Relations and Roles in China's Internationalism
Pluriversalism within International Relations and the literature on Chinese international relations each embrace ideas of relation and difference. While they similarly strive for recognition by Western academics, they do not seriously engage with each other. To the extent that either succeeds in winning recognition, it ironically reproduces Western centrism and the binary of the Western versus the non-Western. In Relations and Roles in China's Internationalism, author Chih-yu Shih demonstrates, through a critical translation exercise, that Confucian themes enable both the critique and realignment of liberal thought, allowing all of us, including the members of Confucianism and the neo-liberal order, to understand how we adapt to and coexist with each another. In the end, Confucianism not only informs the pluriversal necessity that all are bound to be related but also de-nationalizes China's internationalism.
The Wisdom of If獺
This book explores Yoruba spirituality and the complex ways If獺aacute; as a wisdom source can be used to address the needs of humanity in the twenty-first century and beyond. The contributors examine how If獺 guides us towards sustainable coexistence with our environment, recognizing that our well-being is intricately linked to the health of the planet.
Universitas
Universitas: Why Higher Education Must Be International unites the voices of experienced scholars from around the globe in a plea to embrace and improve the internationalization of higher education, to combat parochialism, to foster a critical globalist ethos, and to defend the quality of teaching and research.
The Intertextuality of Black American Spoken Word and African Griot Tradition
This book analyzes how two mainstream poets reimagined history, politics, and the arts to create counternarratives that challenged social narratives across time, enabling Black American spoken word poets to communicate and build reciprocal relationships with their listening audiences today across intersections of race, gender, and class.
The Combination of All Forms of Struggle
Over the course of a decades-long armed conflict, the Colombian state took a variety of approaches toward its insurgent opponent, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Successive governments swung between pursuing negotiations and responding with military counterinsurgency measures. FARC, for its part, proclaimed its commitment to "the combination of all forms of struggle" seeking legitimation through both political and military means. Investigating the relationship between FARC and the Colombian state from the outbreak of conflict in 1964 to the signing of the final peace agreement in 2016, Alexandra Rachel Phelan offers new insight into the dynamics of insurgencies. In such conflicts, both states and insurgents seek to assert their legitimacy, which has crucial implications for any prospective resolution. Phelan examines how FARC adopted different means of legitimation as part of its overall political and military strategy and how these strategies influenced government responses. She argues that the case of Colombia demonstrates that insurgents are more likely to engage in negotiations when the state recognizes their political legitimacy than when it demands their defeat. During a protracted conflict, when it is unclear that the state can win by military strength alone, offering incentives for political settlements can minimize--and perhaps even end--fighting. Drawing on interviews with former and active FARC leaders and Colombian government officials, as well as access to key primary documents, this book sheds new light on the Colombian conflict and provides rich theoretical understanding of the role of legitimacy in counterinsurgency more broadly.
The Combination of All Forms of Struggle
Over the course of a decades-long armed conflict, the Colombian state took a variety of approaches toward its insurgent opponent, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Successive governments swung between pursuing negotiations and responding with military counterinsurgency measures. FARC, for its part, proclaimed its commitment to "the combination of all forms of struggle" seeking legitimation through both political and military means. Investigating the relationship between FARC and the Colombian state from the outbreak of conflict in 1964 to the signing of the final peace agreement in 2016, Alexandra Rachel Phelan offers new insight into the dynamics of insurgencies. In such conflicts, both states and insurgents seek to assert their legitimacy, which has crucial implications for any prospective resolution. Phelan examines how FARC adopted different means of legitimation as part of its overall political and military strategy and how these strategies influenced government responses. She argues that the case of Colombia demonstrates that insurgents are more likely to engage in negotiations when the state recognizes their political legitimacy than when it demands their defeat. During a protracted conflict, when it is unclear that the state can win by military strength alone, offering incentives for political settlements can minimize--and perhaps even end--fighting. Drawing on interviews with former and active FARC leaders and Colombian government officials, as well as access to key primary documents, this book sheds new light on the Colombian conflict and provides rich theoretical understanding of the role of legitimacy in counterinsurgency more broadly.
Martialling Peace
This is a not a book about peacekeeping practices. This is a book about storytelling, fantasies, and the ways that people connect emotionally to myths about peacekeeping. The celebration of peacekeeping as a legitimate and desirable use of military force is expressed through the unproblematized acceptance of militarism. Introducing a novel framework--martial peace--the book offers an in-depth examination of the Canadian Armed Forces missions to Afghanistan and the use of police violence against Indigenous protests in Canada as case examples where military violence has been justified in the name of peace. It critically investigates the peacekeeper myth and challenges the academic, government, and popular beliefs that martial violence is required to sustain peace.
