Macron’s Defeat
Emmanuel Macron lands for the first time in Africa at the Barkhane base in Gao, Mali, on May 14, 2017. His determination is complete: "Operation Barkhane will only end the day there are no more Islamist terrorists in the region and the full sovereignty of the Sahel states is restored. Not before." Seven years on, jihadists are on the rise, and the French army has been forced to leave Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad may follow... This debacle is not a military one, it's a political one. With the end of its influence in Africa, France has weakened its army, lost its allies at the United Nations and bid farewell to its singular voice on the international stage.Leslie Varenne retraces Emmanuel Macron's itinerary in Africa since 2017. She recounts a long sequence of lack of strategy, vision, ignorance of African realities, technocratic approaches, mistakes and setbacks that have led to this defeat. To this inventory must be added the problem posed by Emmanuel Macron's personality and his relations with his peers.
The Gendered Politics of Crises and De-Democratization
When opposition to gender+ equality and LGBTQIA+ policies is growing both in Europe and around the world, with increasing attacks on gender and sexuality norms and violations of women's and minority groups' rights, it is crucial to further improve the feminist scholarly understanding of opposition to gender equality in times of de-democratization. The Gendered Politics of Crises and De-Democratization: Opposition to Gender Equality seeks to broaden the current scope of literature on opposition to gender equality in democracy, laws, politics, and policymaking procedures. This book focuses on nine case studies of opposition to gender+ equality politics and policies at the United Nations' multilateral level, the European Union's supranational level, national levels, and local levels. With its strong interdisciplinary and original focus on bringing together distinct scholarships as well as the variety of topics covered-from employment through sexual and reproductive health rights to gender-based violence-this book is beneficial not only for gender studies students and scholars but also for feminist activists, political and policy actors, and anyone who is interested in achieving social justice.
The Center Must Hold
Division in society. The spread of misinformation. The rise of extremism. Centrism holds the answers.In an age of complex global challenges, extremism and populism offer a simple but fatally flawed narrative to a public craving a sense of normalcy. There is another way. Centrism has proven itself not only the most effective antidote to their dangerous brand of politics but also as a successful way to lead countries.Far from being an arbitrary middle point between left and right, centrism offers a coherent set of political ideas, principles, and approaches: the importance of moderation and pragmatism, the embrace of complexity, the deep commitment to democracy, the belief in equality of opportunity, and the belief that through balancing the tensions that exist in every nation we can make people's lives better.It is about finding the most productive and effective balance between globalization and local communities, civil rights and security, religion and democracy, free markets and protecting the weakest in society.Drawing together politicians, thought leaders and social commentators - from Tony Blair to Michael Bloomberg, from Jennifer Rubin to Yair Lapid - The Center Must Hold contains a series of essays from those who have led from the center or made significant contributions to centrist thought and policy-making, including former prime ministers, policymakers, and leading journalists from across the world.Discover: What is centrism?What are the big questions of modern politics and how does centrism address them?What are the policies and practices of world leaders who are centrists?How does centrism operation--practically speaking--around the world?Why is centrism the best way forward in terms of efficiency and effectiveness in governance?
Power, Patronage and International Norms
Why do some of the world's least powerful countries invite international scrutiny of their adherence to norms on whose violation their governments rely to remain in power? Examining decisions by leaders in Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Georgia, Valerie Freeland concludes that these states invited outside attention with the intention to manipulate it. Their countries' global peripherality and their domestic rule by patronage introduces both challenges and strategies for addressing them. Rulers who attempt this manipulation of scrutiny succeed when their patronage networks make them illegible to outsiders, and when powerful actors become willing participants in the charade as they need a success case to lend them credibility. Freeland argues that, when substantive norm-violations are rebranded as examples of compliance, what it means to comply with human rights and good governance norms becomes increasingly incoherent and, as a result, less able to constrain future norm-violators.
Geopolitics and Energy Diplomacy in the Caspian Region
Could the Caspian Region replace Russia's or the Persian Gulf's immense energy potential with their energy resources? Yunis Gurbanov explores the strategic importance of the region in post-USSR Eurasian policies of major global actors, namely China, the EU, the USA, and Russia, and examines Azerbaijan's, Kazakhstan's, and Turkmenistan's oil and gas resources as alternatives to conventional suppliers. He shows that the Caspian region's resources could serve as alternative energy sources on a global level, mitigating dependence on traditional suppliers and stabilizing energy prices.
Japanese Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics
After the withdrawal of the Allied Occupation forces, many Japanese political leaders sought for their country a larger and more independent role in world affairs. Thus, the newly installed Hatoyama Government made known its desire for normal diplomatic relations with both the Soviet Union and the (Communist) Republic of china--a goal that became a major Party slogan. The subsequent negotiations for a peace agreement with the Soviet Union precipitated intense domestic political controversy, n part because the issue represented the first major act of foreign policy to be proposed by the government since the restoration of national independence; as such, it attracted many politicians who were just then emerging or reemerging after the Allied purge of pre-war and wartime political leaders. The battle was waged with little concern for the central question of national policy; instead, the main attraction was political--party and factional--power. The two-year conflict, which continued until the conclusion of an agreement with the Soviet Union in 1956, determined many of the characteristic and permanent features that the Japanese political order has displayed since that time. Hence the interest that attaches to this study, which analyzes the political elements affecting the course of negotiations with Russia: public opinion, political parties, private pressure groups, and the formal institutions of government. Mr. Hellmann's perceptive appraisal of the action and interaction of these elements leads to conclusions that challenge many commonly held assumptions about the nature of the Japanese political system, particularly those assumptions concerning the influence of business groups. Since his perspective on the entire political process affecting the negotiations with the Soviet Union is sufficiently broad to permit him to draw parallels with comparable processess in Western nations, the book should interest student of comparative and international politics as well as those concerned with the widening role of Japan in East Asian politics. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1969.
