The EU Under Strain?
When EU member states signed the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, they did not anticipate the manifold crises in store for them over the following years. Instead of the intended consolidation of a Union which had just gone through its most profound modernisation and biggest round of enlargements, the EU has since then had to weather a wide range of political, economic, social, legal, health and even military crises with major repercussions within and beyond its own territory. Indeed, this time of polycrisis has induced change on many levels: Across the continent and its many fora of European supra-, trans- and international collaboration, established institutions, rule systems and normative frameworks have been put into question and power balances have been shifting. Against this background, actors from social, political, economic and cultural life have sought new ways to overcome the manifold pressing problems of their time, be it through intensified collaboration or attempts to increasingly resolve issues at the national level. This volume offers a compilation of case studies on EU crisis responses, covering the most impactful of the various crises the EU has had to face in recent years. It provides theoretical and conceptual guidelines for the study of political actors' responses to crisis at all levels of the EU multilevel governance system and beyond.
IMF Lending
This Element argues that governments allocate adjustment burdens strategically to protect their supporters. Using large-N micro-level survey data from three world regions and a global survey, the Element discusses the local political economy of IMF lending. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Castle on a Hill
This recasting of modern European history offers new insights into the Visegrad Group's significant role in changing political mind-sets and refashioning the continentRick Fawn has written the first book-length account of the Visegrad Group of states, which consists of the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Poland, and Hungary. Named after Hungary's Visegr獺aacute;d Castle, the group's significance includes changing international perceptions of Central Europe since the fall of communism and securing membership in NATO and the European Community. It plays an ongoing role today in regional solidarity and politics within the European Union and NATO.Castle on a Hill is built on years of uniquely obtained oral and written sources and on the author's sustained engagement in this region. Fawn examines Visegrad's origins and major accomplishments, and what makes it a unique regional organization. In addition to its positive contributions, Fawn identifies Visegrad's weaknesses, oversteps, and missteps, including its controversial propulsion to international fame for successfully derailing the European Union's plans to resettle non-Europeans during the 2015 "migrant crisis." This book also offers insights for the wider study of the phenomenon of regionalism in international relations.Castle on a Hill shows how the Visegrad Group has changed Central Europe, largely for the better, and it will appeal to scholars and policymakers interested in international politics, European history, and the study of regions and regionalism in international relations.
IMF Lending
This Element argues that governments allocate adjustment burdens strategically to protect their supporters, imposing adjustment costs upon the supporters of their opponents, who then protest in response. Using large-N micro-level survey data from three world regions and a global survey, it discusses the local political economy of International Monetary Fund (IMF) lending. It finds that opposition supporters in countries under IMF structural adjustment programs (SAP) are more likely to report that the IMF SAP increased economic hardships than government supporters and countries without IMF exposure. In addition, it finds that partisan gaps in IMF SAP evaluations widen in IMF program countries with an above-median number of conditions, suggesting that opposition supporters face heavier adjustment burdens, and that opposition supporters who think SAPs made their lives worse are more likely to protest. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Reconnect Rejuvenate
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) since its formation has emerged as a prominent platform to enhance cooperation among its members in the shared Eurasian space. It aims to promote regional collaboration and cooperative solutions to shared challenges through consensus. India became a member of the organisation in 2017 and chaired it for the first time in 2022-23. Under the theme of 'Towards a SECURE SCO', India's effort was to further enhance interactions at all levels and promote understanding through dialogue and cooperation. In this context, Indian Council of World Affairs organised an 'International Conference on Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: Reconnect Rejuvenate' in March 2023 which looked at enhancing cooperation among the SCO Member States, Observers, and Dialogue Partners. The present publication is a collection of presentations made by the experts at this conference. The publication brings to the reader a collection of views on SCO and on regional dynamics from diverse perspectives. It offers suggestions and recommendations for further strengthening of cooperation among SCO countries. The book will be of interest to the academic community as well as practitioners of diplomacy seeking to sharpen their understanding of Eurasia and related developments.
The Political Ecology of Colonial Capitalism
This book situates the post financial crisis phenomenon of the "global land grab" within the longue duree of the capitalist world system. It does so by advancing a theoretical and historical framework, called the political ecology of colonial capitalism, that clarifies the key role played by the co-production of race and nature in provisioning the "ecological surplus" that has historically secured the emergence and reproduction of capitalist development. The key premise of this book is that the global land grab constitutes another such attempted moment of re-securing the cheap food premise through racialized frontier appropriation. The argument advanced here is that, within the neoliberal crisis conjuncture, the hegemonic resolution of capital's escalating social-ecological contradictions necessitates, through the practice of "global primitive accumulation," the racialized construction of frontiers of unused nature in emergent zones of appropriation.
Confronting China
Informed by senior policymakers with extensive expertise in defense, this book provides a comprehensive regional and functional perspective on US policy toward the People's Republic of China.Confronting China addresses the central security questions of our generation: How best can the United States deter Chinese aggression and win the peace? China's pursuit of global hegemony reflects a patient yet determined effort to reshape the international order in its favor. Deterring Chinese aggression and winning the peace necessitates an integrated approach that draws upon all instruments of US national power.Drawing on the insightful analysis of more than a dozen senior national security practitioners, chapters discuss the China challenge from multiple perspectives. Contributors examine the different dimensions of China's growing power and assess how well they advance the Chinese Communist Party's political ambitions and what must be done to counter them. Drawing upon each writer's particular areas of expertise, chapter authors provide concrete, strategy-based, and resource-informed policy recommendations. In the concluding chapter, the editors review common threads and key insights from the preceding chapters, placing them in a larger strategic context.
