Markets, Power, and Change
While the issue of Ukraine is engaging the public and fostering a greater interest in foreign and security policy topics, global economic policy issues and debates largely pass most people by and are primarily discussed by economists and economic historians. Unlike during the Euro crisis, whose complexities overwhelmed society as a whole, questions about supply chains, resource security, and technological change have now reached the press and media. However, for most people, the necessity of a related paradigm shift in German foreign and economic policy is not evident. This is particularly true for the increasing importance of using economic means to enforce (power) political interests - in other words, the new "geoeconomics". This book situates the scientific findings and debates surrounding this term within the global confrontation between the USA, China, and Europe, translating them into language that everyone can understand. The author contributes to the public debate in Germany with this essay and therefore addresses the interested public.
Inside Brazilian Bureaucracy
Although the everyday actions of civil servants and the overall performance of government agencies have huge impacts on the lives of Latin America's citizens, scholars have only recently begun to analyze the region's bureaucrats and bureaucracies. This book focuses on bureaucratic attitudes and agency behavior in a diverse group of Brazilian states.The book begins with a survey of state-level bureaucrats, a survey centering on perceptions of political bias and on the networks bureaucrats construct to perform their jobs and advance their careers. In collaboration with Brazilian scholars, the book then analyzes the implementation of nine policies in a diverse set of states. These policies include the construction of a light rail system and a peripheral highway, management of a children's hospital and a river basin, establishment of a framework for cooperative economic programs, the rolling back of a decentralization program, a reform of secondary education, cleaning a major river, and restructuring a transportation department. The final chapter assesses the implications of the book's findings for bureaucracy as a whole and for Brazilian politics. This book will be useful for students and scholars of Latin American politics and for policymakers and development practitioners.
Exiled Scholars in Western Academia: Refugees or Intellectuals?
Us Diplomacy and the Good Friday Agreement in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland
Richard Haass and Mitchell Reiss, as autonomous diplomats in the George W. Bush State Department, were able to alter US intervention in Northern Ireland and play critical roles in the post-1998 peace process. Their contributions have not been fully appreciated or understood. The restoration of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government in 2007 was made possible by State Department-led intervention in the peace process. There are few references to Northern Ireland in work examining the foreign policy legacy of the George W. Bush presidency. Moreover, the ability to control US foreign policy towards the region brought one of George W. Bush's Northern Ireland special envoys into direct diplomatic conflict with the most senior actors inside the British government. This book will uncover the extent of this fall-out and provide original accounts on how diplomatic relations between these old allies became so fraught.
The Caucasus Emirate
Insurgency has plagued the North Caucasus since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Between 2007 and 2015, rebels waged their struggle under the banner of the Caucasus Emirate (Imarat Kavkaz, IK). This book systematically examines the IK's ideology to explain what the group claimed to be fighting for and against and how it sought to mobilise people behind its cause. It reveals a group with a weakly developed political programme, which aligned itself with global jihadism but consistently prioritised local concerns. It demonstrates the priority rebel leaders afforded to shaping local identities, but also their failure to forge a unified movement or revitalise armed struggle. Re-evaluating the IK's ideology helps us better understand the past and future of armed struggle in the North Caucasus.
Is Peace Possible?
Marginalian Editions presents a trailblazing Quaker scientist's slender masterwork of moral courage, penned at the height of the Cold War, envisioning a transformation of the human spirit and our politics that might enable the triumph of peace. Kathleen Lonsdale was a groundbreaking chemist who was instrumental in developing the science of crystallography. She was also a midlife convert to Quakerism who campaigned for peace and prison reform. Horrified by the dropping of the first atomic bombs, Lonsdale felt that the entire scientific community was now tainted by the violence it had enabled. Published in 1957, Is Peace Possible? was her attempt to make amends for this communal guilt by demonstrating that science can bring peace as well as war, and can address the "big questions" generally left to the humanities. In crystalline language and logic honed from a lifetime of relying on the sharpness of her mind to cut through barriers of class and gender, and refusing to be bullied by received wisdom about war's inevitability, Kathleen Lonsdale's Is Peace Possible? is a work of quiet, elegant sanity. It is a snapshot of a particular moment in history, but its themes are eternally relevant, and perhaps even more necessary now than when it was written.
