Introduction

For a bankrupt country in the middle of hyperinflation, the discovery of a major diamond deposit in Zimbabwe in June 2006 should have been good news. Instead it has provided sustenance to a volatile and violent political elite that suppresses the majority. The power sharing/coalition government in Zimbabwe came into...

If a modern-day Aesop were to write a fable that illustrates the essential character of the American government, he could model it on the story of Peter Diamond.

Only Mugabe and his friends benefit from Zimbabwe’s diamond wealth.

Diamonds are impossible to fake to a moderately trained eye. But it is much harder to detect where a diamond is from. And because diamonds are often found in places run by dictators and despots, there is a business in faking a "blood" diamond's provenance to pretend it was mined elsewhere.

Could your new diamond engagement ring be supporting Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe?

The new edition of this popular guideexamines how the electoral college and postelection processes work andincludes a short history ofcontested elections.

The president and the White House, Senate leaders of both parties, the FBI and other agencies involved in the nomination and confirmation process need to get serious about changing its downward spiral.Blocking a highly qualified nominee to the Fed during a very difficult economic time is shameful.

This guide explains the electoral college, the process of presidential succession, and the interactions of the Constitution, federal and state statutes, and party and parliamentary rules.