Mass Protests in Iran
Mass Protests in Iran: From Resistance to Overthrow explores the various waves of protests in Iran over the past 44 years, surveying their causes, consequences, and outcomes. The author argues that the regime and its support base of fundamentalist groups constitute a minority in Iran and lack legitimacy, and thus the regime uses repression and violence to secure its rule. The result is a pre-revolutionary situation and a shifting political landscape of overthrows, constant mass protests and mass repression. Kazemzadeh's analysis highlights the factors that would assist the fundamentalist regime in succeeding in suppressing these protests, and the factors that would assist the Iranian people in defeating the fundamentalist regime.Written in an accessible style, this timely book offers a much-needed contribution to the literature on Iranian politics. It will be of interest to students and scholars, as well as policy makers, interested in Middle Eastern studies, social movements, protest movements, political science and sociology.
Legacy of Lies
For over half a century, the Trudeau name has cast a long shadow over Canada, marked by controversy, centralized control, and deep divisions. From Pierre Trudeau's ideological ties to dictators and policies that crippled the West to Justin Trudeau's ethics scandals and media manipulation, Legacy of Lies lays bare the hidden truths behind this polarizing political family.Will Stickle's Legacy of Lies: The Trudeau Dynasty uncovers Pierre's aggressive centralization of power, his admiration for authoritarian regimes, and his ruthless economic policies that alienated provinces like Alberta. The book then turns to Justin, whose charm masks a history of corporate favoritism, ethics violations, and globalist agendas that have fractured Canada. Together, these two leaders have left a nation grappling with the consequences of their rule, threatening the very fabric of Canadian unity and sovereignty.In this compelling expos矇, Stickle examines the cronyism, corruption, and betrayal that have defined the Trudeau legacy, raising pressing questions about the future of Canada.Legacy of Lies: The Trudeau Dynasty delves deep into the polarizing political legacy of Pierre and Justin Trudeau, a father-son duo whose policies have left Canada divided and struggling under the shadow of their influence. This expos矇 unveils the truth behind Pierre's socialist ambitions, his controversial friendships with authoritarian leaders, and his economic policies that devastated Western Canada.The book also scrutinizes Justin Trudeau's leadership, plagued by ethics violations, media manipulation, and an unsettling alliance with globalist agendas that many believe undermine Canadian autonomy. With each chapter, Legacy of Lies unpacks the myths surrounding the Trudeaus, revealing the dynasty's underlying pursuit of centralized control, masked by progressive rhetoric and empty promises.In a time when Canada's future feels more uncertain than ever, Legacy of Lies is a crucial read for anyone seeking to understand the true impact of the Trudeau dynasty on the nation's political landscape.
Narrating the Rule of Law
This open access book deals with the backsliding of the rule of law in Poland and Hungary as one of the main problems of the EU. What began as a national phenomenon has become a general threat for the EU because the respect for the rule of law is a prerequisite for all other values of the EU enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. Media coverage and scholarly publications on these developments mainly focus on backsliding governments and judicial decisions concerning the issue. This book aims to inform the debate by adding another perspective and providing a broader view. Drawing on a comprehensive collection of parliamentary debates, we explore how MPs in Poland, Hungary, but also the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania referred to the rule of law from 1990 to 2021 and how their narratives differed across parties, countries and time.
The UAE after the Arab Spring
Why did the Gulf monarchies - and the UAE in particular - avoid the upheavals and challenges of the Arab uprisings? This book examines how the UAE survived the waves of regional unrest. It departs from attributing regime survival to rentier state theory and instead offers a more nuanced approach to understanding the pillars of regime legitimacy upon which the UAE now rests. In doing so, the booksheds light on the transformation of the UAE from a quietist state, which relied almost entirely upon an overseas security guarantor, to an assertive regional power in its own right.Written by an Emirati author who understands the internal dynamics of the country, the book examines the state's proactive foreign policy and the changing domestic and regional environment influencing its decisions. The book argues that the UAE leadership encouraged a new national identity to evolve amid the pressures of modernity, particularly at a time when young Emiratis had access to information beyond government control via social media. This is also part of its shift away from a country based on a rentier economy to a situation where the citizens take more initiative, learn more skills, and increasingly enter the private sector to help the country prosper. This has given rise to a new Emirati identity that is politically conservative, economically neo-liberal and socially liberal. In providing an analysis of the policies of the UAE leadership before and after the Arab Spring, this book is a vital contribution to the literature on Emirati domestic and foreign policy and points to where the country might be headed.
Love Troubles
Four decades of economic reform have made China one of the most unequal countries in the world - but the impact of this inequality is not just socioeconomic. Love Troubles is the first book to examine the emotional cost of this inequality to the intimate and emotional lives of China's people. Drawing on first-hand ethnographic research among rural migrant factory workers in the Pearl River Delta in southern China, Wanning Sun critically analyzes narratives about love, romance, and intimacy in contemporary Chinese public discourses. Examining the impact of economic and cultural inequality on private life, this book both embodies and facilitates an intimate turn in the study of China's social change, and presents a significant intellectual intervention into worldwide debates on inequality.
Castle on a Hill
This recasting of modern European history offers new insights into the Visegrad Group's significant role in changing political mind-sets and refashioning the continentRick Fawn has written the first book-length account of the Visegrad Group of states, which consists of the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Poland, and Hungary. Named after Hungary's Visegr獺d Castle, the group's significance includes changing international perceptions of Central Europe since the fall of communism and securing membership in NATO and the European Community. It plays an ongoing role today in regional solidarity and politics within the European Union and NATO.Castle on a Hill is built on years of uniquely obtained oral and written sources and on the author's sustained engagement in this region. Fawn examines Visegrad's origins and major accomplishments, and what makes it a unique regional organization. In addition to its positive contributions, Fawn identifies Visegrad's weaknesses, oversteps, and missteps, including its controversial propulsion to international fame for successfully derailing the European Union's plans to resettle non-Europeans during the 2015 "migrant crisis." This book also offers insights for the wider study of the phenomenon of regionalism in international relations.Castle on a Hill shows how the Visegrad Group has changed Central Europe, largely for the better, and it will appeal to scholars and policymakers interested in international politics, European history, and the study of regions and regionalism in international relations.