Bodily Fluids, Fluid Bodies and International Politics
In recent years, security actors have become increasingly concerned with health issues. This book reveals how understandings of race, sexuality and gender are produced/reproduced through healthcare policy. Analysing the plasma of paid Mexicana/o donors in the US, airport vomit in Ebola epidemics and the semen of soldiers with genitourinary injuries, this book shows how security practices focus upon governing bodily fluids. Using a variety of critical scholarship - feminist technoscience, queer studies and critical race studies - this book uses fluids to reveal unequal distributions of life and death.
The Grammar of Status Competition
States do not only strive for wealth and security, but international status too. A burgeoning body of research has documented that states of all sizes spend considerable time, energy, and even blood and treasure when seeking status on the world stage. Yet, for all scholars' success in identifying instances of status seeking, they lack agreement on the nature of the international hierarchies that states are said to compete within. Making sense of this status ambiguity remains the key methodological and theoretical challenge facing status research in international relations scholarship. In The Grammar of Status Competition, Paul David Beaumont tackles this puzzle head on by making a strength out of status' widely acknowledged slipperiness. Given that states, statesmen, and citizens care about and pursue status despite its difficulty to assess, Beaumont argues that we can study international status hierarchies through these actors' attempts to grapple with this same status ambiguity. The book thus redirects inquiry toward the theories of international status (TIS) that governments and citizens themselves produce and use to make sense of their state's position in the world. Advancing a new framework for studying such TIS, the book illuminates how specific theories of international status emerge, solidify, and become contested, and how these processes influence domestic and foreign policy. Showcasing the value of a TIS approach via multiple historical case studies--from nuclear arms control to Norwegian education policy--Beaumont thereby addresses three major puzzles in IR status research: why states compete for status when the international rewards seem ephemeral; how states can escape the zero-sum game associated with quests for positional status; and how status scholars can overcome the methodological problem of disentangling status from other motivations.
Open Source Investigations in the Age of Google
How did a journalist find out who was responsible for bombing hospitals in Syria from his desk in New York? How can South Sudanese monitors safely track and detail the weapons in their communities and make sure that global audiences take notice? How do researchers in London coordinate worldwide work uncovering global corruption? What are policy-makers, lawyers, and intelligence agencies doing to keep up with and make use of these activities?In the age of Google, threats to human security are being tracked in completely new ways. Human rights abuses, political violence, nuclear weapons, corruption, radicalization, and conflict are all being monitored, analyzed, and documented. Although open source investigations are neither easy to conduct nor straightforward to apply, with diligence and effort, societies, agencies, and individuals have the potential to use them to strengthen security.This interdisciplinary book presents 18 original chapters by prize-winning practitioners, experts, and rising stars, detailing what open source investigations are and how they are carried out, and examining the opportunities and challenges they present to global transparency, accountability and justice. It is essential reading for current and future digital investigators, journalists, and scholars of global governance, international relations and humanitarian law, as well as anyone interested in the possibilities and dangers of this new field.
Post-Truth Populism
This open access book analyses the convergence between 'post-truth' political culture and the politics of populism. The premise is that there is an intrinsic link between post-truth discourse (referring to mis/disinformation, 'alternative facts', 'fake news', conspiracy theories and the general distrust of expert knowledge and official sources of information) and the central narrative of populism, which opposes the 'common sense' wisdom of ordinary honest people to the 'expert knowledge' of duplicitous technocratic elites. The book investigates the current post-truth phenomenon as a distinct feature of contemporary political life, and the specific ways in which it intersects with the resurgence of populism. While there has been a considerable literature on both post-truth and populism, they are largely treated as separate phenomena, and very little research has been conducted on their actual connection. The original contribution of this book to an emerging field of study is to develop a strong, coherent and empirically informed theoretical framework for understanding the specific paradigm of post-truth populism. The authors propose this paradigm as a way of interpreting different contemporary political phenomena, such as conspiracy theories, political destabilisation, and debates around immigration, the role of journalists and the media, climate change, gender and sexuality, Islam, and minority rights, as well as a way of understanding the threats and challenges this poses to the liberal democratic model and way of life.
The Middle East Conflict
This textbook deals with the Middle East conflict as a key element of international relations. The origins of the conflict and its international dimensions, the major Israeli-Arab wars, attempts at a solution, peace plans and visions for the future are presented in a concise manner. Extensive map material illustrates the findings.The English translation of this book, originally in German, was facilitated by artificial intelligence. The content was later revised by the author for accuracy.
