Constitutional Development in the USSR
Constitutional Development in the USSR (1981) looks at the political institutions and practices of the Soviet state through the prism of its own constitutional texts. It contains the texts of all four Soviet constitutions, a chapter of commentary precedes each text and an overall assessment of Soviet constitutional development.
Stigmergy
After two decades of spearheading mass movements across the globe, Heather Marsh breaks down the steps to creating lasting and effective change. An essential guide for future activists, this book contains powerful insights and lessons learned from revolutions and movements designed to fight tyranny and oppression worldwide. From the Arab Spring to the modern Ukrainian resistance, Marsh draws upon a wealth of experience to weave together a watertight manual on fighting for the ideas you believe in.Heather Marsh is a passionate champion of human rights and the driving force behind many of the most influential movements of the past decades. Her Binding Chaos theory reveals the principles that guide her actions and create her tireless dedication to change.
Citizenship and Democratic Doubt
Much of the world today views America as an imperialist nation bent on global military, economic, and cultural domination. At home few share this negative view, largely because of a widespread belief in the irreproachable purity of our goals. Bob Pepperman Taylor, however, argues that our moral self-righteousness may potentially imperil our democratic ideals and threaten democracy itself by plunging us into illiberalism.Taylor looks closely at six key thinkers in the Progressive tradition whose work helps illuminate the essential flaws in our current thinking about democracy. Their writings, he contends, offer insights that can reinforce and strengthen a vigorous democratic faith, warn us of the dangers inherent in various forms of democratic arrogance, and counsel a kind of doubt or humility that would make us much better democratic citizens.All six thinkers--Herbert Croly, Walter Lippmann, John Dewey, Jane Addams, Carl Becker, and Aldo Leopold--were active in the first half of the twentieth century and grew out of and reflect the temper of American Progressivism, which spawned the most creative, optimistic, and committed generation of democratic theorists and activists in American history. Their writings, in Taylor's view, illuminate harmful beliefs that constrain and even delude the popular democratic imagination in America.Taylor argues that Croly, Lippmann, and Dewey overestimate the normative value of science and underestimate the utopianism of their democratic visions. On the other hand, Addams, Becker, and Leopold resisted these scientific and utopian temptations. By advocating a kind of humility, they offered reform-minded Americans a stronger understanding of what it meant to practice democratic citizenship, however imperfectly. Addams counsels us to "walk humbly before God"; Becker embraces the Progressive faith in equality and justice but discards its dogma of certain progress; and Leopold employs moral authority rather than his scientific training to defend our natural inheritance in what he recognizes is an ambiguous political debate.These three, Taylor argues, by aiming less at the grand transformation of the human condition than at practical solutions, show greater respect for democratic possibilities than did their more messianic counterparts. They promote a much more modest understanding of the possibilities both for democracy and the role of science in informing democratic practice. They also point to a clearer understanding of the virtues that citizens should cultivate if democracy is to prosper.
The Soviet Union and Terrorism
The Soviet Union and Terrorism (1984) examines the extent of Soviet involvement in international terrorism, and the aims and objectives of Soviet foreign policy. It looks at the evidence of changing Soviet attitudes to terrorism from 1917 to the 1980s, and from the field of terrorist operations.
Soviet Communism
Soviet Communism (1989) contains the full text of the 1986 significantly revised foundational documents of Soviet Communism, the Programme and Party Rules - changes agreed following Gorbachev's call for the radical and democratic reform of the Party and the Soviet political system.
The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union (1989) examines the state of the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s. It claimed to offer a new social, economic and political order and this book looks at the extent of its success. It surveys the major components of Soviet society and examines the principal issues and debates that surround its assessment.
Representative Democracy
Despite the not-so-distant invocations of the "end of history," representative democracy is, today, under siege even from corners where one once might have expected strong sympathy and support. Indeed, confidence in representative democracy has, in recent years, been shaken by the economic and political performance of many such regimes. Representative Democracy explains why the definitive institutional features of representative democracy - the electoral selection of policymaking officials who are independent in the interim between elections - are attractive relative to salient alternatives (including direct democracy, lottery-based systems, and meritocratic alternatives) and, relatedly, why it is a distinctively attractive institutional arrangement, rather than - as it is often perceived to be - a pale stand-in for more robust and genuine forms of democratic government. Building on novel arguments that connect the distinctive institutional features of representative democracy to important epistemic and stability-based benefits, the book provides a normative account of a well-functioning system of representative democracy against which proposed reforms can be evaluated.
Development of Interethnic Relations in Uzbekistan
This monograph is dedicated to the reforms implemented in the field of interethnic relations during the years of independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan, their outcomes, as well as existing challenges and their solutions. It analyzes the state policies aimed at ensuring the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of various nationalities and ethnic groups living in the country, as well as the development of their culture, language, and traditions.The work examines the legal and regulatory documents adopted to strengthen interethnic harmony and religious tolerance in Uzbekistan, the main directions of national policy, as well as the experience of promoting interethnic cooperation through public diplomacy, cultural and educational initiatives, and the education system. It also provides scientific and practical recommendations for addressing the challenges encountered in the field of interethnic relations.The monograph is intended for sociologists, historians, political scientists, researchers engaged in national and international relations, students, and the general public.
