A perennial best-seller, this critical anthology introduces students to influential concepts, enabling them to analyze and understand the major crises of our time. A unique mix of classic and contemporary essays, this thought-provoking text covers the entire field of comparative politics. A review panel of political scientists drawn from the most prestigious universities in China singled out Brown's Comparative Politics as "a classic of the literature of the West," calling it "the most famous work in the field." Special attention in the new edition is given to issues and trends brought to the fore by the attacks of 9/11: clash and dialogue of civilizations, with reference notably to Islamism; the impact of modernization/globalization on the traditional state; and the growing uncertainties of democratization in post-communist systems and developing countries.