The Rise and Fall of the East
The long history of China's relationship between stability, diversity, and prosperity, and how its current leadership threatens this delicate balance "Riveting."--Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2023 Chinese society has been shaped by the interplay of the EAST--exams, autocracy, stability, and technology--from ancient times through the present. Beginning with the Sui dynasty's introduction of the civil service exam, known as Keju, in 587 CE--and continuing through the personnel management system used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)--Chinese autocracies have developed exceptional tools for homogenizing ideas, norms, and practices. But this uniformity came with a huge downside: stifled creativity. Yasheng Huang shows how China transitioned from dynamism to extreme stagnation after the Keju was instituted. China's most prosperous periods, such as during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and under the reformist CCP, occurred when its emphasis on scale (the size of bureaucracy) was balanced with scope (diversity of ideas). Considering China's remarkable success over the past half-century, Huang sees signs of danger in the political and economic reversals under Xi Jinping. The CCP has again vaulted conformity above new ideas, reverting to the Keju model that eventually led to technological decline. It is a lesson from China's own history, Huang argues, that Chinese leaders would be wise to take seriously.
Squandered
An expos矇 of the reality of Saskatchewan's potash industry management--prioritizing private profit over public interest A single province in Canada--Saskatchewan--is blessed with a remarkable birthright: 50% of the world's potash reserves. Potassium is a necessary ingredient of the fertilizer required to feed a growing world population. Accordingly, prices and corporate profits have soared to unprecedented levels in recent decades. While other countries such as Saudi Arabia and Norway have taken steps to capture the value of their natural resources for their people, Saskatchewan has failed to leverage the value of its potash and has given much of it up for an inadequate price. Billions of dollars of forgone revenue has resulted in tax unfairness, program underfunding and malfunction, and a growing and worrying divide between the affluent and the very poor. Analysts from across the political spectrum have identified this revenue problem, as well as a straightforward solution. Unfortunately, the Saskatchewan government has declined to review the situation and instead seems to rely upon the advice of the industry itself. The province now faces the game-changing issue of how to tax appropriately the small number of multinational conglomerates that now own these potash mines. Whether or not the province obtains reasonable value for its potash will determine whether Saskatchewan will be a place of opportunity for all of its citizens or continue on a path of wealth for a few and extreme poverty for many.
Waste Land
An urgent exploration of a world in constant crisis, where every regional disaster threatens to become a global conflict, with lessons from history that can stop the spiral--from the New York Times bestselling author of The Revenge of Geography "In this deeply erudite literary, cultural, and historical narrative, Kaplan offers a warning but also a hope that America amid such confusion and danger will be all right."--Victor Davis Hanson, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Everything One of Financial Times' Most Important Books to Read This Year - One of Foreign Policy's Most Anticipated Books of the Year We are entering a new era of global cataclysm in which the world faces a deadly mix of war, climate change, great power rivalry, rapid technological advancement, the end of both monarchy and empire, and countless other dangers. In Waste Land, Robert D. Kaplan, geopolitical expert and author of more than twenty books on world affairs, incisively explains how we got here and where we are going. Kaplan makes a novel argument that the current geopolitical landscape must be considered alongside contemporary social phenomena such as urbanization and digital news media, grounding his ideas in foundational modern works of philosophy, politics, and literature, including the poem from which the title is borrowed, and celebrating a canon of traditionally conservative thinkers, including Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and many others. As in many of his books, Kaplan looks to history and literature to inform the present, drawing particular comparisons between today's challenges and the Weimar Republic, the post-World War I democratic German government that fell to Nazism in the 1930s. Just as in Weimar, which faced myriad crises inextricably bound up with global systems, the singular dilemmas of the twenty-first century--pandemic disease, recession, mass migration, the destabilizing effects of large-scale democracy and great power conflicts, and the intimate bonds created by technology--mean that every disaster in one country has the potential to become a global crisis, too. According to Kaplan, the solutions lie in prioritizing order in governing systems, arguing that stability and historic liberalism rather than mass democracy per se will save global populations from an anarchic future. Waste Land is a bracing glimpse into a future defined by the connections afforded by technology but with remarkable parallels to the past. Just as it did in Weimar, Kaplan fears the situation may be spiraling out of our control--unless our leaders act first.
The Rivalry Peril
How the U.S. policy of competition with China is detrimental to democracy, peace, and prosperity--and how a saner approach is possible For close to a decade, the U.S. government has been preoccupied with the threat of China, fearing that the country will "eat our lunch," in the words of Joe Biden. The United States has crafted its foreign and domestic policy to help constrain China's military power and economic growth. Van Jackson and Michael Brenes argue that great-power competition with China is misguided and vastly underestimates the costs and risks that geopolitical rivalry poses to economic prosperity, the quality of democracy, and, ultimately, global stability. This in-depth assessment of the trade-offs and pitfalls of protracted competition with China reveals how such a policy exacerbates inequality, leads to xenophobia, and increases the likelihood of violence around the world. In addition, it distracts from the priority of addressing such issues as climate change while at the same time undercutting democratic pluralism and sacrificing liberty in the name of prevailing against an enemy "other." Jackson and Brenes provide an informed and urgent critique of current U.S. foreign policy and a road map toward a saner, more democratically accountable strategy of easing tension and achieving effective diplomacy.