The Independent Guide to the Constitution
The Independent Guide to the Constitution: Original Intentions, Modern Inventions cuts through the partisan noise and helps readers reclaim the original, time-tested principles of liberty that America's Framers worked so hard to protect. The Constitution is one of the most studied--and most willfully misunderstood--documents in American life. Now more than ever, Americans need an objective, thorough, and clear-headed analysis of what our Founders meant when they wrote it ... and perhaps even more importantly, what they didn't mean. How should we confront the distortions layered onto the Constitution over generations--distortions that continue to shape, and misshape, American life today? Enter William J. Watkins, Jr. Drawing on a lifetime of experience in the law--as prosecutor, defense attorney, and constitutional scholar--Watkins offers a bold, independent examination of the most important legal document in modern history. His book provides a meticulous, clause-by-clause analysis of America's founding charter, revealing both the Framers' original intentions and the modern interpretations that have reshaped constitutional governance--not always for the better. Clear and rigorous, he explores how the Constitution was designed to secure liberty and limit power--and how its meaning continues to spark debate today. Expertly researched, fascinating, and urgent as ever, this book is indispensable for laymen and scholars alike to understand the Constitution.
Industrial Society and Its Future
Industrial Society and Its Future-commonly known as The Unabomber Manifesto-is a provocative and controversial essay that critiques the consequences of modern industrial and technological development on human freedom and psychological well-being.Written by Theodore John Kaczynski, a former mathematics prodigy turned radical critic of technological progress, the manifesto outlines his belief that the rise of large-scale technological systems has led to widespread social dysfunction, environmental destruction, and the erosion of individual autonomy. Kaczynski argues that only by dismantling industrial society can human beings regain control over their lives and restore a sense of purpose and natural balance.This edition presents the original text in full, allowing readers to explore the arguments that fueled one of the most infamous anti-technology movements in modern history. While the author's actions have been universally condemned, the work remains a subject of debate in academic, political, and philosophical circles for its uncompromising analysis of the costs of progress.
Incumbency Bias
The conventional wisdom in political science is that incumbency provides politicians with a massive electoral advantage. This assumption has been challenged by the recent anti-incumbent cycle. When is incumbency a blessing for politicians and when is it a curse? Incumbency Bias offers a unified theory that argues that democratic institutions will make incumbency a blessing or curse by shaping the alignment between citizens' expectations of incumbent performance and incumbents' capacity to deliver. This argument is tested through a comparative investigation of incumbency bias in Brazil, Argentina and Chile that draws on extensive fieldwork and an impressive array of experimental and observational evidence. Incumbency Bias demonstrates that rather than clientelistic or corrupt elites compromising accountability, democracy can generate an uneven playing field if citizens demand good governance but have limited information. While focused on Latin America, this book carries broader lessons for understanding the electoral returns to office around the world.
The consequences of rights
Written in an style intended to speak to both academics and a general audience, The Consequences of Rights addresses what it means to encounter the human rights concept and advocate for rights from the position of the university academic but in the face of the reality that rights are the ultimate The Consequences of Rights addresses three questions: how, in the face of the notion that all ideas are historical (and hence norms change), can one justify defending human rights, what governmental systems might be suggested by human rights conceptsThe Consequences of Rights takes on these topics, inviting the public and scholars alike to consider their views on such problems. Ben Dorfman's new book offers plenty of insights in an excellent and thought-provoking contribution to the scholarship on human rights and philosophy, global governance, and aesthetics. It stands out with delightful prose, beyond the common academic style, ingeniously relating theory on those decisive issues to the threats and dilemmas of the present. Mats Andr矇n, Professor, Dept. of Literature, History of Ideas and Religion, University of Gothenburg (already solicited)
Representative Democracy
Despite the not-so-distant invocations of the "end of history," representative democracy is, today, under siege even from corners where one once might have expected strong sympathy and support. Indeed, confidence in representative democracy has, in recent years, been shaken by the economic and political performance of many such regimes. Representative Democracy explains why the definitive institutional features of representative democracy - the electoral selection of policymaking officials who are independent in the interim between elections - are attractive relative to salient alternatives (including direct democracy, lottery-based systems, and meritocratic alternatives) and, relatedly, why it is a distinctively attractive institutional arrangement, rather than - as it is often perceived to be - a pale stand-in for more robust and genuine forms of democratic government. Building on novel arguments that connect the distinctive institutional features of representative democracy to important epistemic and stability-based benefits, the book provides a normative account of a well-functioning system of representative democracy against which proposed reforms can be evaluated.
The Impact of Technology on Free and Fair Election
This book evaluates the impact of technology focusing on its role in ensuring free and fair elections. Regardless of persistent challenges such as electoral malpractices, violence, and distrust, technological innovations like biometric voter registration and electronic voting systems have shown potential to enhance transparency and accountability. Tools like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) have reduced fraud and multiple voting incidents, but issues like infrastructural deficits, cyber threats, inadequate training, and political interference hinder their effectiveness. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combined surveys, interviews with stakeholders, and case studies of past elections to analyze the impact of technology on electoral integrity, public perception, and implementation challenges. Findings revealed that while technology has improved transparency, public trust remains low due to concerns about system reliability and equitable access. Recommendations include increased investment in advanced technologies, robust legal frameworks for cybersecurity, stakeholder training programs, and public awareness campaigns to foster.
