For anyone who cares about the health of American democracyand indeed of international security Governments End is a fascinating, disturbing, and vitally important book. An earlier edition of this extraordinarily prescient, elegantly written book created a sensation among Washington media insiders when it was published more than five years ago under the title Demosclerosis . In it, Jonathan Rauch, a former correspondent for The Economist and a columnist for National Journal , showed with startling clarity the reasons why Americas political system (and, in fact, other political systems as well) was becoming increasingly ineffective. Today, as Rauchs predictions continue to manifest themselves in a national politics of sound and fury and little effective legislation, and in increasing voter cynicism, this book has achieved renown as the classic and essential work on why politics and government dont work. In Governments End , Rauch has completely rewritten and updated his earlier work to reassess his theory, analyze the political stalemate of the last few years, and explain why sweeping reform efforts of the kind led by Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Newt Gingrich arent the answers