Pacific Dream? the Evolution of Us Strategic Culture and Alliances in the Indo-Pacific
This book analyses America's alliances and strategic culture in the Indo-Pacific, from the Presidency of George W. Bush to Joe Biden. It advances the notion of the 'Pacific Dream', an American vision for Indo-Pacific integration. Its historical chapter covers the period from 1951 to 2001, presenting the reader with the evolution of Washington's most successful Indo-Pacific alliance network, the San Francisco System. The chapters that follow analyse every presidency from 2001 onward, focusing on defining the Pacific Dream and arguing that the San Francisco System is becoming outdated and slowly replaced by formats like the Quad, Quad Plus, or AUKUS. There is particular attention given to the growing importance American allies have in Washington's Pacific Dream and strategic culture. A case is made that American strategic culture is blending with concepts from allied strategic cultures, such as Japan, Australia, or South Korea.
Covering Ukraine
War weighs heavily on the soul of even the most hardened observer, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is no exception. Often, when called upon to address such complex conflict-related situations, analysts endure a kind of weary cynicism, having repeatedly provided the same narrative-based facts to the same audience without seeming to have moved the needle of public perception. One of the reasons for this melancholy is that both the interviewer and the interviewee have often gone over the same ground in what seems like a never-ending cycle of gloom and doom. Then, out of the blue, something changes! You are called upon to lay out the same old set of facts to someone who is new to the story, to someone whose spirit hasn't been dulled by the repetitive ravages brought on by covering the death and destruction of never-ending conflict. To someone for whom the insanity and horror of war, and the complexity and hypocrisy of the politics that serve as its intellectual foundation is a new, terrifying and confusing experience. At that moment, the old analyst inside you reawakens. You are reminded why you got into this business to begin with. You are challenged by questions so innocent and pure that you are compelled to reexamine the assumptions that had calcified your own assessments, past and present. I am that old analyst, and Ania K is my welcomed fellow traveler. In this book we take you on a journey of discovery and rediscovery, borne from the probing questions of someone new to the intricacies and duplicities of war and yearning to understand. Here you will find the answers of someone whose dulling senses have been galvanized by the challenge of putting into perspective problems for which there once had seemed to be no solution, and yet, upon this reexamination, now become comprehensible--and even solvable. Covering Ukraine: The Scott Ritter interviews through the Eyes Of Ania K. is a unique and timely addition to the literature on the conflict in Ukraine. It offers a fresh look at complex problems that will empower and entertain the reader with new insights and sharp analysis of a war few understand--which as such is doomed to continue in perpetuity, the living manifestation of the age-old adage, "You can't solve a problem if you do not first properly define what the problem is." In this book, Ania K. and I embark on a journey to properly define the problems manifest in the Ukraine conflict, and together, we struggle to find a solution.
Deadly Quarrels
Lewis Fry Richardson was one of the first to develop the systematic study of the causes of war; yet his great war data archive, Statistics of Deadly Quarrels, posthumously published, has yet to be fully systematized and assimilated by war-causation scholars. David Wilkinson has reanalyzed Richardson's data and drawn together the results of kindred quantitative work on the causes of war, from other as well as from Richardson. He has translated this classic of international relations literature into contemporary idiom, fully and accurately presenting the substance of Richardson's idea and at the same time bringing it up to date with judicious comment, updating the references to the critical and successor literature, and dealing in some detail with Richardson himself. Professor Wilkinson lists among the findings: 1. the death toll of war is largely the product of a very few immense wars; 2. most wars do not escalate out of control, they are vey likely to be small, brief, and exclusive; 3. great powers have done most of the world's fighting, inflicting and suffering most of the casualties; 4. the propensity of any two groups to fight increases as the ethnocultural differences between them increase. Contemporary peace strategy would therefore seem to be to avoid World War III by promoting superpower detente, and reanimating, accelerating, and civilizing the process of world economic development. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.
Disjoined Partners
Is there a natural tendency toward the political integration of states that are united in culture but divided in politics? Disjoined Partners arrives at a largely negative response. In an application of political science techniques to a subject traditionally in the domain of history, Peter J. Katzenstein analyzes Austro-German relations since 1815 in six chronologically arranged case studies. Asking why these partners remain disjoined, Katzenstein finds the answer in the persistence of Austria's political autonomy. In an appendix, the author illustrates how this type of analysis could be extended to include an examination of the unification of Germany and of Italy in the middle of the nineteenth century and of the fragmentation of Sweden-Norway and England-Ireland at the beginning of the twentieth. His study sheds new light on the reasons for the continued political autonomy of nation-states. Disjoined Partners derives from the author's dissertation, which was awarded the Charles Sumner Prize at Harvard and the American Political Science Association's Helen Dwight Reid Award for the best dissertation of the year in the field of international relations, law, and politics. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.
India and The UN Peace Operations
The book, "India and the UN Peace Operations: In Service of humanity and global peace", is a true reflection of the contributions of Indian diplomats and uniformed peacekeepers to global peace and security since the early 1950s. The book transports a reader from India's diplomatic, political and uniformed peacekeepers' efforts in Korea, to various inter-state and intra-state peace operations, and finally to the modern multi-dimensional peace operations. India has contributed excellent diplomats, military and police leaders and nearly 2,55,000 peacekeepers in some of the most violent and intractable conflicts around the globe. As many as 178 peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice in their quest for global peace and the book is a dedication to all those soldiers of peace. The book is written by a former peacekeeper, academician, researcher and trainer in the field, with the active support of the United Services and India, and the Indian Council of World Affairs.
