Is American politics dysfunctional or does it just look that way? What happens when aggressive hyper-partisanship collides with a political system that can only work co-operatively? Is the damage fatal to the democratic system?

The United States Studies Centre partnered with the Sydney Opera House's Festival of Dangerous Ideas to present this discussion featuring Stanford University's Shanto Iyengar and The Atlantic's Norman Ornstein, chaired by USSC chief executive Simon Jackman.

This event is presented in association with Sydney Opera House's Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

US politics: Even worse than it looks