The Constitution of the United States
The Constitution of the United States: A 2025 Annotated Edition DELUXE SPECIAL INAUGURATION EDITION Featuring All 47 Presidents, the Founding Fathers, and the Complete Bill of Rights I-XXVIIMarking a new chapter in American democracy, this special edition commemorates all the presidents up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration and celebrates the enduring foundation of the United States Constitution.This expanded and annotated edition presents the full texts of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with expert commentary designed for clarity, historical context, and modern relevance. It includes a comprehensive appendix of all 47 Presidents of the United States, from George Washington to Donald J. Trump, along with biographical insights and historical achievements.Key Features: Full Constitution and Bill of Rights (Amendments I-XXVII), annotated for accessibility and understandingHistorical Timeline of pivotal U.S. events and political developmentPresidential Directory featuring facts and accomplishments of all 47 PresidentsSymbolism of the Great Seal and insights into America's founding idealsExpert Foreword by historian Natalie Larsen, MMSt, providing deep historical contextModern Connections: How constitutional principles apply to current issues such as free speech, election integrity, and privacyIdeal For: Educators and students studying civics or American governmentLibraries and institutions requiring authoritative reference materialCollectors and patriots commemorating the 2025 inauguration and its place in American historyWhether you're exploring the roots of the republic or analyzing the Constitution's impact today, this annotated edition is an essential and timeless resource.
Status of Dairying and Potential to Improve Socio-Economic Condition
This book is the outcome of a detailed research study titled "Assessment of the Status of Dairying and Potential to Improve Socio-Economic Status of the Milk Producers and Convergence of all Central & State Schemes at District Level in India." The research was conducted by the Agro-Economic Research Centre at Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Anand, Gujarat, and was commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi.The study encompasses an in-depth analysis of dairying activities across seven eastern states-Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal-and two western states-Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is based on comprehensive primary and secondary data collected from various districts, aiming to assess the existing dairy development infrastructure and its socio-economic impact on milk producers.The book emphasizes the importance of convergence and coordination among various central and state-level schemes to maximize the effectiveness of dairy sector initiatives. It identifies key challenges and opportunities in the sector and proposes actionable recommendations to improve productivity, income levels, and the overall well-being of milk producers.This publication will be particularly valuable for policymakers, researchers, development practitioners, and dairy sector stakeholders seeking to enhance the efficiency of dairy development initiatives, especially in the eastern region of India.
Undoing a Revolution
In 2019, a people's revolution ended the thirty-year reign of Sudan's military president Umar al-Bashir. A transitional government took power, led by esteemed international economist Abdalla Hamdok and promising a return to civilian rule. But Sudan's new government quickly imposed a shock therapy program of cuts, privatizations and devaluation, following the diktat of foreign lenders. In 2021, as Sudan grew poorer, the army seized on popular discontent to launch a coup, burying hopes for a democratic transition. But why did Sudan's first civilian government in more than a quarter-century bend to the will of creditors at this crucial moment in the country's history? The answer lies in an unwieldy and unpayable debt burden that has long constricted Sudanese politics and society. Undoing a Revolution narrates the history of sovereign debt in Sudan from independence to the present, revealing the innovative policies adopted by Sudanese governments to manage their place in the global economy. But it also shows how external actors have leveraged the power of debt to impose their will and wreak havoc. With Sudan embroiled in civil war since 2023, Harry Cross explores the political implications of sovereign debt for states and societies across Africa, and around the world.
Climate Change, Ecology, and Political Instability in Iraq (2007-2015)
The consequences of ecological insecurity and climate change are apparent in all parts of the economic, social, and political domains globally, emphasizing their standing as a transboundary issue. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) states that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is undergoing a noteworthy rise in temperature that has passed 1.5 簞C over the past three decades. This surge in temperature resulted in various environmental obstacles that have seriously altered the region's social and economic security and prosperity. It has caused human casualties and resources damage reaching up to forty billion dollars. Environmental insecurity is specifically damaging politically fragile and unstable countries, for research shows that climate change and its consequences are interrelated with political unrest. This book will argue that ecological insecurity and climate change are a threat multiplier that exacerbates political instability. This argument will be examined and elaborated on through the case of Iraq from 2007 to 2015, which is the period after the evacuation of the US troops.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
In 2016 the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) opened its doors as China's first major foray in creating and leading an international organization with global membership. All major donor countries joined, with the exception of the United States and Japan. Today the AIIB is a medium-sized multilateral development bank (MDB) with a global membership second only to that of the World Bank. This book explains the complexity of the AIIB: a liberal international organization designed by a group of state and MDB experts to reflect the existing norms and rules of development banking while, at the same time, it is the creation of an illiberal state that interacts with the existing order in ways that often contradict those norms and rules. Gutner argues that the AIIB is largely cut from the same cloth as other MDBs and faces similar challenges and criticism. However, a growing contradiction between conflicting Chinese institutional strategies risks turning the AIIB into the Potemkin village of China's international development and regional governance strategies--a showcase of actions that follow global norms of development banking, within a larger landscape of institutions that do not. The book advances our understanding of how institutional diffusion takes place in the system of MDBs and is a reminder of the importance of a nuanced approach to understanding China's institutional strategies.