Defying Beijing
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to construct a Sino-centric transcontinental infrastructure network in Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond. Within this initiative, the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) is a vital strategic component. The shortcut to the Indian Ocean seeks to improve China's energy security and facilitate trade. Defying Beijing: Societal Resistance to the Belt and Road in Myanmar shows how Myanmar was able to capitalise on Chinese BRI ambitions to achieve its own desired outcomes during the country's political liberalisation in the 2010s. Belying the asymmetrical relationship between these two nations, the Myitsone hydropower dam was suspended, the Letpadaung copper mine's contract was renegotiated, and the Kyaukphyu deep seaport project was downsized. China offered concessions to Myanmar instead of pressuring it to honour those signed agreements. Contrasting a common proposition that US-Myanmar rapprochement disrupted the BRI projects in Myanmar, Defying Beijing argues that the rise of new foreign policy actors - citizens - made project continuation costlier for Naypyidaw in the course of political liberalisation in the 2010s. Naypyidaw was pressured to renegotiate terms with Beijing in the wake of social outcry in the country. Defying Beijing advances our understanding of Chinese-Myanmar BRI relations and demonstrates how citizens can change the course of events of BRI cooperation despite oppressive political environments and an imbalanced bargaining structure. In post-coup Myanmar, Naypyidaw's policy options were not conditioned by public opinion or protests; nonetheless, armed resistance has posed new domestic constraints in the CMEC's implementation. Clearly, bilateral economic agreements without citizens' endorsement are fraught with legitimacy problems and instabilities.
International Organizations
International organizations are increasingly important to global politics, law, and culture. Now in its fifth edition, this leading textbook provides the definitive introduction to modern international organizations by examining a dozen prominent global institutions. With a mix of legal, empirical, and theoretical approaches, the author examines timely cases where IOs are in the headlines today including on migration, Brexit, trade wars, and border disputes. This new edition is fully revised and updated, featuring new chapters on how global sports are organized by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee. The book explains the power and limits of international organizations by seeing how their legal authority interacts with politics in real-world controversies. It will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in international organizations, international institutions, global governance, and international law.
Contesting the World
Over the past thirty years, norms research has evolved into a significant subfield within International Relations and beyond. 'Contesting the World' delves into the development of norms, exploring their emergence, change and legitimacy on both domestic and international levels. This in-depth volume presents the interpretation-contestation framework, positioning it as the primary theoretical mechanism for understanding norms. Leading scholars spanning diverse sub-fields and epistemological perspectives investigate the crucial aspects of norm development including norm strength, collision and conflict; interaction and linkages; and the illumination of historical norm development through contestation. 'Contesting the World' offers a fresh perspective on norms research, focusing on ideas, social facts, norm adaptation, and the shift towards viewing norms as processes. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of norms and their impact on international relations. A fascinating exploration of norms, contestation and the ever-changing world of global politics.
Contesting the World
Over the past thirty years, norms research has evolved into a significant subfield within International Relations and beyond. 'Contesting the World' delves into the development of norms, exploring their emergence, change and legitimacy on both domestic and international levels. This in-depth volume presents the interpretation-contestation framework, positioning it as the primary theoretical mechanism for understanding norms. Leading scholars spanning diverse sub-fields and epistemological perspectives investigate the crucial aspects of norm development including norm strength, collision and conflict; interaction and linkages; and the illumination of historical norm development through contestation. 'Contesting the World' offers a fresh perspective on norms research, focusing on ideas, social facts, norm adaptation, and the shift towards viewing norms as processes. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of norms and their impact on international relations. A fascinating exploration of norms, contestation and the ever-changing world of global politics.
International Organizations
International organizations are increasingly important to global politics, law, and culture. Now in its fifth edition, this leading textbook provides the definitive introduction to modern international organizations by examining a dozen prominent global institutions. With a mix of legal, empirical, and theoretical approaches, the author examines timely cases where IOs are in the headlines today including on migration, Brexit, trade wars, and border disputes. This new edition is fully revised and updated, featuring new chapters on how global sports are organized by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee. The book explains the power and limits of international organizations by seeing how their legal authority interacts with politics in real-world controversies. It will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in international organizations, international institutions, global governance, and international law.
Social Policies in Times of Austerity and Populism
Featuring latest research by Brazilian scholars, this book is a timely overview of social policies in Brazil during the Bolsonaro presidency. Social Policies in Times of Populism and Austerity is recommended to those who teach welfare state politics, comparative public policy, development studies, Brazilian politics, and rightwing politics.
South Africa
Originally published in 1961, this book was the first comprehensive work on South African geography that also presented a balanced account of all facets of the economic life. It was written to provide background information on South Africa - the nature of the country, its resources and deficiencies, its historic settlement by peoples of different races and of the progress made and the difficulties encountered in the major areas of economic activity: agriculture, mining, manufacturing and trade. In discussing these factors the book acknowledged that in South Africa the complexities of the relationships between peoples of different racial origins and widely differently economic and cultural standards are met in one country.
