The complete online text of Bureaucracy by Honoré de Balzac.

Had Balzac been a less masterful novelist, the disreputably profligate fraud in him might have overwhelmed his artistry. Still, the other Balzac, the artist, is tainted by his well-earned reputation for what has been called artistic license or dishonesty...

The French novelist Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) was the first writer to use fiction to convey the total social scene prevailing within one country at a particular period in its history. Commonly regarded as the founder of social realism, he also...

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon formally endorsed a radical streamlining of United Nations operations Monday, delivering a report to the General Assembly that urges the elimination of unnecessary bureaucracy.The sprawling U.N. system contains 16 specialized agencies, 14 funds and programs, and 17 departments and offices, leading to...

Two years after the nation's commando forces were given broad authority to attack terrorist networks, the elite units remain hampered by uncertainty over coordination, says the admiral chosen to head the U.S. Special Operations Command.Navy Vice Adm. Eric Olson said that while the command has...

As the White House point man on Iraq and Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Doug Lute keeps an eye on three clocks: Baghdad time, Kabul time and the time running out on his boss' presidency.Knowing the wars will outlast his administration, Bush gave Lute the job of...

Milagros Vacas Arlandis had three children and a demanding job as a doctor. Still, she and her husband felt something was missing from their lives and they decided to adopt a child.For the next 10 years, they battled Spain's tough bureaucratic hurdles to adoption, without...