Updated and now in its second edition, this book explores the two power factions that have dominated US politics and society from the early postwar period to the present. Their think tanks, foundations, and media are examined along with their powerful international networks. Foreign interventions and recent factional conflict are also investigated in the final chapters before developments shaping the United States and the world, including the threat of a neo-totalitarian future, are discussed in the concluding pages. A scholarly yet readable study, the author tackles the topic with a nonpartisan approach but grounded in the values of democracy, liberty, and promotion of the public interest.