"For the United States and allied nations, North Korea has long been a source of controversy and concern. In the spring and summer of 2018, North Korea again entered the public debate when news reports indicated that the nation had developed offensive nuclear capabilities and was rapidly approaching a state in which it could attack the United States directly. For decades, the United States and allies have attempted to prevent the escalation of North Korea's military, utilizing negotiation, economic sanctions, and even threats of military force, but to little avail. To better understand the North Korean controversy, it is useful to look at the history and bifurcated cultures of the Korean Peninsula, from the kingdoms that united the peninsula to the struggle for global ideological dominance that ultimately tore the nation into warring halves. From the economic importance of South Korea's bustling urban economies, to the constant threat of North Korea's fundamentalist conservatism, to the lives of transplanted Koreans in the United States and elsewhere, Korea's long and storied culture has left a deep impact on the world."--Preface.

Democracy defined --What is American democracy? -- 20 common forms of government: study starters / David A. Tomar -- What exactly is neoliberalism? / Kean Birch -- Democracy's midlife crisis : an interview with David Runciman / David Runciman, Danielle Charette, and Jacob Hamburger -- History and democracy / Sean Wilentz -- Is the United States of America a republic or a democracy? / Eugene Volokh -- Are we witnessing the death of liberal democracy? / Ian McKay -- Democracy in context -- Democratic identity and economy ; -- The rise of authoritarian capitalism / Kevin Rudd -- Big fail : the internet hasn't helped democracy / Robert Diab -- American democracy is ailing : thinking like an economist can help / Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro -- Economic freedom is essential to democracy / William Dunkelberg -- E pluribus unum? The fight over identity politics / Stacey Y. Abrams, John Sides, Michael Tesler, Lynn Vavreck, Jennifer A. Richeson, and Francis Fukuyama -- Democracy or dictatorship? -- Democratic authoritarianism ; -- American democracy is in crisis, and not just because of Trump / Simon Tisdall -- American democracy has gone through dark times before / Robert Dallek -- Lessons in the decline of democracy from the ruined Roman republic / Jason Daley -- A major democracy watchdog just published a scathing report on Trump / Zack Beauchamp -- Why is American democracy in danger? / Eric Schoon and Corey Pech -- How fragile is democracy? -- The global view ; -- The growing signs of the fragility and resilience of liberal democracy / Heidi Koolmeister -- Yes, we need to do better : world leaders talk democracy / The New York Times -- Despite global concerns about democracy, more than half of countries are democratic / Drew DeSilver -- Democracy is more fragile than many of us realized, but don't believe that it is doomed / Andrew Rawnsley -- Poland's nationalism threatens Europe's values and cohesion / Steven Erlanger and Marc Santora -- What do we think of democracy? -- Attitudes and approaches ; -- The public, the political system and American democracy / Pew Research Center -- 20 of America's top political scientists gathered to discuss our democracy : they're scared / Sean Illing -- What the world can learn about equality from the Nordic model / Geoffrey M. Hodgson -- The Nordic Democratic-Socialist myth / Nima Sanandaji -- Are millennials giving up on democracy? / Neil Howe -- On the sidelines of democracy : exploring why so many Americans don't vote / Asma Khalid, Don Gonyea, and Leila Fadel.