Hubris
A leading expert on US-Russian relations reveals how the United States and its European allies set the course for the war in Ukraine--and offers a sobering indictment of American foreign policy since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 should not have taken the world by surprise. The attack escalated a war that began in 2014 with the Russian annexation of Crimea, but its origins are visible as far back as the aftermath of the Cold War, when newly independent Ukraine moved to the center of tense negotiations between Russia and the West. The United States was a leading player in this drama. In fact, Jonathan Haslam argues, it was decades of US foreign policy missteps and miscalculations, unchecked and often reinforced by European allies, that laid the groundwork for the current war. Isolated, impoverished, and relegated to a second-order power on the world stage, Russia grew increasingly resentful of Western triumphalism in the wake of the Cold War. The United States further provoked Russian ire with a campaign to expand NATO into Eastern Europe--especially Ukraine, the most geopolitically important of the former Soviet republics. Determined to extend its global dominance, the United States repeatedly ignored signs that antagonizing Russia would bring consequences. Meanwhile, convinced that Ukraine was passing into the Western sphere of influence, Putin prepared to shift the European balance of power in Russia's favor. Timely and incisive, Hubris reveals the assumptions, equivocations, and grievances that have defined the West's relations with Russia since the twilight of the Soviet Union--and ensured that collision was only a matter of time.
NGOs and Human Rights
This study examines and compares the important work on global human rights advocacy done by religious NGOs and by secular NGOs. By studying the similarities in how such organizations understand their work, we can better consider not only how religious and secular NGOs might complement each other but also how they might collaborate and cooperate in the advancement of human rights. However, little research has attempted to compare these types of NGOs and their approaches. NGOs and Human Rights explores this comparison and identifies the key areas of overlap and divergence. In so doing, it lays the groundwork for better understanding how to capitalize on the strengths of religious groups, especially in addressing the world's many human rights challenges. This book uses a new dataset of more than three hundred organizations affiliated with the United Nations Human Rights Council to compare the extent to which religious and secular NGOs differ in their framing, discussion, and operationalization of human rights work. Using both quantitative analysis of the extensive data collected by the authors and forty-seven in depth interviews conducted with members of human rights organizations in the sample, Charity Butcher and Maia Carter Hallward analyze these organizations' approaches to questions of culture, development, women's rights, children's rights, and issues of peace and conflict.
Mechanisms of European Integration
This book posits the possibility of a reasons-based account of the European integration process.The book pursues the force of public reason in getting to agreement beyond the nation state and spells out the fundamentals of the European integration process, theorizing the mechanisms that brought the European Union (EU) into existence. The book combines insights from social and political theory, law, and political science in setting out a novel theory of European integration and reconstructing the normative foundation of the EU. It goes on to establish the problem of arbitrary rule (dominance) created by political differentiation, examines the place of democracy in the multilevel constellation that makes up the EU, and proposes a set of democratic reforms.This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of EU studies, European integration, democracy, and international political theory/philosophy.
Costly signalling and environmental scarcity as causes of the civil war in the Kivu
The Holy and the Broken
When dehumanisation and destruction become the norm, the cycle must be broken. For over twenty years, Ittay Flescher has worked as an educator, journalist and peacebuilder in Melbourne and Jerusalem. When he woke up on the morning of October 7, 2023 to the sounds of rocket sirens over Jerusalem and later saw the devastation of Gaza in response, the grief and sadness that engulfed him - and so many others - compelled him to ask: how can we find a way forward?Following years spent facilitating dialogue between Jews, Muslims and Christians, Ittay believes that peace can only be found if we are willing to empathise with the pain of others.The Holy and the Broken challenges Palestinian and Israeli leaders, citizens and their supporters across the world to imagine a different reality; to look at history with a different eye; and to search for moments of engagement rather than resentment in the narratives of the past that each side tells about itself.Ultimately, it is a story that aims to comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.Praise: 'Courageous and considered. Ittay nurtures the tender, fragile shoots of peace. The world could do with more people like him' Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist'A book of rare insight and compassion, The Holy and the Broken offers the one thing we thought we'd lost after October 7: a glimmer of hope for meaningful lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians' Bram Presser, author of The Book of Dirt'This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book, heartfelt and honest. You do not need to agree with everything Flesher has to say to find the book moving and challenging' Michael Gawenda, former editor in chief, The Age'This ability to empathise with the suffering on both sides is a core value of Flescher's reconciliation work, and the underpinning to many of the options he outlines' Dr Anne Sarzin, Jwire'As challenging and as contemporary as it is compassionate. In a world broken by war and polarisation, Ittay offers peaceful possibilities and nuanced perspectives' Rabbi Ralph Genende OAM, author of Living in an Upside-down World'The Holy and the Broken breaks new ground. Yet what makes it truly singular is its consistent humanity, and its centring of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians' John Lyndon, executive director, Alliance for Middle East Peace 'This account of the writer's devotion to peacebuilding in our war-torn region is a