Agents of Justice
In the last half century since the height of the rights revolution - a period marked by significant rights expansions but limited government capacity to enforce them - efforts to defend individuals' and communities' rights have hinged on the effectiveness of the "litigation state: " a fragile but sometimes powerful mode of governance that relies on private litigants and their attorneys, rather than agencies, to enforce the laws of the land. In Agents of Justice, Quinn Mulroy argues that this system of governance was built and shaped by the concerted, mission-driven efforts of the agency officials who have largely been written out of the story of the litigation state. She traces how constrained civil rights and environmental agencies established during the rights revolution developed creative strategies for mobilizing mass private legal activity on the statutes they enforce, generating significant, societal-level regulatory effects. In doing so, they acted as agents of justice. Mulroy builds a new theory of the origins and development of the litigation state, challenging the conventional view that it was created to circumvent the bureaucracy and durably insulate private regulatory action in the courts. Through comparative case studies of the agencies charged with combatting employment discrimination, environmental degradation, and housing discrimination, she uncovers the pivotal, but quite hidden, role of agency officials in building, sustaining and, at times, even weakening private legal activity over time. By centering the efforts of agents of justice in our conception of the litigation state, this book offers major lessons for our understanding of American politics, regulation, and state building from the mid-20th century to the present.
The New Nuclear Age
The world is entering a new nuclear age. Nuclear weapons are returning to the fore of international statecraft in ways unseen since the Cold War. With major powers like Russia issuing threats of nuclear strikes, China and North Korea continuing to grow their arsenals, and new prospects for proliferation from the Middle East to East Asia, the world has been thrust into a new era of heightened nuclear risk. In this incisive book, international security expert Ankit Panda explores the enduring and emerging factors that are contributing to this new nuclear age. From strained great power ties to complex multipolar dynamics and the precipitous decline of arms control, he shows how our coexistence with the bomb is becoming more complicated and perilous. The prospect of nuclear escalation is again shaping how political decision-makers and military establishments around the world think and act. But unlike the peril of the Cold War, a greater number of nuclear players and a plethora of new technologies, including AI and exotic new weapons, make the search for stability far from straightforward. Managing the risks of a nuclear confrontation, he argues, will require new urgency and thinking to pull us back from the precipice of global catastrophe.
Genocide Bad
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Part activist memoir, part crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history, Genocide Bad dismantles Zionist propaganda and maps a course towards collective liberation in ten unapologetic essays. Part activist memoir, part crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history, Genocide Bad dismantles Zionist propaganda in ten unapologetic essays. Drawing connections between Biblical promises and exploding pagers, medieval dress codes and modern-day apartheid, Kern sketches a sweeping history of imperialism with their characteristic blend of far-ranging research, pop-culture insights, and scathing humor. Kern, a former teacher, journalist, novelist, and book influencer, gained international recognition as an anti-Zionist Jewish activist in the days after October 7th, 2023. At a time when social media was flooded with "I Stand with Israel" posts, Kern started sharing content encouraging their followers to read Palestinian books, learn Palestinian history, and question Western reporting on Palestine--videos which went viral into tens of millions of views. Despite facing hate messages, death threats, and exile from the Zionist Jewish community, Kern has remained steadfast in their advocacy over the past year. They've posted daily videos on Palestinian, Jewish, and colonial history, and they've raised over $500,000 in direct aid for families in Gaza--all while navigating the challenges of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting a newborn. In Genocide Bad, Kern reflects on the life experiences that led them to anti-Zionist activism, while capturing and expanding upon their online educational content. Kern doesn't flinch when confronting the horrors of genocides past and present, but there is also tremendous hope contained in these pages--hope that springs from examples of courage and resilience in the face of extreme violence, and from the kinds of resistance that might just lead to our collective liberation.