The Good Nigerian Citizen
In an era where Nigeria stands at a crossroads, this groundbreaking book presents a comprehensive framework for national transformation through active citizenship. Drawing from extensive research and real-world experience, it introduces the innovative Good Nigerian Citizen (GNC) movement-a technology-driven initiative that's revolutionizing how we approach citizenship and national development. The book seamlessly blends traditional values with digital innovation, offering practical solutions for building a merit-based society where talent, skills, and integrity trump paper qualifications. From grassroots community engagement to national productivity initiatives, readers will discover how to become agents of positive change in their spheres of influence. Whether you're a student, professional, community leader, or concerned citizen, this book provides the tools, principles, and inspiration needed to participate in Nigeria's renaissance. It's more than just a book-it's a movement that empowers ordinary Nigerians to become extraordinary catalysts for national rebirth.
The Different Economy of the Self-Employment Sector
The analysis of the economic system of the self-employed sector generates important insights about the production relationships prevailing in this sector. A microcosm of self-employed occupations of India is developed and the occupations are categorized according to location, gender and types of products. The system of production is analyzed to find out the difference of this sector with other wage-working sectors. The extra-legal and extra-capitalist nature of production highlights the inadequacy of the abstract modeling in capturing the economic characteristics of this sector. The Kinship Associations build the informal institutions and determine the terms of input valuations. This dissertation also demonstrates the importance of maintaining the community ties in helping the productive capacity of the self-employed sector.
The Mystery of Security in the Middle East
Iran's enmity with Israel is ideological in the first place and strategic in the second. Iran has invested heavily in its external asymmetric capability, creating and maintaining a network of regional partners with which it shares strategic aims, ideological affinity (to varying degrees) and, critically, weapons systems. This book refers to the foundations and dimensions of the security-political challenges of the overt and covert conflicts between Israel and Iran in the region, and discusses the important dimensions and consequences of this issue.
Egyptian Students and Politics Beyond Protest
This book examines how the evolution of higher education in Egypt affects students and student politics. It aims to look beyond the historical representations of the student movement as protests for national and regional causes in order to account for the impact of the socio-economic shift in the 1990s, the revolution in 2011, and the restrictive context post-2013. Egyptian Students and Politics beyond Protest uncovers the diverse locations where politics emerge among students such as student unions, partisan student organizations, student clubs and associations including simulation models, in addition to activist groups. The book draws on interviews conducted in Egypt between 2013 and 2015 with members of these groups and ethnographic observation of their activities. As students collectively and individually negotiate the scope of their political activities and the meanings they attribute to these activities, the resulting student politics are, not only diverse, but also unexpected.
Development of National Strategy and Doctrine of Republic of Bulgaria
The formulation of a comprehensive national strategy and doctrine is vital for the long-term success, stability, and prosperity of the Republic of Bulgaria. This analysis proposes a conceptual and analytical framework for such development, highlighting its urgency in a complex and unpredictable global security environment. Amid internal political instability, shifting geopolitical dynamics, and emerging transnational threats, Bulgaria's lack of an integrated strategic vision hampers its ability to respond effectively to modern challenges. A coherent strategy and doctrine would unify efforts across political, social, economic, and security sectors, while also empowering Bulgaria to project a more confident and assertive presence internationally. The development of this strategic framework is not a luxury-it is an urgent necessity for fostering national coherence, building resilience, and strengthening Bulgaria's ability to shape its own future in a rapidly evolving multipolar world.
Democracy in Peril. West Africa’s Struggle for Political Stability
Academic Paper from the year 2024 in the subject Politics - Region: Africa, language: English, abstract: The democratic scene in West Africa has seen notable changes in recent years as nations show different degrees of democratic resilience and as well as democratic backslidings. The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2024 Democracy Index and the Freedom in the World 2024 report of Freedom House classified West African countries into several categories, therefore underscoring a general trend of declining democratic liberties. While some countries-like Cabo Verde and Ghana-have very solid democratic institutions, many countries are faced with growing governance problems, election anomalies, and limited human freedoms under rising constraint. Significant challenges to political stability and the rule of law arise from political repression, executive overreach, corruption, and weak institutions still impeding democratic development. Comparative study of important West African countries suggests a concerning trend of democratic backsliding, especially in nations like Guinea, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger, which have suffered political liberties. Though classed as a flawed democracy, Cabo Verde is the most democratic country in West Africa. Ghana also maintains a somewhat steady multi-party system and like Cabo Verde, has a flawed democracy according to the Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index Report 2024. Liberia and Sierra Leone, on the other hand, continue to be hybrid governments battling corruption and poor leadership. Though it conducts frequent elections, Nigeria has ingrained problems like political violence and electoral manipulation. Once seen as shining examples of democratic development, nations like Senegal have since been subject to growing limitations on press freedom and political opposition. Authoritarianism has therefore been ingrained in nations like Guinea, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Niger, and Burkina Faso where
Balanced Living Blueprint
Achieving a truly thriving life requires a balanced approach that integrates nutrition, fitness, and mental health. These three pillars are deeply interconnected, each influencing the other in profound ways. By understanding how they work together, you can create a sustainable lifestyle that promotes long-term well-being. Nutrition serves as the foundation of health. A well-balanced diet rich in whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, and essential vitamins fuels the body and mind. Proper nutrition enhances energy levels, strengthens the immune system, and supports cognitive function, making staying active and maintaining emotional stability easier. Fitness complements nutrition by keeping the body strong, agile, and resilient. Regular physical activity improves cardiovascular health, builds muscle, and enhances flexibility. More than just physical benefits, exercise releases endorphins-natural mood boosters that reduce stress and anxiety. Whether it's strength training, yoga, or outdoor activities, movement is essential for maintaining both physical and mental balance. Mental health is the glue that ties everything together.