Indonesia's Regional and Global Engagement
Karim examines the changes and continuity of Indonesia's foreign policy in the post-authoritarian era, under presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo. Indonesia conceptualised and aimed to adopt four principle roles after 2004 - being a voice for developing countries; being a regional leader; being an advocate for democratic and human rights; and being a bridge-builder. These roles, however, were by no means stable and were constantly being negotiated and contested. Karim analyses the contested nature of Indonesian foreign policy and the limits this places on consistency in enacting these roles. He highlights two drivers for such limitations - conflicting role conceptions and state fragmentation. He develops this argument based on four case studies of Indonesia's engagement in human rights governance and trade governance at both regional and global levels. Essential reading for students and scholars of Indonesia's foreign policy, that will also be of substantial value to those studying policy in Southeast Asia more broadly.
Civil Society and International Students in Japan
This book explores encounters and interactions between international students and local civil society organizations (CSOs) in Japan. Based on the results of a cross-case analysis, this study reveals the possibilities for international students in Japan of creating social capital in the short term in culturally and socially diverse groups. While a conventional approach sees universities as the main support providers, this research shows the role of local CSOs as alternative actors offering international student support. Unlike the long-standing paradigm viewing Japanese civil society as top-down and closely following the government, this book uncovers many decentralized and bottom-up organizational types. Furthermore, it highlights an active part taken by foreign staff and volunteers in Japanese CSOs, which challenges the guest-host dichotomy of the previous literature. Presenting a reconsidered insight into the role of international students and their interaction with CSOs in community building, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Asian studies and migration studies as well as organizers of CSOs and faculty of international higher education institutions.
Comparative Federalism in Asia
He, Breen, and Allison-Reumann combine qualitative and quantitative research to compare the successes and failures of attempts at federalism in Asian countries. Federalism is an increasingly common approach to improving governance and resolving ethnic conflict in Asia. However, Asian federalism faces three thorny problems. First, the ethnic federalism paradigm dominates political and intellectual life, rendering political compromise difficult and creating an obstacle to establishing or improving federalism in Asia. Second, religious fundamentalism and secular refusal to accommodate religious demands pose an existential threat to federal politics. Third, a majoritarian democracy is itself a threat to federalism in Asia and the peace and stability that it is meant to underpin. Through a truly comparative analysis, He, Breen, and Allison-Reumann investigate the potential for a hybrid-ethnic approach, religious moderation, and deliberative democracy to overcome these challenges. They analyse cases from across Asia - both successes and failures. These include countries encompassing the first generation of federalism in Asia - India, Malaysia, and Pakistan - and challenges faced by the new, emerging, and aspiring federal states, namely Nepal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. They demonstrate how federalism can be achieved through compromise and a continual renegotiation of its underpinning values. A vital resource for scholars of political systems in Asia and of federalism more broadly.
Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in Africa
This book critically examines the approaches to Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants programming in Africa. Drawing on empirical evidence from across the continent, the book investigates the different theories, contextual realities and approaches that have informed the establishment and implementation of such programmes, the opportunities they have provided for stability, peace and security, and the challenges with which they have contended. The book combines broader theoretical analysis with country-specific case studies, including Nigeria, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Overall, the book asks how DDR programming has evolved in Africa, what factors have contributed to the success or failure of DDR processes, and what we can expect for DDR in Africa in the future. This book will be a useful guide for students and researchers across the fields of Peace and Conflict Studies, Security Studies, History, Political Science, Sociology, and African Studies.
International Aid and Sustainable Development in North Korea
This book examines international aid in North Korea, in particular the ongoing policy of withholding aid, through the lens of the impact on the general population to present an argument for sustainable development.Focusing on the human rights of North Koreans and presenting a case for the use of aid as a provision for social change, it explores an alternative narrative to the existing long-drawn-out rhetoric of 'denuclearisation-first'. The book's scope includes evaluations of the causes of international sanctions and their impact, the Kim regime's mitigation of sanctions through marketisation and a digital economy as well as barriers to aid monitoring and the reason for the absence of any mass anti-regime movement. It also posits that North Korea is a fragile state but cloaked by the image of a strong regime.The book succinctly demonstrates that the key to unlocking the potential of North Korea's 'cloaked society' does not lie in sanctions, but is to be found in engagement with development aid. As such it will appeal to students of Korean Studies, Development Studies, Asian Politics and International Relations.The Open Access version of this book, available at http: //www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
Taiwan and Southeast Asia
Lee, Chan and their contributors analyse the different kinds of soft power deployed by Taiwan in its bid to strengthen its relations with its neighbours in Southeast Asia. Despite not having formal diplomatic relations with Southeast Asian countries after their diplomatic recognition of the People's Republic of China decades ago, Taiwan continues to be a key economic and socio-cultural partner for the region at large. Successive administrations in Taiwan from the Chen to Tsai eras have circumvented the long-standing absence of diplomatic recognition with the diffusion of soft power ─ shaping what others want with attractiveness ─ through the utilization of its existing economic and socio-cultural links with Southeast Asian countries. While such soft power diffusion contributes to Taiwan's triple quests for legitimacy as a member of international community, status as a constructive actor in the region and long-term economic prosperity for the island-state, the emergence of China as an economic superpower in the 21st century has significantly challenged such quests from Taipei. The contributors to this volume examine both the intentions and the reception of Taiwan's approach to the nations of ASEAN. An essential read for students and researchers investigating the impact and limitations of soft power in foreign policy.