Successful China
Anyone trying to understand the general means of political economy development, China's remarkable accomplishment is an exceptionally - and only - case study. As importantly, China's success holds solutions on how to make economies and policies more effective. So, how was China so successful? How did China proceed to achieve such an unprecedented historical achievement? How did it accomplish its remarkable economic transformation? How can a country over a billion people grow so fast, for so long? What made it happen?There may be cultural and/or ideological obstacles to pass, but it is in everyone's interest to understand China. To answer these questions, this essay, based on a compilation of Chinese official documents, proposes three main themes: introduction to the state institutions, an overview of the economic model and a selection of national policies. As socialism with Chinese characteristics is now a new model claiming world attention, may this contribution add a little step in the improvement and comprehension of the Chinese model.
A Prophet of Modern Delusions
Throughout his major works, Leo Tolstoy argues that the central problem of the modern world is its delusional character. We have become delusional about the utility of science, the effects of music, the nature of love and the divine, and the inescapable reality of death. A Prophet of Modern Delusions: Tolstoy's Critique of Modernity explores Tolstoy's arguments regarding these delusions. In so doing, it illustrates the continuing relevance of Tolstoy's writings to those who desire to understand the complexities of modernity and who wish to be roused from deeply entrenched ways of thinking that may be delusional.
Upstart
A powerful new explanation of China's rise that draws from the business world to show that China is not simply copying established great powers, but exploiting geopolitical opportunities around the world that those other powers had ignored. Thirty years ago, the idea that China could challenge the United States economically, globally, and militarily seemed unfathomable. Yet today, China is considered another great power in the international system. How did China manage to build power, from a weaker resource position, in an international system that was dominated by the U.S.? What factors determined the strategies Beijing pursued to achieve this feat? Using granular data and authoritative Chinese sources, Oriana Skylar Mastro demonstrates that China was able to climb to great power status through a careful mix of strategic emulation, exploitation, and entrepreneurship on the international stage. This "upstart approach" -- determined by where and how China chose to compete -- allowed China to rise economically, politically, and militarily, without triggering a catastrophic international backlash that would stem its rise. China emulated (i.e. pursued similar strategies to the U.S. in similar areas) when its leaders thought doing so would build power, while reassuring the U.S. of its intentions. China exploited (i.e. adopted similar approaches to the U.S. in new areas of competition) when China felt that the overall U.S. strategy was effective, but didn't want to risk direct confrontation. Lastly, China pursued entrepreneurial actions (i.e. innovative approaches to new and existing areas of competition) when it believed emulation might elicit a negative reaction and a more effective approach was available. Beyond explaining the unique nature of China's rise, Upstart: How China became a Great Power provides policy guidance on how the U.S. can maintain a competitive edge in this new era of great power competition.
From Development to Democracy
Why some of Asia's authoritarian regimes have democratized as they have grown richer-and why others haven't Over the past century, Asia has been transformed by rapid economic growth, industrialization, and urbanization-a spectacular record of development that has turned one of the world's poorest regions into one of its richest. Yet Asia's record of democratization has been much more uneven, despite the global correlation between development and democracy. Why have some Asian countries become more democratic as they have grown richer, while others-most notably China-haven't? In From Development to Democracy, Dan Slater and Joseph Wong offer a sweeping and original answer to this crucial question. Slater and Wong demonstrate that Asia defies the conventional expectation that authoritarian regimes concede democratization only as a last resort, during times of weakness. Instead, Asian dictators have pursued democratic reforms as a proactive strategy to revitalize their power from a position of strength. Of central importance is whether authoritarians are confident of victory and stability. In Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan these factors fostered democracy through strength, while democratic experiments in Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar were less successful and more reversible. At the same time, resistance to democratic reforms has proven intractable in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Reconsidering China's 1989 crackdown, Slater and Wong argue that it was the action of a regime too weak to concede, not too strong to fail, and they explain why China can allow democracy without inviting instability. The result is a comprehensive regional history that offers important new insights about when and how democratic transitions happen-and what the future of Asia might be.