shining testament to what can and should be done by those who can imagine a future peace. It lights a candle in an age of darkness!' Sari Nusseibeh, author of Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life'When you finish it, you will not only know more about what's happening between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, but you will also know more about yourself' Maoz Inon, Israeli peacemaker and social entrepreneur'A powerful testament to the possibilities of reconciliation and mutual empathy during conflict, what sets this book apart is its commitment to showcasing the experiences of the diverse individuals involved - especially the integral, yet frequently overlooked, stories of women. By highlighting the gender dynamics at play, Flescher enriches our understanding of the conflict and underscores the importance of supporting a world where more voices are heard and valued' Sheila Katz, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women'When I picked this book up, I erroneously believed I already "understood" much about the ongoing, collective trauma of Palestinians and Israelis. But this thoughtful and deeply compassionate book shattered that illusion. By the time I put the book down, I was not the same person' Miriam Anzovin, creator of Daf Reactions and Jewish Lore Reactions
The European Union and the United States
In this thoroughly revised edition of The European Union and the United States, authors Smith, Guay, and Morgenstern-Pomorski delve deep into the complexities of the EU-US relationship amidst pivotal shifts on the global stage. By examining the relationship through the lens of competition, convergence, and crises, this textbook goes beyond narrow focuses on the EU-US relationship, offering a nuanced analysis of changing dynamics. It stands as the definitive and all-encompassing guide to transatlantic relations, considering recent developments in business, trade, political economy, and foreign policy, while carefully navigating the commonalities and differences that exist between the EU and the US. This updated edition also reflects on contemporary changes such as cyber security, climate change, the rise of populism, and the emergence of global powerhouses like China, India, and Brazil, successfully situating the EU-US relationship within a broader international context. Throughout, the authors' diverse academic backgrounds enable an interdisciplinary approach to the material, rebalancing content to include international relations, comparative politics, and management. In doing so, this textbook provides a holistic view of transatlantic affairs. With additional features including focused case studies, summary tables, and speech extracts, this text serves as the ideal companion for higher-level undergraduate students and postgraduate students studying EU politics, or anyone seeking to deepen their knowledge of the broader subject area.
Shadows Into Light
A twenty-plus-year study of former child soldiers offers far-reaching insight into mental health and resilience after extreme trauma. During the civil war that ravaged Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002, an estimated 20,000 children were forced to join the fighting. As villages were raided and youths rounded up, it was not uncommon for a child to be ordered to kill a friend, relative, or neighbor under threat of being killed themselves. The goal was to make it impossible for the captives to return home and be accepted back into their communities. But when the conflict ended, many of the children did find their way home. Could they reintegrate after such extreme trauma? Theresa Betancourt and her collaborators in Sierra Leone launched a study of more than 500 boys and girls who had been pulled into the war, tracking them for over two decades. The results were surprising: despite everything they had suffered, this was not a lost generation. In fact, the most dominant trend over time was one of healing and increasing acceptance. The lives of the former child soldiers were shaped not just by their personal ordeals but also, crucially, by the responses of their families, peers, and broader communities. Filled with vivid personal stories, Shadows into Light describes heartbreak and despair but also remarkable triumphs made possible by layers of social support and encouragement. Betancourt's study provides unparalleled insight into the long-term psychological and developmental effects of family separation, war, and exposure to violence. The lessons go far beyond Sierra Leone's tragedy, suggesting that we should, in general, think of children's risk and resilience more as products of the post-trauma environment than as individual traits.
How Russians Understand the New Russia
The issues that are the most and the least divisive in Russia The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 created a new Russia, with new territorial boundaries and new political and economic systems. The hybrid political economy that emerged incorporated commitments to markets and democracy that were undermined by the state's economic interventions and authoritarian restrictions. In this book, Paul Chaisty and Stephen Whitefield argue that the hybridity of the post-Soviet system provided a strong basis for the consolidation of Russian public opinion--and for the management of contestation so that it did not threaten the system itself. Drawing on almost thirty years of original public opinion research in Russia, Chaisty and Whitefield also find, however, that the territorial dimension of Russia's postcommunist transformation has disrupted public support for the hybrid political economy. In particular, they trace the reopening of system-level disagreement between system supporters and system opponents to the nationalist turn in Russian politics that culminated in the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the reactivation of Soviet identities. How Russians Understand the New Russia provides the first longitudinal study of Russian public opinion on the system of political and economic power that replaced communism. It offers unique insights into how Russian citizens have adapted their views of the new Russia, identifying the issues that are the most--and the least--divisive. Chaisty and Whitefield track Russian public opinion on a broad range of policy questions, discuss the political importance of both voting and not voting and consider problems of nation-building and national identity. Finally, they weigh the impact of the Ukraine war on Russia's hybrid system, and whether consolidation or further contestation is more likely.