Crafting Constitutions in Florida, 1810-1968
Tracing over 200 years of constitutional tradition inFlorida As historicaldocuments, constitutions represent a unique window into the economic, social, and political contexts of the people who debated, drafted, and ratified them. Thiscomprehensive volume examines all constitutions drafted in Florida, from theterritorial era to the most recent version from 1968. In addition to the6 constitutional revisions implemented by the state government, chapters inthis book include discussions of the West Florida Republic Constitution of 1810and the East Florida Patriot Constitution of 1812, both created before Floridabecame a state, as well as the constitutions of the Seminole and MiccosukeePeople. Contributors show what aspects of each constitution were borrowed from existingtraditions and what parts were influenced by circumstances of the time. Floridahas the twelfth most-revised constitution in the nation, offering a useful casestudy both in comparison to other states and in the flexibility of stateconstitutions compared to the US Constitution. This volumepresents a complete history of the drafting of constitutions and the creationof governments across people and movements in Florida. It provides backgroundinformation for today's debates about whether the 1968 constitution should berevised and what the next steps are for the state in this 200-year tradition. A volume in theseries Government and Politics in the South, edited by Sharon D. Wright Austinand Angela K. Lewis-MaddoxContributors: M.C. Mirow James M. Denham Robert Cassanello Samuel C. Hyde, Jr. Andrea L. Oliver Christopher Day Mary E. Adkins R. Boyd Murphree Andrew K. Frank
State and Nation Making in Latin America and Spain: Volume 3
Neoliberalism is often studied as a political ideology, a government program, and even as a pattern of cultural identities. However, less attention is paid to the specific institutional resources employed by neoliberal administrations, which have resulted in the configuration of a neoliberal state model. This accessible volume compiles original essays on the neoliberal era in Latin America and Spain, exploring subjects such as neoliberal public policies, power strategies, institutional resources, popular support, and social protest. The book focuses on neoliberalism as a state model: a configuration of public power designed to implement radical policy proposals. This is the third volume in the State and Nation Making in Latin America and Spain series, which aims to complete and advance research and knowledge about national states in Latin America and Spain.
The Classics of Marxism
"Workers of the world, unite!"For many decades, Marxism was declared to be dead. However, as the crisis of capitalism deepens, events are proving every day the vitality and correctness of these ideas. Scientific Socialism, as developed by Marx and Engels, and later on by Lenin and Trotsky, stands alone in offering an explanation to the impasse facing humanity, as well as the way forward.However, no body of ideas have faced such relentless slander and distortion, by both its enemies as well as by many of its alleged proponents.To really understand Marxism, therefore, one must go to the source - to the writings of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky. After all, no one has explained these ideas better than these great revolutionaries.This collection gathers together some of the fundamental texts elaborating the Marxist method. They form an endless goldmine of knowledge and a living weapon for those who want to change the world.Featuring: The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx and Friedrich EngelsSocialism: Utopian and Scientific - Friedrich EngelsThe State and Revolution - Vladimir Ilyich LeninThe Transitional Programme - Leon Trotsky
The Cultural Politics of Art in Iran
Modernist Iranian art represents a highly diverse field of cultural production deeply involved in discussing questions of modernity and modernization as practiced in Iran. This book investigates how artistic production and art criticism reflected upon the discourse about gharbzadegi (westoxification), the most substantial critique of Iran's adaptation of Western modernity, and ultimately proved to be a laboratory for the negotiation of an anti-colonial concept of an Iranian artistic modernity, which artists and critics envisioned as a significant other to Western colonial modernity. In this book, Katrin Nahidi revisits Iranian modernist art, aiming to explore a political and contextualized interpretation of modernism. Based on extensive fieldwork, interviews, and archival research, Nahidi provides a history of modernist art production since the 1950s and reveals the complex political agency underlying art historiographical processes. Offering a key contribution to postcolonial art history, Nahidi shows how Iranian artistic modernity was used to flesh out anti-colonial concepts and ideas around Iranian national identity.