Belt and Road Initiative and South Asia
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been an obscure concept, and it remains difficult to distinguish what BRI is and isn't, making it difficult for many governments and global corporations to properly participate in it. I am delighted to present the opinions and perspectives of many eminent researchers, professors and experts from various countries on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The book contains 11 chapters which are written by distinguished researchers and practitioners from various parts of Asia. While these 11 chapters discuss the many characteristics of the BRI, including advantages and costs, they also convey the lessons that many other Southeast Asian countries have learned. Each chapter offers valueable lessons to the countries that have yet to participate in the initiatives.
Geopolitics of the New Middle East
This edited book takes a critical look at the geopolitics of the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It scrutinizes some of the perennial issues shaping the regional security agenda, as well as the emerging geopolitical trends in the wake of a decade of turmoil triggered by the demands for political and economic reforms. The contributors explore the geopolitical implications of the structural transformation process in the MENA region and beyond, which has unleashed destabilizing forces and multifaceted conflicts, with the involvement of many local, regional and global actors. They also look at how some of the regional actors have reacted to the risks and security challenges produced by the wave of instability and conflicts, and conducted their foreign policy in this volatile period of fluid alliances. Other contributors explore the roles and perspectives of major extra-regional actors, delving deeper into how they have adjusted their policies towards the emergence of a new order and reshuffling of alignments. This book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of politics, international relations, and political geography. It was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies.
The Global Nuclear Landscape
Like shifting sands of a desert, the global nuclear landscape changes every few years across its three main constituents - nuclear energy, non-proliferation and disarmament. Each of these has seen phases of cautious optimism, deep scepticism and outright pessimism over the last two decades. This book offers a bird's eye view on all the three, even as the individual authors offer a worm's eye view on each specific topic within the larger ambit.The first section of the book examines developments in the nuclear energy sector. A broad-brush scan of the contemporary drivers and challenges for nuclear energy at a global level, as also that of India, reveals a positive trend line. There is also cautious optimism around the concept, developments and prospects of small modular reactors. It remains to be seen how effectively and quikcly licensing and regulation issues are resolved for the new concepts to become commericially viable. The second part of the book is devoted to non-proliferation. Vertical nucluear and missile proliferation amongst nuclear armed states, and horizontal proliferation cases of Iran and possibilities in East Asia are considered. Nuclear terrorism and the state of the NPT are also examined. Collectively, these issues reflect a mood of pessimism on non-proliferation at this juncture. Neither is there much to cheer on nuclear disarmament. The last section of the book examines the consequences of use of nuclear weapons, concepts of CBMs and arms control, and recent disarmament initiatives. A tentative exploration of the prospects of disarmament in the wake of Russia-Ukraine conflict is also undertaken. A hope that good sense will prevail, and fear that it might not, seem to coexist at this moment. It is in India's interest to proactively shape the landscape across these three elements. The book seeks to provide the basis to do so.
Xi Jinping's Anticorruption Campaign
Through empirical analysis and conceptual development, this book analyzes the political psychology of Xi Jinping's Anticorruption Campaign and its role in the Chinese political system. Using Nietzsche's concept of ressentiment and data collected from direct fieldwork, the book analyzes the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictatorship, revealing that it is prone to extremes, through ideology or corruption, and highlights how the Party's attempts to address one extreme only leads to the rise of another. In turn, it examines the Anticorruption Campaign in multiple ways including its use to increase the role of ideology in Chinese society, how it functions to concentrate Xi's power, its cultural form as a status reversal ritual, and its continuity with previous communist campaigns and ancient Chinese political traditions. Through each of these analyses, the book identifies crucial mechanisms through which the CCP maintains power through interrelated policies, actions, and their emotional effects. Providing a vital understanding of the CCP, this book will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars of Chinese politics, as well as diplomats and policymakers on China.
India and the Changing World Order
This book brings together new perspectives on India's foreign policy in the light of a constantly shifting world order. From India's relations in its immediate neighborhood to its China policy, from India-US relations under Biden to Quad, from Grand Strategy to peacekeeping, this book brings to the fore the shifting terrains of global politics and India's significant place in it.The chapters in the volume: Critically examine changing preoccupations of India's foreign policy and its geopolitical interests, including its Act East Policy; Include comprehensive inputs on India's China policy and relations with Japan; Explore India's relations with the USA, the Middle-East, Afghanistan, and Central Asia; Discuss at length India's nuclear, energy, and foreign investment policies; Analyze India's positioning on the emergence of the Indo-Pacific discourse. This volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of political science and international relations. It will also be of use to foreign policy and diplomacy practitioners, career bureaucrats and government think tanks.
The United States' Residual Hegemony
This book investigates the hegemony of the USA by examining the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations' responses to major global crises. Combining a Gramscian framework with the main features of complexity theory it provides a comprehensive account of the systemic crisis of the hegemonic order of the United States in security, environmental, and economic issue-areas. By examining key case studies, the author reveals that the hegemonic responses of the US were confronted by overt challenges, including emerging state and non-state actors, globally complex transnational flows, and a combative domestic political climate which undermined the United States' role in multilateral institutions no longer fit for purpose. This book will be of interest to general readers as well as scholars and students of US foreign policy, global politics, and Gramscian theory.
Evolution of the United Nations System
Contributors from Japan, Korea, and China explore the reaction of the United Nations to emerging global issues.A collaboration between the Japan Association for United Nations Studies with the Korea Academic Council on the United Nations System and the China Academic Net for United Nations Studies, this book presents a range of perspectives from both academics and practitioners. The areas explored and discussed include global governance, peace and security, global health governance, global citizenship, nuclear disarmament, and the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular and among other issues it addresses both the coordination of COVID-19 management and responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.An invaluable, diverse, and concertedly non-Western approach to the challenges facing the UN.