Reshaping the Mosaic
Immigration remains a cornerstone of national policy, although it has undergone significant transformations across economic, family, and refugee admission streams in the past two decades. Reshaping the Mosaic offers an insightful exploration of Canada's immigration policy, ranging from its historical roots to contemporary developments.The book examines the growth in permanent and temporary immigration to Canada. It explores changes in selection criteria and evaluates their impact on key policy objectives: contributing to Canadian economic prosperity, facilitating family reunification, providing refuge for those fleeing persecution, and enabling the integration of immigrants and their descendants into Canadian society. The book sheds light on the legal, political, economic, and social paradoxes inherent in Canadian immigration policy, highlighting shifts in exclusion powers, deportation practices, settlement support, and citizenship rules, as well as their implications for Canadian ideals of multiculturalism, fairness, and integration. It documents the lack of transparency and informed public engagement in policy formation and the implications this lack may have on maintaining public confidence and ensuring that immigration policies align with the national interests.Driven by a conviction that the contemporary changes in immigration policy need to be examined in a comprehensive and inclusive way, Reshaping the Mosaic looks at recent shifts and their implications for society and offers invaluable insights for policymakers, scholars, and stakeholders, aiming to assist the development of a new immigration policy framework.
Chinese International Relations Theory
This book explores how fundamental aspects of China's rapidly evolving arena of international relations theory are emerging directly from the realms of practice and policy.As a unique explanation of the Chinese School by those actually making the decisions, assisted and researched in collaboration with eminent global scholars, the book guides the global reader through the building of Chinese international relations theory and how China may be accounted for, behaviour predicted and useful policy developed.With chapters examining critical issues such as: Statecraft and party The Belt and Road Initiative Diplomacy and Security in the Asia Pacific China-US relations The South China Sea This book will provide new theory to policy-makers and prove an invaluable guide to students and scholars of Chinese politics, international relations theory, diplomacy, global studies and international relations.
Reshaping the Mosaic
Immigration remains a cornerstone of national policy, although it has undergone significant transformations across economic, family, and refugee admission streams in the past two decades. Reshaping the Mosaic offers an insightful exploration of Canada's immigration policy, ranging from its historical roots to contemporary developments.The book examines the growth in permanent and temporary immigration to Canada. It explores changes in selection criteria and evaluates their impact on key policy objectives: contributing to Canadian economic prosperity, facilitating family reunification, providing refuge for those fleeing persecution, and enabling the integration of immigrants and their descendants into Canadian society. The book sheds light on the legal, political, economic, and social paradoxes inherent in Canadian immigration policy, highlighting shifts in exclusion powers, deportation practices, settlement support, and citizenship rules, as well as their implications for Canadian ideals of multiculturalism, fairness, and integration. It documents the lack of transparency and informed public engagement in policy formation and the implications this lack may have on maintaining public confidence and ensuring that immigration policies align with the national interests.Driven by a conviction that the contemporary changes in immigration policy need to be examined in a comprehensive and inclusive way, Reshaping the Mosaic looks at recent shifts and their implications for society and offers invaluable insights for policymakers, scholars, and stakeholders, aiming to assist the development of a new immigration policy framework.
The Royal and Russian Navies
Before the political rupture between Russia and the West-triggered by Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022-the Royal Navy and the Russian Navy engaged in a complex programme of military cooperation. From 1988, the Royal Navy first collaborated with the Soviet Navy, then the Russian Federation Navy, culminating in a 1998 Memorandum of Understanding on naval cooperation. This book explores that unique period, examining how both navies operated and the lessons Russia drew about maritime power in advancing its global interests. With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and growing tensions between Russia and the Euro-Atlantic community, the maritime domain remains a critical arena for defence, deterrence, and potential military dialogue. The lessons from this era of cooperation offer valuable insights for navigating an uncertain future.