East Asian International Relations
Through the outline of a coherent theoretical foundation for understanding East Asian international relations, this textbook offers a fresh, analytical approach, including applications of evolutionary theory that differ from and contextualize the prevailing theories currently offered for studies of East Asia. It provides an extensive coverage of ancient world order and European imperialism preceding contemporary themes of security, economic development, money and finance, regionalism, the US-China rivalry, and democracy versus autocracy. Demonstrating systemically how facts and theories are constructed, and how these are bound by evolutionary constraints, students gain a realistic view of knowledge production and the mindset and tools to participate actively in determining which facts and theories are more acceptable than alternatives. Feature boxes, discussion questions, exercises, and recommended readings are incorporated into each chapter to encourage active learning. A vital new resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in political science, international relations, and Asian studies.
Beyond the Bri
The Indo-Pacific has now emerged as a major area of collaboration between India, Japan and the United States (US). It was in 2018 that the US renamed its Pacific Command as the Indo-Pacific Command. The US and Japan have already been working together on the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative "led by major democracies to help narrow the $40+ trillion infrastructure need in the developing world". In addition, the United States and Japan share a vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific while India has an "Act-East Policy," and all these meet in the Indo-Pacific. This book will analyse whether India, US and Japan can provide an alternate model of connectivity and infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific since all the three countries have not joined the China-led BRI.
East Asian International Relations
Through the outline of a coherent theoretical foundation for understanding East Asian international relations, this textbook offers a fresh, analytical approach, including applications of evolutionary theory that differ from and contextualize the prevailing theories currently offered for studies of East Asia. It provides an extensive coverage of ancient world order and European imperialism preceding contemporary themes of security, economic development, money and finance, regionalism, the US-China rivalry, and democracy versus autocracy. Demonstrating systemically how facts and theories are constructed, and how these are bound by evolutionary constraints, students gain a realistic view of knowledge production and the mindset and tools to participate actively in determining which facts and theories are more acceptable than alternatives. Feature boxes, discussion questions, exercises, and recommended readings are incorporated into each chapter to encourage active learning. A vital new resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in political science, international relations, and Asian studies.
War and the Transformation of Ukrainian Society (2022-23)
This book examines the profound transformation that has occurred in Ukrainian society as a result of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022. The authors--two renowned sociologists and directors of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology--document and explain the post-Soviet evolution of Ukrainians' views, values, and behavior. Utilizing data from hundreds of opinion surveys from 1991 to 2023, they analyze how the war affected the formation of Ukrainian national identity, geopolitical orientations, society's readiness to resist, attitudes towards the state and its institutions, as well as other aspects. This timely study highlights socio-economic transitions, migration moods, the moral-psychological state of the population as well as the changing media and Internet consumption among Ukrainians. It also examines the thorny issue of possible social tension that may arise in post-war Ukraine. The volume is not only an invaluable source of public opinion data, but constitutes also as a basis for further analysis of the post-war reality. It offers an essential tool for understanding the challenges and opportunities facing Ukraine on its path to recovery and development. Most of the data from the studies used have been transferred to the National Data Bank "Kyiv Archive", which provides scholars with the opportunity to conduct more detailed research.
Tech Ambassadors
In his groundbreaking work "Tech Ambassadors: Bridging Governments and Silicon Valley," Dr. Hichem Karoui masterfully dissects the emerging phenomenon of techplomacy. Gone are the days of traditional diplomatic channels; today's digital landscape demands a radical rethinking of how nations and tech giants interact.Through razor-sharp analysis and meticulously crafted case studies, Dr. Karoui unveils the intricate dance between government interests and Silicon Valley's relentless innovation. Some partnerships soar, while others stumble. Yet all illuminate the pressing need for technological sovereignty in our hyperconnected era.The book doesn't just theorize. It plunges deep into the trenches where tech diplomats wage daily battles against cybersecurity threats and wrestle with thorny data privacy issues. These modern-day ambassadors - equal parts policy wonk and tech guru - navigate a labyrinth of competing interests with remarkable agility.What sets this work apart? Perhaps it's the way Dr. Karoui weaves together seemingly disparate threads - a startup's disruptive algorithm here, a government regulation there - into a coherent tapestry of 21st-century statecraft. Or maybe it's his knack for spotting patterns in the chaos of global tech policy.For policymakers drowning in digital complexities, "Tech Ambassadors" throws a vital lifeline. Industry titans seeking to bridge the public-private divide will find invaluable insights within its pages. Scholars, too, will appreciate its rigorous analysis of how technology reshapes diplomatic norms.The stakes couldn't be higher. In an age where a single line of code can shake international relations, Dr. Karoui's roadmap for tech diplomacy isn't just timely - it's essential. Whether you're crafting policy in Washington, disrupting markets in Palo Alto, or studying global affairs, this book illuminates the path forward in our digitally intertwined world.