Comrade of the Revolution
By Fidel Castro Ruz. Edited by Vijay Prashad and Manolo de los Santos.Foreword by Fernando Gonzalez LlortPublished by 1804 Books and Leftword Books, 2021'You cannot kill ideas. Fidel, for the Third World, was not merely another leader. He was the mirror of its aspirations. That mirror will never be shattered.'- From the Introduction Fidel Castro's speeches were classrooms for the revolution. Through these speeches, Fidel came before the people to explain the conjuncture and problems the government faced with honesty and by putting them into historical context. Each of his speeches is a tour de force of explication, a history lesson, a sociology lesson, a political lesson, and even a lesson on literature. Fidel reached back to revolutionaries from an earlier time and dug into the data produced by the government. The traditions, experiences, and oral histories of national liberation and Marxism-Leninism articulated by Fidel came alive as he spoke to new audiences engaged in building a socialist experiment just miles away from the heart of the empire.Fidel Castro launched a battle of ideas in defense of socialist thought and the permanent mobilization of the people's consciousness. The speeches collected in this book carry forward the battle of ideas that framed the last decades of Fidel's life until he left us on 26 November 2016 at the age of ninety. FIDEL CASTRO RUZ Fidel Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 - 25 November 2016) was the leader of the Cuban Revolution. He was for many years the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba.FERNANDO GONZALEZ LLORTFernando Gonzalez Llort is one of the 'Cuban Five', the revolutionary heroes, unfairly imprisoned in the United States for fighting against terrorist organizations that have operated from US territory against Cuba. In 2017 he was appointed President of Cuba's Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). A graduate of International Relations, Fernando served as an internationalist combatant in southern Angola between 1987-89.MANOLO DE LOS SANTOSManolo De Los Santos is Co-Executive Director of The People's Forum and researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He co-edited, most recently, Viviremos: Venezuela vs Hybrid War (LeftWord 2020).VIJAY PRASHADVijay Prashad is the Executive Director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is the author or editor of several books, including The Darker Nations: A Biography of the Short-Lived Third World, The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South and Red Star Over the Third World (from LeftWord). His most recent book is Washington Bullets (LeftWord 2021). He writes regularly for Frontline, The Hindu, Alternet and BirGun. He is Chief Editor at LeftWord Books.
Everyday Democracy
Bottom-up voluntary associations, it is commonly thought, are among the fundamental building blocks of democracy, preparing people for engaged citizenship. A great deal of interest in Chinese civil society is premised on the idea that such groups might foster the emergence of democracy. But in a society where virtually all major institutions--from schools to workplaces to government--bear the deep imprint of authoritarian rule, can voluntary associations still spur social and political change? Everyday Democracy is a groundbreaking study of bottom-up organizations in China, arguing that even in an authoritarian state, they nurture the skills and habits of democracy. Anthony J. Spires offers an in-depth look at two youth-based, youth-led volunteer groups, showing how their values and practices point the way toward the emergence of new, more democratic forms of association. In mainstream Chinese organizational life, even in grassroots civil society groups, hierarchy and autocracy are pervasive. In these groups, however, ideals of equality, mutual respect, and dignity have motivated young people to invent new practices and norms that contrast greatly with typical top-down organizational culture. Drawing on more than a decade of field-based research with a diverse array of participants, Everyday Democracy pinpoints the seeds of a democratic culture inside an authoritarian regime.
Policing and Political Regime Transformation
This book offers a comprehensive study on the dynamics of policing under contexts of political regime transformation in the interplay between democratization and de-democratization through a cross-case comparative analysis among Venezuela, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine. The central concern lies in working out the intertwining between politics and policing by examining the development trajectories of democratic police reforms under scenarios of democratic stagnation, backsliding and autocratic consolidation. In particular, this book analyzes those changes experienced by the police as an institution, their powers and the practices for policing society in the framework of the endeavors for politicization, militarization and informalization of policing. This analysis is addressed from a macro-level actor-based approach, which accounts for the decisive role of ruling political actors and senior police managers as critical players who influence the decisions and patterns of political regime transformation and policing. Therefore, this book offers a groundbreaking study of the interrelationship among contemporary processes of de-democratization and police counter-reform from an actor-based perspective.
Everyday Democracy
Bottom-up voluntary associations, it is commonly thought, are among the fundamental building blocks of democracy, preparing people for engaged citizenship. A great deal of interest in Chinese civil society is premised on the idea that such groups might foster the emergence of democracy. But in a society where virtually all major institutions--from schools to workplaces to government--bear the deep imprint of authoritarian rule, can voluntary associations still spur social and political change? Everyday Democracy is a groundbreaking study of bottom-up organizations in China, arguing that even in an authoritarian state, they nurture the skills and habits of democracy. Anthony J. Spires offers an in-depth look at two youth-based, youth-led volunteer groups, showing how their values and practices point the way toward the emergence of new, more democratic forms of association. In mainstream Chinese organizational life, even in grassroots civil society groups, hierarchy and autocracy are pervasive. In these groups, however, ideals of equality, mutual respect, and dignity have motivated young people to invent new practices and norms that contrast greatly with typical top-down organizational culture. Drawing on more than a decade of field-based research with a diverse array of participants, Everyday Democracy pinpoints the seeds of a democratic culture inside an authoritarian regime.
