Publications

Selected IIP Publications

Following is a list of selected publications produced by the U.S. Department of State's International Information Programs. For a complete listing, visit http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/.

• About America: The Constitution of the United States of America With Explanatory Notes
  This publication includes the complete text of the U.S. Constitution, as well an updated introduction and explanatory notes by J.W. Peltason, author of Understanding the Constitution and Government by the People. (July 2004)
  
• About America: How the United States Is Governed
  This joint publication of the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs and Braddock Communications presents a comprehensive yet easy-to-read overview of the various levels of and institutions related to government in the U.S. "How the United States Is Governed" describes how federal, state, and local governments are elected, how they operate, and how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government relate under the U.S. constitutional system.  (October 2005) 
  
• Basic Readings in U.S. Democracy
  Presents court decisions, legislative acts, and presidential decrees that form the bedrock of American democracy, as well as letters, essays, speeches, and poems that chart the country's search for itself as a democratic society. (September 2001, originally published in 1994)
  
• Democracy Papers
  A series of 12 essays on democracy-building, edited by Melvin Urofsky, a professor of constitutional law at Virginia Commonwealth University and the editor of the USIA publication "Basic Readings in U.S. Democracy." (November 2001)
  
• The Human Toll of Terrorism
  Presents stories of individuals and groups of people murdered by terrorists around the world in recent years, and of those who survived to tell us of their lives.
  
• If You Want to Study in the United States
  An update and revision of the popular series of booklets for students considering higher education in the United States.
  
• Muslim Life in America
  A collection of stories, profiles, graphics, and more than 80 photographs that show Muslims living as part of mainstream American life. (October 2002)
  
• Outline of U.S. History
  A chronological look at how the United States took shape -- from its origins as an obscure set of colonies on the Atlantic coast a little more than 200 years ago into what one political analyst today calls "the first universal nation." This fully illustrated edition has been completely revised and updated by Alonzo L. Hamby, Distinguished Professor of History at Ohio University. (November 2005)
  
• Outline of the U.S. Legal System
  This Outline covers the history and organization of the federal and state judicial systems; the criminal and civil court processes; the background, qualifications, and selection of federal judges; the role of other participants (lawyers, defendants, interest groups) in the judicial process; and the implementation and impact of judicial policies. It is based on the Congressional Quarterly Press' Judicial Process in America, 5th edition, by political science professors Robert A. Carp and Ronald Stidham.  (December 2004)
  
• Principles of Democracy
  Explains fundamental principles that contribute to making a democratic government work effectively. A series of one-page primers that explain fundamental principles that contribute to making a democratic government work effectively. (Updated April 2005)
  
• A Responsible Press Office: An Insiders Guide
  A how-to publication for government leaders and public information officials who want to create an effective mechanism of communication between the media and the government. (September 2001)
  
• Rights of the People: Individual Freedom and the Bill of Rights
  A history of American law and justice, written by Constitutional historian Melvin Urofsky. (December 2003)
  
• Transparency in Government
  Discusses the importance of opening government deliberations and rule-making processes to the public and of making government documents available to concerned citizens. (December 1999)
  
• An Unfettered Press
  A publication on the media in America: constitutional protections, right-to-know laws, editing and managing newspapers, radio and television broadcasting, electronic newspapers, and libel law. (April 2001, originally published in 1994)
  
• U.S. Elections 2004
  This publication is a non-partisan guide intended to help international audiences understand the upcoming U.S. presidential and congressional elections of 2004. (September 2003)
  
• What Is Democracy?
  Highlights such aspects of democratic society as rights of the individual, the rule of law, elections, the democratic culture and government, and politics, economics, and pluralism. (September 1998, originally published in 1992)
  
• What Is a Market Economy?
  Explains why modern private enterprise and entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with political democracy, offer the best prospect for preserving freedom and providing the widest avenues for economic growth and prosperity for all. (September 1998, originally published in 1992)
  
• Writers on America
  Presents 15 essays by a diverse group of contemporary American writers, poets, essayists, and intellectuals, on how being an American has affected their decision to write and what they have written during successful careers. (December 2002)