Leaders in the Middle East and North Africa
The study of politics in the MENA region has traditionally been dominated by historical and case study approaches. In this innovative book, ?zg羹r ?zdamar and Sercan Canbolat instead adopt a social science-based methodology to reconsider the dynamics of power and leadership in Africa and the Middle East. By analysing the psychological profiles of fourteen leaders across eight countries and three non-state organizations, they develop a nuanced portrait of modern leadership. Using this approach, the authors are able to draw connections between apparently disparate political ideologies, from Sunni Islamism to Shia revolutionism, from secular nationalism and armed non-state groups. Demonstrating the previously unacknowledged commonalities and divergences in these leaders' approaches, ?zdamar and Canbolat illuminate their tactics and strategies and offer novel insights into how best to negotiate with them.
Southern Interregnum
How do governing elites in the global South attempt to remake hegemony in a conjuncture of durable crisis? This is the question at the core of Southern interregnum, a comparative conjunctural analysis of hegemonic projects in Brazil, India, China, and South Africa. Working with a Gramscian notion of crisis, centred on the interregnum as an enduring period of instability and uncertainty, in which hegemonic authority erodes and competing projects for crisis resolution emerge, the book proposes a novel critical reading of the convulsions that are currently reshaping the political economy of the global South and the world-system.Mapping the variegated trajectories of elite projects to reconcile accumulation and legitimation - and probing the limits of these projects - the book breaks new ground in the study of the contemporary global South.
Incumbency Bias
The conventional wisdom in political science is that incumbency provides politicians with a massive electoral advantage. This assumption has been challenged by the recent anti-incumbent cycle. When is incumbency a blessing for politicians and when is it a curse? Incumbency Bias offers a unified theory that argues that democratic institutions will make incumbency a blessing or curse by shaping the alignment between citizens' expectations of incumbent performance and incumbents' capacity to deliver. This argument is tested through a comparative investigation of incumbency bias in Brazil, Argentina and Chile that draws on extensive fieldwork and an impressive array of experimental and observational evidence. Incumbency Bias demonstrates that rather than clientelistic or corrupt elites compromising accountability, democracy can generate an uneven playing field if citizens demand good governance but have limited information. While focused on Latin America, this book carries broader lessons for understanding the electoral returns to office around the world.
The Tears of Silence and the Holy Land of Hypocrisy
The Tears of Silence and the Holy Land of Hypocrisyis a journey through broken promises, manipulated truths, and the unbearable silence that falls between bombs. It does not aim to take sides-it aims to reveal what is forgotten: the human soul beneath the slogans, the tears behind the headlines, the children who grow up learning the sound of drones before they learn their own names.In a world where pain is politicized and suffering turned into spectacle, this book dares to ask: What is the cost of believing blindly? Who profits when truth is silenced? And what happens to a people-any people-when their grief is used, their resistance reduced, and their humanity rewritten?Drawing from raw testimony, psychological depth, and prophetic reflection, the author offers a narrative that cuts through noise and demands to be felt. This is not just about Palestine. It is about power. It is about language. It is about the war that lives not only in the land-but in the minds and hearts of those who are taught what to see, and what not to feel.From the ashes of Gaza to the silence of Arab palaces, from the corridors of Western hypocrisy to the ancient texts turned into weapons, this book holds a mirror to our modern world-and it does not look away.If you still believe peace is more than a word, and justice more than a posture-then you will hear your own questions in these pages.Because silence is not empty. It is full of stories waiting to be told.
Far from Home
A voice of reason in a polarized U.S. Senate, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska tells the story of how she learned to adapt to the harsh climate of Washington, D.C., and issues a fervent appeal for a politics grounded in compromise and compassion. "Two paths diverged--Lisa Murkowski took the one less traveled. In Far from Home, we see how the solitary course she chose has made all the difference."--Senator Mitt Romney Lisa Murkowski has repeatedly stood at the center of our nation's most challenging issues, serving as a swing vote and a voice willing to challenge the president, regardless of who holds the office. In this candid memoir that offers hope for a functional Washington, she guides readers through the defining events of her more than twenty-year career: her beginnings in Alaska and appointment to the U.S. Senate, the rise of the Tea Party and her historic 2010 write-in reelection campaign, and the pivotal events of the Trump era, including her vote against Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, the 2020 election, January 6, the impeachment trials, the overturning of Roe, and Trump's second election. Written at a time when Americans' trust in their institutions is in crisis, Far from Home is a candid account of how things get done in Washington. It is an uplifting narrative for anyone seeking reassurance that our political system can still work.
Subverting the Republic
From two expert presidential scholars comes a new answer to why the Trump presidency happened: decades of partisanship and policies have centered the president as the sole focus of American government to create a treacherous system whose danger may far outlive the politics of Donald J. TrumpDonald Trump's presidency and the extraordinary events that led to his reelection in 2024 have changed how we understand the presidency--but this transformation was not of his own making. His unprecedented rise to power brazenly defies established constitutional norms and institutions, and Trump 2.0 promises another disruptive term. Yet, as Nicholas F. Jacobs and Sidney M. Milkis reveal, Trump's brand of presidential politics is not merely a shocking departure from tradition, but a symptom of a constitutional disease that had has long afflicted the American polity. They call this condition presidentialism, a dangerous shift towards an executive-centered politics and government that places immense power in the hands of a single individual.While some scholars of American politics view the Trump presidency as a cult of personality, Jacobs and Milkis argue that his unsettling ascent to the White House was decades in the making, the result of numerous cultural, institutional, and constitutional changes. From aggressively redeploying the federal government's administrative powers, to using the tools of the modern presidency to undertake a hostile takeover of the Republican Party, the authors comprehensively detail Trump's first presidential administration to understand the peril of a presidency-centered democracy. The disruptive features of Trump's presidential politics should not be viewed as an ephemeral phenomenon, nor will the threat that presidentialism poses to American democracy end once he finally leaves office.Subverting the Republic explains why Trump has reigned over American politics for nearly a decade and why his mastery threatens to deepen a crisis that tears at the fabric of the American constitution.