The Book of Everyday Resistance
The next four years are going to be difficult. Those of us who did not vote for this President are deeply concerned about the direction in which this country is now headed. I was asking myself, "What can I really do?" Through the creation of this book I have come to realize that I am actively participating in resistance every day.Most importantly, through my work in publishing, I am supporting artistic and literary expression that examines the perils of our current trajectory, speaks of a different approach to governance, and outlines effective approaches to political and social activism.THE BOOK OF EVERYDAY RESISTANCE is a collection of essays about what we can do to resist, how we resist, and why we resist.It features voices of all ages who are resisters, including politicians, writers of every genre, prominent public figures, firefighters, teachers, medical professionals, librarians, lawyers, and students. The purpose of this book is to let us all know we are not alone, and that we are part of a large community of common purpose. Hopefully, with this book we will inspire each other and give each other ideas about how to resist those forces that seek to shut down our work toward a more progressive, inclusive society. Lori PerkinsPublisher Riverdale Avenue BooksPublisher of the #MeToo anthology, Amazon #1 Feminist Theory titleBi-Publisher of the Year, 2014, Bi-Writers Association
Lebanon
Lebanon is often described as "the most successful failed state of the 21st century." This ironic phrase perfectly summarizes the reality of a country that has a wealth of life-giving energy and remarkable economic and cultural potential, but which has suffered extreme and inextricable violence for two centuries. From the 19th century onwards, Lebanon was constantly buffeted by external interventions from the Ottomans, the Iranians, the Syrians, the Israelis, the British, the Americans and, not forgetting the French, who continue to play a prominent role there. While this gateway to the Middle East has managed to survive and heal its internal divisions, in recent years it has been hit by a succession of unprecedented crises that have caused the exodus of many Lebanese and the massive arrival of Syrian migrants-representing half of the indigenous population-driven by the war in their own country. To top it all off, the destructive confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah has devastated entire swathes of Lebanon.Like the author of a thriller whose hero is an entire state condemned to constant struggle, Fouad Khoury-Helou tells this fascinating story with gusto. He also considers the various scenarios likely on the horizon and tries to come up with solutions that would enable the Land of the Cedars to overcome its problems.
Grassroots Responses to Extractivism
This volume makes visible the many innovative resistances and solutions emanating from the Global South, in response to the injustices of the current global ecological crises. Rooted in contemporary ecological imperialism, these crises are subjecting marginalized communities in the Global South to the worst socio-ecological repercussions worldwide, whilst mainstream environmental policies and solutions reproduce market-based approaches premised on a hegemonic Western world-view. The book details a wide variety of case studies from across Asia, Africa and the Americas, such as deforestation activism in Cambodia and grassroots community organisation against large scale land transactions in Liberia - among many others. The contributors, composed of a mix of academics and activists, propose bottom-up solutions to the current ecological and climate crises. This work highlights how anti-capitalist, anti-colonial, and anti-anthropocentric alternatives and movements are realistic, holistic, and appropriate in the face of global ecological crises.
North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa
North Korea has posed a threat to stability in Northeast Asia for decades. Since Kim Jong-un assumed power, this threat has both increased and broadened. Since 2011, the small, isolated nation has detonated nuclear weapons multiple times, tested a wide variety of ballistic missiles, expanded naval and ground systems that threaten South Korea, and routinely employs hostile rhetoric. Another threat it poses has been less recognized: North Korea presents a potentially greater risk to American interests by exporting its weapons systems to other volatile regions worldwide.In North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa, Bruce E. Bechtol Jr. analyzes relevant North Korean military capabilities, what arms the nation provides, and to whom, how it skirts its sanctions, and how North Korea's activities can best be contained. He traces illicit networks that lead to state and nonstate actors in the Middle East, including Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, and throughout Africa, including at least a dozen nations. The potential proliferation of nuclear and chemical weapons technology and the vehicles that carry it, including ballistic missiles and artillery, represent a broader threat than the leadership in Pyongyang. Including training and infrastructure support, North Korea's profits may range into the billions of dollars, all concealed in illicit networks and front companies so complex that the nation struggles to track and control them. Bechtol not only presents an accurate picture of the current North Korean threat -- he also outlines methodologies that Washington and the international community must embrace in order to contain it.
