Uncertainty reigns, too, amid the bombing blitz in Britain and America in the wake of Pearl Harbor. The historical novel takes readers inside the political battles and atrocities of Nazi-era Germany, fascists fighting a motley crew of European rebels in the Spanish Civil War, and disillusionment spanning the governments of Stalin’s Russia. Much like the previous installment, Winter of the World clips along at a brisk pace. Two years after turning out a 1,000-page historical novel, the first in a planned trilogy spanning the 20th century, Ken Follett returns to strain the backs of booksellers and readers everywhere. “In the long run, you often see that systems can be repaired step by step, and that public confidence then grows again.” And in building a more perfect union, there are lessons to be learned. “In the short run, people will lose some of their trust in democracy” when former leaders are taken to court, Sam Van der Staak of the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance told the Monitor in January. Our lead story today, by Peter Grier and Noah Robertson, looks at the latest indictment in more depth.Whatever the outcome, Americans can eat a bit of humble pie. Trump is deeply divided, with many Americans saying the latest charges – and a previous, civil indictment in New York – are politically driven. His trial is ongoing.In the United States, opinion on Mr.

Israel is another example: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced indictment, was voted out, and then returned to office. Some leaders, as in Brazil, have served time in prison for corruption, then been reelected. From France, Israel, and South Korea to Argentina and Brazil, other nations have shown that former leaders can be held to account – even sent to prison – and the country survives.No one is above the law.

Trump leads polls for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 makes his indictment all the more consequential. The implications for the future of American governance could be profound.Still, Americans can take heart in the lessons of other democracies, as the Monitor explained in a magazine cover story last January. president to face federal criminal charges. The fact that Mr.

A sense of exceptionalism has long infused pride in the American system and successes as the world’s oldest democracy.That self-image is taking a hit with the federal indictment of Donald Trump over alleged mishandling of classified documents, making him the first former U.S. Throughout history, American leaders have borrowed from the Bible in calling their nation a “city upon a hill” – a beacon of hope for humanity.

Ken follett winter of the world review