Why the World Needs China
While the US portrays itself as a noble example of freedom and democracy, it has in fact led the world to greater inequality than ever before. But now, for the first time in decades, nations facing the brunt of its domination and exploitation have alternative, more tenable options in pursuit of development. Chinese finance is building badly-needed infrastructure where the West would not, Chinese commerce is providing a lifeline to countries the US has targeted for destruction, and Chinese industry is producing new sources of renewable and transition energy at an unparalleled rate. This book addresses: * China's development and political economy based on independent studies, statistical data, and comparative analysis * Current geopolitical conflicts and major developments and their relation to China * Chinese finance and its effect on the rest of the world, particularly Africa. * China's profound emphasis on environmentalism, renewable energy, and plan for the future Though it has yet to fully step into this role, the People's Republic of China has become the de facto leader of a future multipolar world. Why does the world need China? Inter alia: China is now one of the largest investors in peripheral countries, yet Chinese loans are distinguished from Western loans by having substantially lower interest, being focused on infrastructure construction rather than the extraction of rents, and never being used as political leverage to make its partners adopt harmful "structural adjustment" policies as Western loans are. From 2000 to 2020, the PRC has helped African countries build 13,000 kilometers of railways and 100,000 kilometers of highways. Chinese-financed development is so ubiquitous on the African continent that any large building or road longer than 3 kilometers are most likely built and engineered by Chinese firms. Most of these have been constructed as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which began in 2013 and is still making increasing investments throughout the world. Yet according to trade statistics tracked by the World Bank, the value of exports from the Sub-Saharan Africa region to China as a share of the total have not risen since then; instead, the region of the world that has seen the largest increase in export share from SSA has been SSA itself. This means that greater regional connectivity, commerce, and intermediate manufacturing being done in Africa is having the long-term effect of industrializing the continent
Postcolonialism and Social Theory in Arabic
Since Edward Said's publication of Orientalism in 1978, so-called Western social theory and its claim to universal analytical validity has been exposed to severe criticism. Scholars from the field of postcolonial studies were most vocal in criticizing the Eurocentric nature of the conceptual apparatus of the social sciences. Indeed, contemporary social theory almost exclusively refers to the historical experiences of Western Europe and North America. Yet what is the alternative to these Eurocentric frameworks? Many postcolonial critics use very few non-English sources and tend to focus on the deconstruction of European and American theories. The chapters of this volume provide a turn of perspective. The authors critically reflect upon the concepts of so-called Western social theory by engaging with social science literature and social theory in Arabic. Questions addressed include: What are the concepts, themes, and historical narratives in contemporary Arabic social theory? In which ways do Arab social theorists provide us with alternatives to the conceptual apparatuses employed by so-called Western social theory? To what extent are Arab and Western social theories entangled with each other?
The Anthropocene, Global Capitalism and Global Futures
This book seeks to show that the Anthropocene epoch of the earth system has converged with the global epoch of capitalist history. Planetary warming and climate change are, therefore, unfolding rapidly. This enveloping process is driven forward by the mutual ruptures of a deteriorating earth system and fossil based global capitalism, as a fraught socioecological totality. Overlapping crises of time are the net result. They involve, the recurring, myopic volatility of financialised capitalism, the ecological impossibility of sustaining capitalist growth, the spreading arrhythmias of biotic, animal, bird, insect and marine life and the irremediable psychological stresses of climate change anxiety. The time crises of global capitalism originate from certain disjunctures of time associated with carbon extractivism, carbon emission markets and official climate change projections. The book sets out the counter constructions of time necessary to energise the climate justice movement and advance ecosocialist principles.
Saudi Arabia and Israel
In "Saudi Arabia and Israel: The Sinful Proximity," the GEW Intelligence Unit delves into the intricate relationship between two states that have long been viewed as geopolitical adversaries. This meticulously researched book, edited by Hichem Karoui and published by Global East-West (London), comprehensively analyses the evolving dynamics between Saudi Arabia and Israel, exploring their challenges, strategic interests, and covert interaction. The book aims to provide insights into the complexities, motivations, and implications of their interactions throughout history, shedding light on the potential and consequences for open diplomatic relations, challenges, societal impacts, and human rights considerations. The book also aims to extract key lessons and findings in case the covered ties evolve into an open diplomatic relationship in a context full of tensions due to the current plight of the Palestinian people under the Zionist occupation.Through a blend of insightful commentary and in-depth research, this authoritative work sheds light on the complex web of political, economic, and security considerations that shape the interactions between these two Middle Eastern powers. It is a timely and thought-provoking read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the shifting alliances in the region.
The Odd Couple
A set of provocative ideas about recalibrating the relationship between Australia and the USA to deliver peace and prosperity rather than conflict and disharmonyAmerica matters. Australia matters. They matter to each other. They matter to the world. Their institutional and structural alignments are deep and powerful. Americans believe in themselves. Australians believe in each other. They are mates. They are gregarious. Americans are single-minded and ambitious. Success is the reward for effort. Australians are happy-go-lucky. They do not push themselves too hard. Americans honour success. Australians cut down tall poppies. Both are brash.There are also many contrasts. America is religious. Australia is secular. Curiously, their differences help to explain why they are so close - and why their relationship is so superficial.They share interests: they like winning and being in charge; they like wealth, and they like being liked. They like condescension, and excluding people they do not like. 'National security' is a major shared interest. So is racism. America's (and Australia's) recent wars have all been against non-whites. Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan are worse off for the wars we fought. So are we.Despite the political rhetoric, America and Australians do not share values. They do not share the values of equality, inclusion, respect, tolerance and trust. They do share a pervasive sense of insecurity. America supports a gun and war culture regardless of the costs, and Australia supports American adventurism unconditionally. Their focus on security emphasises war, not peace.America is floundering and appears to have lost its way. It needs friends that advise and encourage. As rich and powerful first-world nations, America and Australia share a problem: how to recalibrate their relationship to deliver peace and prosperity rather than conflict and disharmony. In The Odd Couple, Allan Behm suggests ways that America and Australia can transcend military glitz to strengthen well-being and human security worldwide. America needs a friend, not a flunkey, and Australia may become its best ally.