Historical identities of indigenous peoples in Ecuador
"Choosing Atahualpa as the central character of a book is a challenge for any historian of the Andes. We are pleased that Ileana Almeida has been able to show in a few pages the essence of that life that had the unique opportunity to observe and be observed by the conquerors (...) The Atahualpa of Juan de Betanzos rethought by Almeida is a character that captures the attention of its readers".Retana and Luis Millones"Most indigenous languages are agglutinative, that is, they agglutinate to the root of suffixes. In this book, Ileana Almeida points out four phases as a process of agglutination in Kichwa (taking Turkish as an example): independence of words, role of attribute of one of the words, postposition and suffixation. The process is important for didactically studying the language, however, synchronically, not all suffixes can be understood in the process of transformation".Luis Montaluisa Chasiquiza
Greater China's Olympic Medal Haul
Between 1984 and 2021, elite athletes from the member regions of Greater China - China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong - competed at each of the ten Summer Olympics. By winning 263 gold medals, 199 silver, and 173 bronze, China became a global sports superpower. Taiwan and Hong Kong pocketed 7 gold medals, 10 silver, and 17 bronze and 2 gold medals, 3 silver, and 4 bronze, respectively, displaying their world-leading statuses in archery, badminton, baseball, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, Judo, karate, sailing, Taekwondo, table tennis, and weightlifting. In response, the leaders of the three regions delivered high-profile praise. Their administrations awarded cash, badges, and/or honorary titles to the medalists.By reviewing journalistic reports, key-players' memoirs, official documents, and scholarly works, this book aims to understand the significance of the Olympic medal haul to the Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong authorities. Its findings detail the context in which the Olympic medal haul was leveraged for the political change of the three regions and their relations with each other. They also reveal that the praise and rewards bestowed by the respective authorities on the medalists not only celebrated their jurisdictions' sporting excellence, but served broader strategic goals across domestic politics and international relations.
The Abraham Accords
In August 2020, Donald Trump announced that his administration had brokered a groundbreaking treaty between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the first normalization agreement between Israel and an Arab state in more than twenty years. Soon afterward, Bahrain joined the agreements, known as the Abraham Accords. How were these treaties achieved, and why did the parties involved see normalization as in their interest? In what ways have the accords altered the Middle East's political landscape, and how have they affected the question of Palestine? This book is a groundbreaking in-depth analysis of the Abraham Accords, shedding new light on their causes and consequences. Elham Fakhro demonstrates how shared security concerns, economic interests, and regional political shockwaves led to a surprising strategic convergence between the Gulf states and Israel, setting the stage for covert relations to come out into the open. She examines the role of the Trump administration in negotiating the agreements and shows how the UAE and Bahrain have instrumentalized the accords to burnish their reputations in Western capitals. Fakhro underscores how Washington's Middle East policy shifted toward expanding the agreements at the expense of attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--with profound costs. Offering a critical lens on a much-hailed agreement, this book argues that the pursuit of normalization in isolation from a lasting solution to the conflict has entrenched the conditions that continually plunge the Middle East into crisis.
The Success of Small States in International Relations
The Success of Small States in International Relations highlights the normality and power of small states in international relations.This book overturns the stereotype that small states, however defined, are weak and are, or ought to be, consigned to the margins of international relations. It argues that small states are not 'punching above their weight', or even anomalies - since it is large states which are the anomaly in the global system. The text unpacks the nature and character of small state success, while also looking critically at thirteen episodes in modern history where small states, singly or collectively, emerged victorious in confrontations with larger states. The case studies, globally sourced, are bookended by conceptual and analytic reviews of what these events mean for diplomacy, international relations and small states more generally.This book will appeal to scholars and students of comparative political science and international relations, particularly from small states, as well as policy makers and senior small state government officers.
Routledge Companion to China and the Middle East and North Africa
Focusing on China's relations with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), this Companion provides essential analysis of a complex region which threatens to become the battleground for rival powers in the future.The Routledge Companion to China and the Middle East and North Africa brings together China scholars from around the world, including from China, the MENA region, the United States, Asia, and Europe. The contributors, experts in their respective areas--which range from politics, military and nuclear power to economics, energy, and tourism--use different methodologies to understand China's policies in the MENA. Topics analyzed include Chinese investment in infrastructure, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Belt and Road Initiative. Divided into three Parts, the book addresses China's multidimensional presence in the MENA and its impact on the region while also explicating the MENA's relations with its traditional Western allies. Bilateral relations and people-to-people interactions are also explored and provide in-depth context to the areas of cooperation that are part of China's dealings with its partners in the region.Combining contemporary analysis with accessible prose, the book will be of interest to students, scholars, and policy-makers active in international relations, security studies, and economics, as well to general audiences interested in the MENA region.
Globalization and Governance in India
This volume examines the tangled relationship between globalization and governance through the lens of India's domestic politics, structures, institutions and policies. The contributors to this volume draw attention to the interconnectedness of global and domestic processes. In doing so, this volume also captures the evolving dynamics of state-society-market relations. A unique blend of papers, the collection brings out the complex interplay and interconnections between global trends, domestic politics and governance challenges in explaining both the persistence of policy reforms, as well as institutional change. In this light, the volume examines the role of socio-political processes and key actors at the domestic level; how they have negotiated global norms, pressures and opportunities resulting in durable policies and institutions.The COVID-19 pandemic has yet again brought the focus back to the significance and interconnectedness of globalization and governance. This volume will contribute to a deeper understanding of these twin processes through thematic discussions on embedded liberalism of the Indian state; transnationalisation of India's economic elites; exploring the role of global-local linkages in the transparency laws; strategic internationalization and the politics of reform; the global success of micro-credit and its domestic manifestation; and the resilience and durability of the 'Indian way' of governing globalization. This book was originally published as a special issue of the India Review.
Politics, International Relations and Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula
This edited volume explores the past, present, and future of the Korean Peninsula, with special focus on South Korea, by connecting developments in politics with those in international relations and diplomacy.The book focuses on how South Korea's politics and international relations have evolved since the founding of the First Republic in 1948, with particular attention to the period surrounding the 2022 presidential election. The authors provide new insights into Korean politics, including South Korean electoral reform and relations with China and Japan, North Korea's nuclear capacity, and North-South diplomacy.Beginning with a commentary by Colin Crooks, Britain's current Ambassador to South Korea and former Ambassador to North Korea, on recent British foreign policy changes and UK-Korea relations, this book will appeal to scholars and students of politics, international relations, diplomacy, and Korean Studies.