Genocide in the Modern Age
This book explores why some episodes of mass political violence and genocide are so much deadlier than others and under what conditions perpetrators in government and society opt for brutality as a means of accomplishing their goals. Introducing the new concept of "mass political violence" to explain genocide and other mass killings in the modern world, the author investigates "how" perpetrators sustain the capacity to enact violence on a large-scale, irrespective of motives. Cases including the Holocaust, Soviet Union, Rwanda, Cambodia, the Lord's Resistance Army, the Islamic State, the Ottoman Empire of the 1890s, Mao Zedong's revolutionary violence, the Congo Crisis, and Darfur are used by the author to identify four types of mass political violence perpetrators - state actors, state-society coalitions, state-sponsored groups, and non-state actors to explain historical trends and identify which perpetrators are most likely to emerge in a given socio-political context and sustain violence over time. Comparative and grounded in case studies, this book will interest policymakers, diplomats, governmental advisers, practitioners, and industry researchers. It will also be invaluable to students and scholars of Political Science, International Affairs, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Human Rights, Sociology, Anthropology, Geography, Political Psychology, Religious Studies, Gender Studies, Public Policy, Media Studies, and Criminology.
Quantum-Social Investigations Across Transnational Movements
This book weaves theoretical-empirical threads beyond pragmatic philosophy, quantum cosmology and world affairs. It offers a "quantum-social" approach to inquire solidarity configurations among transnational movements. The first part of the book develops an integrative framework to foreground "quantum-type" features of social fields, virtual movements, and complex encounters. Quantum conceptual keys open new gates for macro-theorizing of "non-locality" and comprehending fields around cognate disciplines like psychology and sociology as well as international studies. Accordingly, emotional "indeterminacy" is found fundamental for understanding mesoscopic dynamics of virtual mobilizations. All along micro-layers, phenomena of "entanglement" mold multiple pathways for transversal solidarities. The empirical second part looks at how transnational solidarity springs emerge under "quantum-like" contexts of liberation/revolution-redemption/resistance movements. Emotional memories and affective imageries dynamically co-mingle across flowing fields and moving habitats of "1968-71" and "2008-11." Affective waves and sentimental circulations shape sanctified-secularized constellations of altruisms and sacrifices through which solidarities spin.
State Formation and Conflicts in Sri Lanka
This book explores how the history of postcolonial Sri Lanka suggests a new paradigm for understanding state-formation as an ever-shifting and evolving process.The Sri Lankan state has formed under the pressure of multiple conflicts: around capitalist transition on the one hand, and the deteriorating relationship between the state and Tamil minority populations on the other. Sunil Bastian demonstrates the way these conflicts have overlapped, with international support for the introduction of neoliberal policies - from Japan, the West and institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF - helping to prop up a state engaged in armed ethnic conflict. State Formation and Conflict in Sri Lankaexplores the role played by these two forces in the nation's recent economic crises.
The European Union and the United States
In this thoroughly revised edition of The European Union and the United States, authors Smith, Guay, and Morgenstern-Pomorski delve deep into the complexities of the EU-US relationship amidst pivotal shifts on the global stage. By examining the relationship through the lens of competition, convergence, and crises, this textbook goes beyond narrow focuses on the EU-US relationship, offering a nuanced analysis of changing dynamics. It stands as the definitive and all-encompassing guide to transatlantic relations, considering recent developments in business, trade, political economy, and foreign policy, while carefully navigating the commonalities and differences that exist between the EU and the US. This updated edition also reflects on contemporary changes such as cyber security, climate change, the rise of populism, and the emergence of global powerhouses like China, India, and Brazil, successfully situating the EU-US relationship within a broader international context. Throughout, the authors' diverse academic backgrounds enable an interdisciplinary approach to the material, rebalancing content to include international relations, comparative politics, and management. In doing so, this textbook provides a holistic view of transatlantic affairs. With additional features including focused case studies, summary tables, and speech extracts, this text serves as the ideal companion for higher-level undergraduate students and postgraduate students studying EU politics, or anyone seeking to deepen their knowledge of the broader subject area.
The Technopolitics of Communication in Modern India
This book offers a groundbreaking account of the role of media technologies in Indian nationalism and democracy.From the Brexit referendum in 2016 to the phenomenon of 'Trumpism', there has been much speculation about the role played by new media in an apparent return of illiberal politics and primordial identities. Dhital argues these developments could best be understood by not taking identity for granted as a static and exclusive form of affiliation. She also emphasises how the technical and material are interwoven into human thought and action rather than acting upon them externally. She accordingly focuses on the technopolitical means by which groups have been ventriloquised during critical periods in Indian political history, across various media - from newspapers and magazines to radio broadcasts, speeches and online platforms.Chapters cover prison writing produced during the emergency of 1975-77, regulation of public speech during the 2014 general election, and the Citizenship Amendment Act protests of 2019-20. Through these case studies, Dhital works towards an alternative, more reflexive, basis for popular representation, one that does not sacralise 'the people' and assume power in their name.
Racism and 'Free Speech'
'Free speech' has become central to discussions about racism, and is increasingly weaponised against anti-racist movements. This book argues that the weaponization of 'free speech' across the political spectrum, particularly by the far-right/alt-right, has been central to the resurgence, rehabilitation and normalisation of racism within the mainstream politics of western liberal democracies in the last decade. The dilemma then, for anti-racist movements, is how to respond to such a challenge - for if 'free speech' allows racism, then it follows that the elimination of racism is not possible. Anshuman A. Mondal argues that liberalism has made it look as if there is something called 'free speech' when, in fact, speech is enabled by the structures of power within which we are all embedded. These structures determine who gets to say what, and whose voices are heard. They create and sustain racism, and anti-racism should look beyond the mythology of 'free speech' and focus instead on creating expressive regimes that foster racial and social justice by reshaping social discourse and transforming racialized structures of power.
