Former Senator Bob Graham of Florida testifies on Capitol Hill on Dec. 11, 2008. (AP)

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Here’s a paradox. We hear a lot these days about populism. But as former Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham points out, real participation in politics — especially by young Americans, and especially in local politics — remains dismally low.

Graham cites a lot of reasons. Civics courses, if they’re taught at all, are boring. Our media and political parties aren’t doing enough. And the only way to learn how to participate, he says, is to try it out for yourself.

So he’s written a how-to guide. This hour, On Point: Senator Bob Graham and his “owner’s manual” for American democracy.

You can join the conversation. Are you involved in your town hall meetings, or did you throw your hands up long ago? How much do you know about how your local, state and federal governments work?

You can join the conversation. What’s your story of friendship through the years? Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

-Jane Clayson, guest host

Guests:

Joining us from Miami, Florida, is former Senator Bob Graham. He represented Florida as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate from 1987 to 2005 and was governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987. He’s now chairman of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism and also chairs the Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida. His new book is “America, The Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work For You.”

Joining us from Leesburg, Virginia, is Lori Waters, member of the Board of Supervisors for Loudoun County, VA, representing the Broad Run District. She is also former executive director of the Eagle Forum, a conservative interest group founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1967.

You want to know about anti-Americanism in the world? Here’s the unhappy conclusion of a big-time panel of Republican and Democratic heavyweights, out yesterday: “America’s reputation, standing, and influence are at all-time lows, and possibly sinking further.”

Never in our history, says the report, have we, as a nation, been so poorly regarded in the world. And that has consequences. When America tries to lead, who follows? And if America stands too much alone, can it possibly prosper? Can it ever be safe?

This hour, On Point: an American challenge — anti-Americanism.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International and a columnist for Newsweek, co-founder of PostGlobal, an international, collaborative journalism project that looks at how the world sees America.

Amar Bakshi, contibutor of daily postings and videos for Washington Post’s PostGlobal site. He is at the beginning of a 5-month trip through Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, the Phillipines, South Korea, Columbia, Venezuela and Mexico.

Robert Keohane, professor of politics at Princeton University and co-editor of the new book “Anti-Americanisms in World Politics.”

Walter Russell Mead, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the new book “God and Gold: Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World.” His essay “Relax, America Will Survive George W. Bush” recently appeared in The New Republic.