Public Administration in Hong Kong
This book investigates the case of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of People's Republic of China, mapping the changing patterns of political-administrative relations affected by the sovereignty change and structural reforms. It identifies the conditions that account for the varied political-administrative relations resulting from these changes, and develops an analytical framework that integrates and adapts theories and models from Western contexts to explain varied political-administrative relations in Hong Kong policymaking.The book tests its hypotheses through a qualitative comparative analysis of 18 cases occurring during the period of 1997-2012. It also conducts a comparative case analysis, which identified alternative causal conditions that were missing in the original framework. The book concludes that civil servants no longer dominate policymaking in Hong Kong after the regime change and structural reforms. While senior civil servants have sustained influence over policymaking processes through codified rules and political appointment, some of them have adapted to the changes in political environment that require more proactive policy styles and more hierarchical loyalty to the Central People's Government of China than before.The first-hand interview materials presented in the book provide insights about internal political-administrative dynamics rarely accessible from the public domain. These insights provide inside knowledge of the actors, structure and processes of local policymaking in a context of post-colonial transition, and will be of interest to public administration scholars.
Latin America in Times of Turbulence
The Open Access version of this book, available at http: //www.tandfebooks.com/doi/view/10.4324/9781003324249, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.This book accounts for and analyses the latest developments in Latin American presidential democracies, with a special focus on political institutions.The stellar line-up of renowned scholars of Latin American politics and institutions from Latin America, Europe, and the United States offer new insights into how democratic institutions have operated within the critical context that marked the political and social life of the region in the last few years: the eruption of popular protest and discontent, the widespread distrust of political institutions, and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. Combining different methodological approaches, including cross-national studies, small-N studies, case studies, and quantitative and qualitative data, the contributions cluster around three themes: the problem with fixed terms and other features of presidentialism, inter-institutional relations and executive accountability, and old and new threats to democracy in these times of turmoil. The volume concludes with an assessment of the political consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America.Beyond current scholars and students of comparative political scientists, Latin America in Times of Turbulence will be of great interest to a wide spectrum of readers interested in comparative systems of government, democracy studies, and Latin American politics more generally.
Polarization and Consensus-Building in Israel
This edited volume examines the most pressing social and political issues confronting Israel from a multidisciplinary perspective, focusing on the breakdown of social solidarity and the inability to formulate consensus.The contributors - encompassing political scientists, historians, communication researchers, sociologists, economists, and educators - focus on specific topics that serve as exemplary cases of various trends of consensus and polarization. These trends are examined in the context of ideological, religious, economic, national, and ethnic cleavages. In addition, this volume analyzes how political actors' preference for "non-decision" on various issues has resulted in the maintenance of a status quo, with cleavages or conflicts being neither mitigated nor polarized. Together, this collection of articles paints a picture of Israel as a state racked by increasing polarization along ideological and religious lines. It is argued that this difficulty in determining a consensual definition of the state threatens to destroy social solidarity in Israel altogether, a climate in which "the center cannot hold."This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the major internal threats to Israel's self-definition as a Jewish-democratic state and will also appeal to sociologists and political scientists interested in global polarization trends.
Brazil's International Activism
In Brazil's International Activism Monika Sawicka questions how Brazil's deep-rooted craving for greatness has led to the quest for status in the twenty-first century and contends that the categorization of Brazil as an "emerging middle power" enriches the understanding of modern Brazilian foreign policy.Drawing on the rich vocabulary of role theory, Sawicka sets out to establish an original theoretical framework that comprises the structural (status), the behavioral (role), and the cognitive-ideational (identity) to assess whether Brazil has performed roles distinguishing a middle power and how the state has reconceptualized them. The model is applied to scrutinize how ideational and material drivers impacted Brazil's engagement as an integrator in Latin America, donor in Africa, mediator in the Middle East, and coalition-builder of developing states in global fora. Despite recent criticism of the concept of "emerging middle powers", Sawicka argues that Brazil's international activism stands as a precise embodiment of such a power.With an aim of theory development and contributing to the debate on Brazil's international standing, Brazil's International Activism provides a much-required reinterpretation of Brazilian foreign policy which will be of interest to scholars and students of Foreign Policy Analysis, International Relations and Latin-American Studies.
Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths
"All my actions have their source in my inalienable love of humankind." -- Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi is one of the least understood figures of all time -- even among his admirers. In this Annual Gandhi Lecture for the International Association of Gandhian Studies, Mark Shepard tackles some persistently wrong-headed views of Gandhi, offering us a more accurate picture of the man and his nonviolence. //////////////////////////////////////////////// "A model of Gandhian journalism. . . . [Shepard] has put his finger on seemingly all of the popular (and some less common) misconceptions of both Gandhi and his philosophy, including some particularly important ones. . . . This book takes little space to cover its topic concisely and well. It would be [some] of the most valuable pages many people could read about Gandhi." -- Global Conscience, July-Sept. 1990 //////////////////////////////////////////////// Mark Shepard is the author of "Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths," "The Community of the Ark," and "Gandhi Today," called by the American Library Association's Booklist "a masterpiece of committed reporting." His writings on social alternatives have appeared in over 30 publications in the United States, Canada, England, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, and India. //////////////////////////////////////////////// SAMPLE I suspect that most of the myths and misconceptions surrounding Gandhi have to do with nonviolence. For instance, it's surprising how many people still have the idea that nonviolent action is passive. It's important for us to be clear about this: There is nothing passive about Gandhian nonviolent action. I'm afraid Gandhi himself helped create this confusion by referring to his method at first as "passive resistance," because it was in some ways like techniques bearing that label. But he soon changed his mind and rejected the term. Gandhi's nonviolent action was not an evasive strategy nor a defensive one. Gandhi was always on the offensive. He believed in confronting his opponents aggressively, in such a way that they could not avoid dealing with him. But wasn't Gandhi's nonviolent action designed to avoid violence? Yes and no. Gandhi steadfastly avoided violence toward his opponents. He did not avoid violence toward himself or his followers. Gandhi said that the nonviolent activist, like any soldier, had to be ready to die for the cause. And in fact, during India's struggle for independence, hundreds of Indians were killed by the British. The difference was that the nonviolent activist, while willing to die, was never willing to kill. Gandhi pointed out three possible responses to oppression and injustice. One he described as the coward's way: to accept the wrong or run away from it. The second option was to stand and fight by force of arms. Gandhi said this was better than acceptance or running away. But the third way, he said, was best of all and required the most courage: to stand and fight solely by nonviolent means.