European Security
Exploring the ebb and flow of European security from the end of the Second World War to the present day, Richard Rose examines why security cannot be taken for granted today and what this means for the future of security in Europe. Since 1949 military security from the Black Sea to Washington's Potomac River has been guaranteed by NATO with the White House in command. He reminds us that masses of Europeans enjoyed unprecedented economic security as the European Union has replaced competition in armaments with competition in a single European market. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union restructured the map of Europe and encouraged the United States to turn toward China. However, Vladimir Putin's attempt to revive a Soviet-style version of security by invading Ukraine has stimulated aid to Ukraine as it fights a proxy war to protect the security of Europe. Looking ahead, Rose asks whether European governments are able to defend themselves as America's commitment to Europe becomes less reliable; the challenge to Europe of helping fund the reconstruction of Ukraine; questions the conditions in which the European Union and NATO could admit Ukraine as a member; and sets out where Britain fits in as a NATO but not an EU member-state.
Dear America
Breakups are hard. But sometimes they are the best option.Writing a letter to his newly ex-country, award-winning teacher, author, poet, and activist Benjamin Gorman explains why he's leaving America, and the reason is not what one would first guess. Packed with insights, sprinkled with humor, and delivered with courage and humility, this breakup letter feels like an opportunity to eavesdrop on the painful end of a relationship, offering an opportunity for others to emotionally prepare themselves for their own variations on the same experience. Clearly sincere in his hope that he's wrong, Gorman gives us a chance to take steps in case the United States gets even half as bad as he predicts and offers some valuable tips about different ways to weather the coming storm.
Wars Without End
Despite their untold human suffering, widespread destruction and loss, and far-reaching destabilization, the fires of many of the world's most violent civil wars continue to burn. In light of their devastating effects, how can we explain the intractability of costly and stalemated, yet seemingly endless, civil wars? By situating internal conflicts within the broader geopolitical environment in which they take place, Wars Without End provides an answer. It highlights the critical role of competitive intervention--opposing, simultaneous transfers of military assistance from different third-party states to both government and rebel combatants--in the dynamics, duration, and global prevalence of internal conflict. Providing a comprehensive theoretical and empirical account of this form of external meddling, it brings together battlefield bargaining dynamics, the escalatory pressures of interstate competition, and the systemic dimensions of geopolitical rivalry in civil wars to explain how protracted fighting within states is linked to enduring competition between them. In doing so, it challenges traditional conceptions of "proxy war" by deriving new propositions about the strategic logics that motivate it, offering new and productive angles on the behaviors of armed groups, the strategies of foreign interveners, and the trajectories of internal wars. Combining statistical analyses with detailed case studies drawing on fieldwork, original interviews, declassified intelligence reports, and archival research, the book explains competitive intervention's pernicious effects, documents its consequences for civil wars, and proposes policy prescriptions aimed at resolving some of today's most intractable conflicts.
Love Lilly
In 1988, Liana Gabriela Nicoara-Parfitt made a choice that would change her life forever-she risked everything to escape the iron grip of Communist Romania. With courage as her only compass, Liana embarked on a harrowing journey through perilous borders, relentless uncertainty, and devastating personal loss.It's a gripping tale of defiance against tyranny, a poignant reflection on identity and belonging, and an inspiring reminder of the human spirit's capacity for resilience.From heart-stopping escapes to the quiet struggles of rebuilding a life in freedom, Love Lilly captures the cost of freedom and the strength it takes to claim it.For readers of Educated and The Girl with Seven Names, this is a journey you won't forget.
Experiences of Africans, African Americans, Nigerians and Igbos
Slave Trade and Colonization affected the lives of Africans causing many Africans to be dispersed throughout the world. In the later part of 20th century, they began to migrate to America, Europe and other countries in larger numbers. The Book in a straightforward way traces the challenges faced by Africans and how these affected and influenced the behavior of many of them. It is in four chapters and focuses on Africans on the continent, African American in the USA, Nigerians and the Igbo ethnic group. It touches on all the major challenges and struggles experienced from the past to the present. Some of the areas focused on are: Africans: Pre colonial Era, Colonization, Apartheid, Independence Struggle, Ethnic Challenges, Military Intervention, Indian and Lebanese Business Interests, Corruption, Value System and Current Challenges.African Americans: Journey from Africa, Slavery period, Anti-Slavery Movement, Disruption of Family Unit, Relationship with present African Immigrants, Racial Discrimination, Culture and Value System and Current Challenges.Nigerians: Pre colonial Era, Colonization, Independence Struggle Military Intervention, Civil War, Ethnic Challenges, Corruption, Leadership Problem, Value System and Current Challenges.Igbos: Pre Colonial Era, Colonization, Christianity in Igbo Land, Independence, Civil war, Marginalization, Separatism, Igba Boi Apprenticeship Scheme, Quest for Excellence and Competitiveness, Value System and Current Challenges.
An Introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
As one of the most enduring and bitter struggles we have seen in over 100 years, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a powder keg, always on the verge of exploding and drawing in the wider region, the international community at large, and, in particular, the U.S. Although the conflict is of far-reaching importance, among college students and the general public there is a dearth of knowledge about it. Many of the conversations in these audiences are animated by ongoing myths and problematic talking points. This book fills in the gaps of understanding while puncturing false dichotomies and tearing down walls of ideology or indifference. It addresses perennial questions including: When and why did the conflict start? What exactly are the claims of the contending sides? Why does peace seem unattainable? What is a likely long-term outcome and how can it be brought about in a peaceful way, doing justice to both sides? Finally, this book maintains that historic Palestine, the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, must become a home for both Palestinians and Jews, with equal standings for both and without exclusive claims for either. For students, scholars, and citizens of the world, this book provides a concise and level-headed way to understand one of the most complex and vexing conflicts of our time.
Making Sense of Identity and Equity in Public Sector Workplaces
This important new book offers public administration scholars, practitioners, and students a comprehensive resource to make sense of identity and equity, two of the most crucial, yet complex, concepts for public decision-makers to address. The chapters in this volume present original research and explore timely and relevant theories and practices of identity and equity in public sector workplaces. To do this, authors present innovative theories and approaches to identity and equity, analyze practical pathways to identity and equity, and critique foundational policy and law addressing identity and equity. The utility of this volume lies in the timeliness and innovative approaches to evolving concepts of identity and equity in public sector workplaces. Applying a liberatory lens, the chapters reflect an expanded interpretation and understanding of identity, the challenges and opportunities for public sector organizations to more fully embrace and integrate diverse identities in the workplace, and paths for future research and application of practices that strive for more equitable and inclusive workplaces. Making Sense of Identity and Equity in Public Sector Workplaces is essential reading for all students and scholars of public administration as well as those working in public and nonprofit organizations.
Words of War
In Words of War, Eric Min pulls back the curtain on when, why, and how belligerents negotiate while fighting. Of all interstate conflicts across the last two centuries, two-thirds have ended through negotiated agreement. Wartime diplomacy is thus commonly seen as a costless and mechanical process solely designed to end fighting. But as Min argues, that wartime negotiations are not just peacemaking tools. They are in fact a highly strategic activity that can also help states manage, fight, and potentially win wars. To demonstrate that wartime talk does more than simply end hostilities, Min distinguishes between two kinds of negotiations: sincere and insincere. Whereas sincere negotiations are good faithhonest attempts to reach peace, insincere negotiations exploit diplomacy for some other purpose, such as currying gaining political support or remobilizing forces. Two factors determine whether and how belligerents will negotiate: the amount of pressure that outside parties can place on belligerents them to engage in diplomacy, and information obtained from fighting on the battlefield. Combining statistical and computational text analyses with qualitative case studies ranging from the War of the Roman Republic to the Korean War, Min shows that negotiations are more likely to occur with strong external pressures. A combination of such pressures and indeterminate battlefield activity, however, will most likely leads to insincere negotiations that may stoke fighting rather than end it. By revealing that diplomacy can sometimes be counterproductive to peace, Words of War compels us to rethink the assumption that it "cannot hurt" to promote diplomacy during war.
Pitfalls of Family Rule
In The Pitfalls of Family Rule, Barbara Junisbai questions the conceptual divide separating democracy from nondemocracy as well as that separating "strong" authoritarian rulers from "weak" ones. Focusing on patronage, endemic to post-Soviet Eurasia but also present the world over, she untangles the spoils agreements that bind elites to strongman presidents. Incorporating multiple case studies, including an in-depth investigation into Kazakhstan over the span of twenty plus years, Junisbai demonstrates the power of institutional norms to hold seemingly unconstrainable rulers accountable in surprising and unexpected ways. "Strong" autocrats can stumble even when they set in place robust, pro-presidential institutions, while "weak" autocrats can endure by upholding normative contracts that elites perceive as fair and just. An important lesson emerges from The Pitfalls of Family Rule: not even the most personalist of regimes functions free of rules. The institutions over which autocrats claim control also lay claim over them.
Roots of Resilience
In The Roots of Resilience Meredith L. Weiss examines governance from the ground up in the world's two most enduring electoral authoritarian or "hybrid" regimes--Singapore and Malaysia--where politically liberal and authoritarian features blend, evading substantive democracy. Weiss explains that while key attributes of these regimes differ, affecting the scope, character, and balance among national parties and policies, local machines, and personalized linkages, the similarity in the overall patterns in these countries confirms the salience of those dimensions. The Roots of Resilience shows that high levels of authoritarian acculturation, amplifying the political payoffs of what parties and politicians actually provide their constituents, explain why electoral turnover alone is insufficient for real regime change in either state.