Assessing Russia’s Actions in Ukraine and Syria, 2014-2022
What do Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria, particularly between 2014 and 2022 tell us about the character of modern conflict? Do these actions indicate change or continuity? What linkages are there between Russia's approaches to warfare today with those before, during, and after the Soviet era? Assessing Russia's Actions in Ukraine and Syria, 2014-2022: Implications for the Changing Character of War investigates how Russia's actions in Syria and Ukraine reveal more continuity than change and more evolution than revolution in warfare. These actions mostly reflect what the Kremlin perceives as changes in strategic and technological contexts, which impacts who fights wars and how wars are fought. Given historic, cultural, and other ties between Russia and Ukraine, Russia's activities in Ukraine prior to 2022 are not easily replicable outside of the post-Soviet space. This book argues that new-generation warfare, political warfare, or full-spectrum conflict better describes Russia's activities than hybrid warfare. John A. Pennell addresses critical gaps in research by considering the totality of Russia's actions and gleaning insights from those directly involved with aspects of Russia's interventions.
International Organizations and Post-Soviet Conflicts in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine
International Organizations and Post-Soviet Conflicts in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine: The Limitations of Imagining Peace and the Failure and Success in Negotiations addresses the protracted history of international conflict resolution efforts to the Georgian-Abkhaz, Moldovan-Transnistrian, and Eastern Ukraine conflicts. The author explores the origins and onset of these first two conflicts in the early 1990s, but also looks at the eruption of conflict in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 and at the first months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This book shows how, from a conflict-transformation perspective, local vested interests and strategic interests have created obvious obstructions that have both fueled the conflicts and prevented their resolution. This volume develops a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the success and failure of international engagement that offers a new understanding of the extent to which international responses may or may not be helpful. Through an analysis of over 500 closed-source documents and about 70 interviews, the efforts of pan-European international organizations -- with mandates from the OSCE, EU, UN, and NATO -- are examined on both political and cultural levels. This work's innovative analyses of those institutions' performances shows how successes have often been overlooked and identifies misperceptions that reshape our understanding of the limitations to imagining peace.
Nigeria and the Nation-State
Nigeria, despite being the African country of greatest strategic importance to the U.S., remains poorly understood. John Campbell explains why Nigeria is so important to understand in a world of jihadi extremism, corruption, oil conflict, and communal violence. The revised edition provides updates through the recent presidential election.
A Hero in All of Us?
Is heroism possible for everyone? Should it be? What kinds of stories do we tell when we talk about heroes and what do these stories reveal about how we view ourselves? This book takes up these questions and more by reflecting on twenty-first century American television shows. Among the shows examined are Only Murders in the Building, Game of Thrones, The Good Lord Bird, The Boys, and Severance. What we find is an entertainment landscape unsure about what a hero is or even what qualifies as heroic. In a nation uncertain about heroism, we see a dramatic rise in the popularity of the anti-hero and even in worlds without heroes. This fragmented variety highlights how the American political mind is similarly fragmented in what it believes are its highest aspirations--and its deepest anxieties. It is this fragmentation that may help us understand why twenty-first century entertainment has elevated the heroic to the supernatural while simultaneously democratizing heroism to the point where anyone may become one. A Hero in All of Us?: Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV explores this multifaceted landscape to better understand how Americans view their heroes and themselves.
Gender, Race, and Power
Kaufman and Williams present critical issues in international relations through an intersectional approach that examines race, gender, class, ethnicity, and power to arrive at better explanations for such core IR issues as war and peace, security, human rights, development and international political economy, and the global environment. Their approach builds on early calls amongst feminist IR theorists, imploring "Where are the women?" It is only fairly recently that students of IR have broadened the approach to the field to incorporate the dimensions of race, ethnicity, and class as well as gender. Kaufman and Williams help guide readers exploring questions like: How does gender matter for understanding war and peace? How does race matter? Where are the men? What is intersectionality in IR? How does an intersectional approach change or broaden our understanding of international relations?
Gender, Race, and Power
Kaufman and Williams present critical issues in international relations through an intersectional approach that examines race, gender, class, ethnicity, and power to arrive at better explanations for such core IR issues as war and peace, security, human rights, development and international political economy, and the global environment. Their approach builds on early calls amongst feminist IR theorists, imploring "Where are the women?" It is only fairly recently that students of IR have broadened the approach to the field to incorporate the dimensions of race, ethnicity, and class as well as gender. Kaufman and Williams help guide readers exploring questions like: How does gender matter for understanding war and peace? How does race matter? Where are the men? What is intersectionality in IR? How does an intersectional approach change or broaden our understanding of international relations?
Informal Governance in World Politics
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, cooperation among nations was based on international regimes and formal intergovernmental organizations. However, since the 1990s, informal modes of global governance, such as informal intergovernmental organizations and transnational public-private governance initiatives, have proliferated. Even within formal intergovernmental organizations, informal means of influence and informal procedures affect outcomes whilst, around all these institutions, even more informal networks shape agendas. This volume introduces and analyzes these three types of informality in governance: informality of, within, and around institutions. An introductory chapter traces the rise of informal governance and suggests a range of theoretical perspectives and variables that may explain this surge. Empirical chapters then apply these and other explanations to diverse issue areas and cross-cutting issues, often using newly developed datasets or original case study research. The concluding chapter sets out a research agenda on informality in global governance, including its normative implications.
