"Civil society" has become the talisman of the post–Cold War era, invoked by everybody from Vaclav Havel to Patrick Buchanan. While associations and volunteer groups are indeed essential to a society’s health, our author reminds us that a civilized society cannot exist without the civilizing authority of the state.
Numbers usually tell only partial truths. Yet, for some reason, Americans keep hoping to find revelation in them.
"Alternative Politics" by Michael Kazin, in Dissent (Winter 1996), 521 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017.
"The Strange Disappearance of Civic America" by Robert D. Putnam, in The American Prospect (Winter 1996), P.O. Box 383080, Cambridge, Mass. 02238; "Tuning in, Tuning Out: The Strange Disappearance of Social Capital in America" by Robert D. Putnam, in PS: Political Science & Politics (Dec. 1995), American Political Science Assn., 1527 New Hampshire Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
"Why We Need a Religious Left" by Amy Waldman, in The Washington Monthly (Dec. 1995), 1611 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009.
"Foreign Policy as Social Work" by Michael Mandelbaum, in Foreign Affairs (Jan.–Feb. 1996); "In Defense of Mother Teresa: Morality in Foreign Policy" by Stanley Hoffmann, in Foreign Affairs (Mar.–Apr. 1996), 58 E. 68th St., New York, N.Y.
"Early Isolationism Revisited: Neutrality and Beyond in the 1790s" by Marie-Jeanne Rossignol, in Journal of American Studies (Aug. 1995), Cambridge Univ. Press, Journals Dept., 40 W. 20th St., New York, N.Y. 10011–4211.
"Trends in Unemployment Insurance Benefits" by Daniel P. McMurrer and Amy B. Chasanov, in Monthly Labor Review (Sept. 1995), Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.