Abolish war!
The writer and political activist Victor Hugo proclaimed at the World Peace Congress held in Paris in 1849 that the death penalty must be abolished. Now, 176 years after that historic speech, a new objective is needed: the abolition of war. If war applies the death penalty indiscriminately and without any legal procedure, the only way to avoid this contradiction and crime against humanity is to abolish it.In this book, Mart穩 Olivella proposes a strategy of Nonviolent Self-Defense with Civil Deterrence to prevent armed conflicts and ensure that they never become profitable for a potential aggressor. This strategy maintains the right and duty to defend ourselves against invasion or injustice, but does so intelligently, effectively, and ethically.The author presents information and proposals aimed at the creation of nonviolent self-defense forces within a new security paradigm. An unprecedented but not impossible formulation.This is a highly valuable document for addressing the turbulent times we are living in, and, with tools and arguments, helps build a peaceful and democratic movement. This book points us in the direction of a path that is both necessary and useful.
Samuel T. Francis and Revolution from the Middle
IN THE LAST THIRD of the 20th century, Samuel T. Francis became well-known as a learned and blunt political commentator in his columns, newsletters, and books. In a persistent and multi-faceted analysis, Francis described the U.S. elite (including both parties) as indifferent or hostile to the great American middle class. The elite's policies in economics, culture, and endless wars, disregarded both the beliefs and the interests of the people. Although he passed away young in 2005, Francis was a prophet in predicting a populist revolt against the elite-that occurred with the Trump election of 2024. This is the first biography of a powerful and prophetic American thinker, who sacrificed an establishment career to tell the truth. The skilled biographer Joseph Scotchie has brought Francis to life. Along the way he has also told much of the unwritten history of the paleo-conservatism and right-wing populism of recent times and their leaders.
Narrative War
Narrative War was born out of the author's experiences dealing with 9/11, serving within andwith Arab armies, and planning for the Battle of Mosul to defeat ISIS.This book is almost twenty-five years in the making, with ten years dedicated to thinking, planning, teaching, speaking, and advocating for a new approach to war-narrative war-against groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.The events of 2020 and 2024 in the form of elections, COVID-19, protests and marches, and violent actions against government events and buildings, led the author to understand that narrative war is more than military war; it is a philosophy that explains all forms of social conflict.The big ideas, basic strategy, and critical questions necessary for understanding, conducting, and ideally winning narrative war are part of what is inside. The book also provides a philosophical understanding of narrative war ideas and concepts using multiple examples of its conduct in the real world.(About the Author)Lieutenant Colonel Brian L. Steed (Retired) served more than twenty-eight years in the U.S. Army including as an exchange officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, and as a liaison officer with the Israel Defense Forces, giving him experiences on both banks of the Jordan River. He served in Iraq, worked in Embassy Abu Dhabi, and traveled throughout the Middle East and North Africa. He has authored and edited nine books dealing with cross-cultural influence and Middle East conflict and history. He earned his Ph.D. in political science and history from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, is an associate professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and a senior fellow with Narrative Strategies.
Europeans as Coastal Brokers in the West and West-Central African Slave Trade (1680-1720)
The years between 1680 and 1720 saw the intensification of the regional slave trade in West Africa. Previous scholarship has focused almost exclusively on Africans and Afro-descendants as brokers in the region, placing Europeans as Atlantic intermediaries. Europeans as Coastal Brokers in the West and West-Central African Slave Trade (1680-1720) argues that not only was European mediation in Africa deeply interwoven with endogenous trade networks, but also that it was eagerly desired by the powerful potentates of the hinterland as a means of increasing their political and economic power over the region. Examining the interconnected interests of coastal authorities and Europeans, this book demonstrates that Europeans were the key brokers in the diversification of slave trade routes to the shore.
Theory & Struggle
Theory & Struggle is the journal of the Marx Memorial Library published by Praxis Press. Currently published annually, it features articles that grapple with debates taking place within Marxist circles as well studying critical developments in the labour and progressive movements in Britain and internationally, including movements for gender equality, for racial equality and for peace.