Power Vacuums and Global Politics
In this book, Hanna Samir Kassab develops a theoretical framework that explains the formulation of power vacuums and examines their impact on the international system.A power vacuum is the fundamental absence of legitimate state authority over a geographic territory, and it is a space free of governance. With no state authority governing a geographical region, opportunistic states and organized criminal and terrorist networks may attempt to control that space. Using a variety of historical examples and centering his analysis on ungoverned spaces rather than great powers, Kassab uncovers neglected areas of great power competition. Part 1 discusses state actors: specifically, the strategic space of the Arctic, the Middle East and Africa, and Afghanistan and Central Asia. Part 2 examines non-state actors, such as terrorist networks and organized criminal networks, and the formulation of paramilitaries.Power Vacuums and Global Politics is the perfect volume for both undergraduate and graduate courses in international relations, security studies, political science, comparative politics, international political economy, and war and peace.
China's Bri in Different Regions of the World
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is completing a decade. There have been varied responses to the Initiative from countries and regions besides the emergence of alternative initiatives and narratives. This sets the stage for evaluating the robustness of the Initiative, its implementation as well as its implications from the perspective of individual countries and regions across the globe.This book begins by examining China's domestic, economic, maritime and strategic interests as drivers for the Initiative. BRI has been analysed in country-specific, regional and continental contexts. It brings out the experiences and responses from South Asia, Eurasia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, Latin America, the Caribbean as well as from Europe and Africa. Further, BRI has been studied in the larger context of the US-China competition. The final section explores BRI in the context of the twin challenges of recent times, i.e., the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict. The book concludes with an epilogue which outlines the broad trends related to BRI that have emerged from this study of ICWA.
Transitional Justice After Clean Breaks
Transitional Justice after Clean Breaks: The Case of Portugal offers a nuanced exploration of how national political actors shape transitional justice in the aftermath of authoritarian regimes. The book tackles two primary objectives: understanding the mechanisms linking the opening of a window of opportunity with transitional justice choices and unraveling the lasting effects of early decisions on justice after democracy consolidates.Filipa Raimundo and Joana Rebelo Morais present a comprehensive theoretical framework, intertwining institutional and attitudinal factors to explain the processes of coming to terms with the past that emerge out of clean break transitions. The lens provided by Portugal's unique case study illustrates the effect of preemption and strategic calculation as well as the enduring impact of early choices in shaping the trajectory of transitional justice.Focusing on democracies emerging from collapsed regimes, this book contends that the delegitimization of the autocratic elite and its exit from power are as relevant as the anti-dictator bias and the authoritarian stigmas in shaping transitional justice debates and decision-making.
Transformation Emergence of Bangladesh and Evolution of India-Bangladesh Ties
India's neighbourhood has always been accorded high priority in formulating foreign policy options, particularly in post-independent India. Since the birth of Bangladesh, the third largest neighbour in terms of population, India has engaged closely with Bangladesh. This book is about India-Bangladesh bilateral ties during the last half a century. The book traces the history of Bengal, the Partition and the birth of Bangladesh, as a new nation in the sub-continent. The book covers domestic developments in Bangladesh and its impact on bilateral ties. The book narrates Bangladesh's domestic challenges like the political turmoil after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader who inspired the struggle for liberation, political intervention by the military, conflict between secularism and theocracy, the Chakma revolt and insurgency, communal tensions, sustaining democracy and the amazing economic recovery that Bangladesh has achieved from being one of the poorest nations at the time it was born. The narrative on bilateral ties has been brought up-to-date, including a discussion on vexed bilateral issues. PM Sheikh Hasina's remarkable contribution bringing about a fundamental transformation in bilateral ties is discussed in the book. She has been prime minister for an unbroken fifteen years and having won the January 2024 election, will continue as PM for another 5-year term guiding Bangladesh's future policies and ties with India.
The Politics of Co-Opposition
The Politics of Co-Opposition reveals how a completely new form of political engagement in the British Isles - the 2021-24 Co-operation Agreement between Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour - created history and provided the major part of the Welsh Government's policy programme for over three years. John Osmond, who was involved in negotiating the Agreement as Special Adviser to Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, provides an insider's account of the political background to the Agreement - including a fascinating week-by-week diary of Price's first 100 days - how it was finalised and the compromises that were made to achieve it. Essential reading for politicians, political journalists, students and political scientists globally, the Co-operation Agreement, termed by academics as 'Contract Parliamentarianism', drew on non-coalition precedents in Sweden, New Zealand and Malaysia. It resulted in significant measures being introduced across 46 policy areas such as: free school meals for all primary school pupils, expanding free childcare to all two-year-olds, action on the second homes crisis blighting rural Wales, and reforming the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) including a 60% increase in Senedd Members - from 60 to 96 - and a fully proportional electoral system from 2026. Brought to a premature end in May 2024 by Plaid Cymru as the result of the controversial internal election of the new Labour leader which resulted in the implosion of his short-lived government, The Politics of Co-Opposition is a fascinating and candid account of how innovative politicians co-operated on key mutually-agreed policies while maintaining their positions as government and opposition.
