Just finished The Federalist Papers (Hamilton, Madison and Jay). Not always the most exceiting read, but refreshing to see the depth of dialogue on basic political issues. I read it to fulfill the usually disregarded portion of Sun Tzu's quip about knowing oneself. I found it very enlightening in describing some our (the West in general and the US specifically) assumptions on what is required for an operating republic.
I don't think we realize the disconnect when we take our western institutions and try to apply them where the societal chemistry doesn't match. Michael Mandelbaum has a decent article in the latest Foreign Affairs along this line ("Democracy Without America").