Emerging Issues in Agribusiness Management in India
This book is a valuable compendium of research papers presented at the International Conference on Emerging Global Economic Situation: Impact on Trade and Agribusiness in India. It is systematically organized into four distinct parts, comprising a total of thirty-four insightful papers contributed by scholars and professionals from various fields.The first part of the book focuses on critical aspects of Crop Production and Agricultural Growth, offering perspectives on productivity, sustainability, and technological advancements. The second part delves into Agricultural Marketing and Pricing Issues in India, addressing market access, price volatility, and policy impacts affecting farmers and agribusinesses.In the third section, the book examines significant themes related to Credit, Income, and Insurance within the agricultural sector. It explores financial inclusion, risk mitigation mechanisms, and rural income support strategies. The final part discusses Innovation and Influencing Factors in the Agricultural Sector, shedding light on emerging technologies, institutional reforms, and socio-economic drivers of change.This comprehensive volume serves as an essential resource for researchers, students, policymakers, and professionals interested in the growth and development of agriculture and allied sectors in India. By addressing diverse and relevant topics, the book contributes to a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the evolving agribusiness landscape of the country.
Stigmergy
After two decades of spearheading mass movements across the globe, Heather Marsh breaks down the steps to creating lasting and effective change. An essential guide for future activists, this book contains powerful insights and lessons learned from revolutions and movements designed to fight tyranny and oppression worldwide. From the Arab Spring to the modern Ukrainian resistance, Marsh draws upon a wealth of experience to weave together a watertight manual on fighting for the ideas you believe in.Heather Marsh is a passionate champion of human rights and the driving force behind many of the most influential movements of the past decades. Her Binding Chaos theory reveals the principles that guide her actions and create her tireless dedication to change.
Progressives, Leftists, and Black America
In this powerful and eye-opening new edition of Progressives, Leftists, and Black America, author Brian Oglesby returns with an expanded and updated analysis of the real-world impact progressive policies have had on Black communities in the United States. With added chapters, refined arguments, and timely reflections on recent political and cultural shifts, this edition takes the conversation deeper than ever before.Oglesby unapologetically confronts the widely accepted belief that progressive and leftist ideologies have been beneficial to Black Americans. Instead, he offers a well-reasoned critique, exposing how decades of liberal policy-making have eroded family structures, weakened educational systems, and fostered generational dependence on government programs. From the breakdown of the nuclear family to the rise of identity politics, this book challenges readers to examine the unintended consequences of political loyalty and ideological conformity.This edition includes new material analyzing recent national events, shifts in party platforms, and the cultural narrative surrounding race, equity, and justice. Oglesby also addresses how faith, entrepreneurship, and personal responsibility can serve as pathways toward lasting empowerment and liberation.Passionate, data-driven, and deeply personal, Progressives, Leftists, and Black America is more than a political critique-it's a rallying cry for intellectual independence, cultural restoration, and a renewed vision for the future of Black America.Whether you're a policymaker, educator, activist, or everyday citizen, this book will challenge your assumptions and expand your perspective.
The Indispensable Right
A "timely and brilliant original" (Michael B. Mukasey, former US attorney general) look at freedom of speech--our most basic right and the one that protects all the others. Free speech is a human right, and the free expression of thought is at the very essence of being human. The United States was founded on this premise, and the First Amendment remains the single greatest constitutional commitment to the right of free expression in history. Yet there is a systemic effort to bar opposing viewpoints on subjects ranging from racial discrimination to police abuse, from climate change to gender equity. These measures are reinforced by the public's anger and rage; flash mobs appear today with the slightest provocation. We all lash out against anyone or anything that stands against our preferred certainty. The Indispensable Right places the current attacks on free speech in their proper historical, legal, and political context. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights were not only written for times like these, but in a time like this. This country was born in an age of rage and for 250 years we have periodically lost sight of the value of free expression. The history of the struggle for free speech is the story of extraordinary people--nonconformists who refuse to yield to abusive authority--and here is a mosaic of vivid characters and controversies. Johnathan Turley "has written a learned and bracing book, rigorously detailed and unfailingly evenhanded" (The Wall Street Journal) showing us the unique dangers of our current moment. The alliance of academic, media, and corporate interests with the government's traditional wish to control speech has put us on an almost irresistible path toward censorship. The Indispensable Right is a "magnum opus should be required reading for everyone who cares about free speech" (Nadine Strossen, former president of the American Civil Liberties Union) that reminds us that we remain a nation grappling with the implications of free expression and with the limits of our tolerance for the speech of others. For rather than a political crisis, this is a crisis of faith.
The Care Economy
Care is the foundation of organic life. But its fate in the economy is precarious and uncertain. The labour of care is arduous and underpaid. Yet without it health and vitality are impossible. Care itself ends up leading a curious dual life. In our hearts it's honoured as an irreducible good. But in the market it's treated as a second class citizen - barely recognised in the relentless rush for productivity and wealth.How did we arrive in this dysfunctional place? And what can we do to change things? What would it mean to take health seriously as a societal goal? What would it take to adopt care as an organising principle in the economy? Renowned ecological economist Tim Jackson sets out to tackle these questions in this timely and deeply personal book. His journey travels through the history of medicine, the economics of capitalism and the philosophical underpinnings of health. He unpacks the gender politics of care, revisits the birthplace of a universal dream and confronts the demons that prevent us from realising it. Irreverent, insightful and profoundly inquisitive, The Care Economy offers a bold and accessible manifesto for a healthier and more humane society. Also available as an audiobook, narrated by the author.