Informal Governance in World Politics
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, cooperation among nations was based on international regimes and formal intergovernmental organizations. However, since the 1990s, informal modes of global governance, such as informal intergovernmental organizations and transnational public-private governance initiatives, have proliferated. Even within formal intergovernmental organizations, informal means of influence and informal procedures affect outcomes whilst, around all these institutions, even more informal networks shape agendas. This volume introduces and analyzes these three types of informality in governance: informality of, within, and around institutions. An introductory chapter traces the rise of informal governance and suggests a range of theoretical perspectives and variables that may explain this surge. Empirical chapters then apply these and other explanations to diverse issue areas and cross-cutting issues, often using newly developed datasets or original case study research. The concluding chapter sets out a research agenda on informality in global governance, including its normative implications.
USI Strategic Year Book 2024
Strategic Year Book, the flagship publication of the United Service Institution (USI) of India, debuted in 2016, focusing on the holistic concept of national security. It features insights from prominent Indian strategic thinkers and has garnered acclaim from policymakers, scholars, and the strategic community for its excellence, substance, and pertinence. Since its inception, this distinctive publication has generated significant interest within the strategic circles, both domestically and internationally.The Year Book 2024 is a culmination of insightful articles and analyses from esteemed experts in the field of national security and strategic affairs. These articles delve into global, regional, and domestic issues that impact our national security and offer recommendations on policies, strategies, and organisational structures to effectively address them. This Edition features a collection of articles across six thematic sections: India's National Security Overview, Internal Security Issues, Pakistan-China, India's Strategic Neighbourhood, Global Issues, and National Security Capacity Building. The publication will facilitate informed discussions, fostering the exchange of diverse viewpoints, and will serve as a valuable reference for scholars specialising in strategic affairs and international relations, as well as for strategic analysts and authors. Enjoy reading!!!
Strategizing the Russian Gas Industry
The book discusses the concept of the Russian Far East gas industry strategy, based on the results of a comprehensive strategic analysis and focusing on the resulting goals and the main effects of public and economic efficiency.
Oceans Rise Empires Fall
A powerful explanation of why geopolitical competition drives climate breakdown and inhibits action to prevent it. It is the decisive decade for climate change action, yet great power competition is surging. Geo-economic rivalries and territorial conflicts over Ukraine and Taiwan appear more important than collective action against catastrophic climate change. Why do great powers favor competition and rivalry over transnational policies to address the greatest threat humanity has ever faced? In Oceans Rise Empires Fall, Gerard Toal identifies geopolitics as the culprit. Examining its meaning, history, and leading thinkers, he exposes the geo-ecological foundations of geopolitics and the struggles for living space that it expresses. The book isolates three Earth-controlling practices that characterize geopolitics. The territorial control imperatives of great powers preclude collaborative behavior to address common challenges. Competing world historical missions drive rivalries and wars, like Russia's fossil-fuel-funded aggression against Ukraine. Military-industrial competition over leading edge technologies and critical minerals takes priority over collaborative decarbonization policies. In the contest between geopolitics and sustainable climate policies, the former takes precedence--especially when competition shifts to outright conflict. In this book, Toal interrogates that relationship and its stakes for the ongoing acceleration of climate change."
Mapping the Territorial Scope of EU Law
'Wessel Geursen's work is more than "mapping", it is a very thorough in-depth examination of the way EU law applies to its member states' territories, and in certain circumstances to third states' territories.' Part of foreword by Jacques Ziller, Honorary professor at Paris 1 Panth矇on-Sorbonne, and Universit? di Pavia With increased globalisation, digitisation, cross-border movement of persons and multinational businesses, events and cases have progressively become transnational. Conversely, with the current geopolitical climate, increase of migration and recent pandemics, borders have regained importance. These developments raise questions about the territorial scope of legislation. In this book, 28 mechanisms have been identified which influence the territorial scope of EU law. By using these mechanisms, the territorial scope of any rule of EU law can be determined. The mechanisms relate to decolonisation, overseas countries and territories, disputed borders and territorial claims, Brexit, accession, enhanced cooperation, opt-in and opt-out, the Brussels effect, etc. In addition, this book covers various fields of EU law (free movement rules, migration law, the GDPR, competition law, VAT, sanctions, etc.). The book is unique and stands out from other EU law books, because it encompasses all mechanisms relevant to mapping the territorial scope of the different fields of EU law. It is written for academics, practitioners, policymakers and lawmakers alike.
Revival
Revival: Surviving 100 Days, based on a true story, by Elise Micomyiza is about finding hope, love, and a reason to live again.In the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, Anne, an 8-year-old, is rescued by a housemaid, leaving her as the sole survivor of her family. This traumatic event marks the beginning of a journey from a lonely child to a traumatized adult, haunted by the loss of her family, rape, and the horrors she witnessed. Despite finding a new family, Anne's life remains unsettled. It is through the support of friends and consistent family that Anne learns to rebuild her life, finding love, hope, and a reason to live again. This narrative is a poignant reminder of the devastating impact of genocide and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable loss.
Answers to the Labour Question
This book explores how and why nations with shared characteristics nevertheless developed strikingly different answers to "the labour question."
