts in corporate social responsibility (CSR)—attorneys Dan Feldman and Sarah Altschuller—report back from the frontlines that, contrary to Aaron Chatterji and Siona Listokin’s essay in our Winter issue, CSR is an effective strategy to achieve progressive ends.

Back Issues Archive

Features

Mismatching Funds

How small-donor democracy can save campaign finance reform.

By Mark Schmitt

27 MIN READ

E Pluribus Unum

The democratic case for bilingualism.

By Cristina M. Rodríguez

25 MIN READ

Strategic Mistake

The neoconservative approach to nonproliferation has been a disaster. Why Bush can’t disarm Iran.

By Jofi Joseph

28 MIN READ

The Haves and the Have Lots

The American welfare state is bigger than you think, and more unfair than you'd want.

By Christopher Howard

21 MIN READ

Neighborhood Watch

For 60 years, Republican presidents have waged war in the Middle East, and Democratic ones have sought peace. Yet neither has been successful. Why the next president needs neo-regionalism.

By Steven Spiegel

30 MIN READ

Book Reviews

Tipping the Scales

To counter Bush's human rights violations, we must rethink how we defend human rights.

By Neal Kumar Katyal

11 MIN READ

The Halal Melting Pot

Why Dearborn isn’t Paris.

By Spencer Ackerman

14 MIN READ

Anonymous Donor

A new era of wealthy foundations demands a new era of transparency.

By Kathleen McCarthy

16 MIN READ

Right from the Start?

What Milton Friedman can teach progressives.

By J. Bradford DeLong

15 MIN READ

Good Cop

Why America's streets are safer today than a generation ago.

By Jerome Skolnick

16 MIN READ

Responses

The Humiliation Myth

Humiliation doesn't explain terrorism; the spread of Political Islam does. A response to Peter Bergen and Michael Lind.

By Daniel Jonah Goldhagen

11 MIN READ

The Bottom Line

Corporate social responsibility works, and progressives shouldn't abandon it. A response to Aaron Chatterji and Siona Listokin.

By Dan Feldman Sarah Altschuller

9 MIN READ

Recounting

The Course of Bigness

Why Louis Brandeis is on my necktie.

By Andrei Cherny

10 MIN READ

Editor's Note

In This Issue

We are often asked why we chose "Democracy" as the title for this journal. A big part of the answer is because we believe that faith in democracy: in the ability of people to make decisions for themselves over their government...

By Kenneth Baer and Andrei Cherny

4 MIN READ

Letters

Letters to the Editor

Letters from our readers

By Democracy Readers

5 MIN READ

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