"Jared Diamond ... reveals how successful nations recover from crises while adopting selective changes--a coping mechanism more commonly associated with individuals recovering from personal crises. Diamond compares how six countries have survived recent upheavals--ranging from the forced opening of Japan by U.S. Commodore Perry's fleet, to the Soviet Union's attack on Finland, to a murderous coup or countercoup in Chile and Indonesia, to the transformations...

The two professors discuss how government works, going head to head on such topics as “good” public administration, Congress, big business, and everyone's bugaboo, bureaucratic dysfunction.

"Since the 2011 crisis sparked by the Arab Spring, Yemen has been engaged in a critical political transition. Deteriorating security and political uncertainty during this period have eroded rule of law and exacerbated long-standing weaknesses in state institutions. This report, which is part of a larger exploration into security and rule of law in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, highlights the current strengths and weaknesses of the justice...