Politics

Award-winning author China Mieville plunges us into the year the world was turned upside down

An extraordinary behind-the-scenes portrait of the court of Vladimir Putin since his ascent to the Russian presidency in 2000, and the many moods of modern Russia, from the country's most visible and independent journalist.

The third edition of Contemporary Russia is fully revised to provide a comprehensive introduction to the society, politics and culture of one of the most important countries in global affairs today. The author details Russia's historical background as well as the nation's current concerns and distinctive features in this accessible analysis.

The brilliant first book from the number one bestselling author of The Psychopath Test.

Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to wield authority over others, this title argues instead for a pact, or 'social contract', that should exist between the citizens of a state and that should be the source of sovereign power. From this fundamental premise, it considers issues of liberty and law, as well as freedom and justice.

Stimulating, succinct and accessible, the fully revised and updated fourth edition of this highly successful text offers a truly comprehensive introduction to the study of politics, written from an international perspective.

This tenth edition has been thoroughly revised and updated and sees the addition of a new co-author. Retaining its characteristic clarity of expression and breadth of coverage, it provides a lively account and explanation of the variety of political systems around the world.

The Unfinished Revolution is the definitive story of New Labour from its genesis to its election defeat 2010 - covering over 25 years and six general elections of strategy, rebuilding and reinvention. In this extraordinary book, Philip Gould, one of the world's leading political strategists and a key adviser to Tony Blair during the period, brilliantly describes how New Labour came to dominate, falter and fall, assessing how successful it was in government, and where it should go from here. Drawing on his years of experience at the heart of New Labour he gives us his unique perspective on how best to understand the electorate, how to communicate policy and how to adapt in a rapidly changing world.

THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING BESTSELLER, NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIESThis is the definitive account of the run-up to 9/11: from the man who lit the spark of radical Islam in 1948, to those who built up a terror network, and to the FBI agent whose warnings of 'something big' coming were ignored until the Twin Towers fell.'The Looming Tower is a thriller. And it's a tragedy, too' The New York Times'The most detailed (and thrilling) account we have of the events that led to the destruction of the Twin Towers' Observer, Books of the Year'Possibly the best book yet written on the rise of al-Qaeda ... beautifully written and wonderfully compelling' William Dalrymple'We meet some formidable schemers and killers ... fabulists crazed with blood and death' Martin Amis

All-powerful, brilliant, decisive, ruthlessly effective this is the image of the CIA as portrayed in countless films and novels. It is wrong. This shocking book, based on thousands of declassified documents and interviews with agents at all levels, shows the reality behind the glamorous myth: a blundering, chaotic and dangerously incompetent organization, so ineffective it was nicknamed Can t Identify Anything by Nato forces. In a story of botched coups, missed targets, lost operatives and fatal errors, Tim Weiner shows how the CIA now poses a threat not only to the security of the US, but the world.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.

This textbook provides a concise, conceptually clear, and legally rigorous introduction to contemporary international environmental law and practice. Written in an accessible style, the book covers all the major multilateral environmental agreements, paying particular attention to their underlying structure, their main legal provisions, and their practical operation. The material is structured into four sections: (I) Foundations, (II) Substantive regulation, (III) Implementation, and (IV) International environmental law as a perspective. The presentation of the material blends policy and legal analysis and makes extensive reference to the relevant treaties, instruments and jurisprudence. All chapters include a detailed bibliography along with numerous figures to summarise the main components of the regulation. It covers emerging topics such as foreign investment and the environment, environmental migration, climate change and human rights, technology diffusion, and environmental security in post-conflict settings.

Crisis management has become a defining feature of contemporary governance. In times of crisis, communities and members of organizations expect their leaders to minimize the impact of the crisis at hand, while critics and bureaucratic competitors try to seize the moment to blame incumbent rulers and their policies. In this extreme environment, policy makers must somehow establish a sense of normality, and foster collective learning from the crisis experience. In this uniquely comprehensive analysis, the authors examine how leaders deal with the strategic challenges they face, the political risks and opportunities they encounter, the errors they make, the pitfalls they need to avoid, and the paths away from crisis they may pursue. This book is grounded in over a decade of collaborative, cross-national case study research, and offers an invaluable multidisciplinary perspective. This is an original and important contribution from experts in public policy and international security.

Fascism was the major political invention of the twentieth century and the source of much of its pain. How can we try to comprehend its allure and its horror? Is it a philosophy, a movement, an aesthetic experience? What makes states and nations become fascist?Acclaimed historian Robert O. Paxton shows that in order to understand fascism we must look at it in action - at what it did, as much as what it said it was about. He explores its falsehoods and common threads; the social and political base that allowed it to prosper; its leaders and internal struggles; how it manifested itself differently in each country - France, Britain, the low countries, Eastern Europe, even Latin America as well as Italy and Germany; how fascists viewed the Holocaust; and, finally, whether fascism is still possible in today's world.Offering a bold new interpretation of the fascist phenomenon, this groundbreaking book will overturn our understanding of twentieth-century history.

From the admiralty to the miner's strike, from the Battle of Britain to eventual victory over Nazi Germany, Churchill oversaw some of the most important events the world has ever seen. Winning the Nobel Prize in Literature for his personal writing and cautioning against a powerful Soviet Russia in his later years in office, his larger-than-life and complex personality has continued to fascinate writers and historians.In this comprehensive biography, Roy Jenkins faithfully presents these events, while also managing to convey the contradictions and quirks in Churchill's character. Weaving together in-depth analysis and brilliant historical research, Jenkins has succeeded in crafting this magnificent one-volume account packed with insights that only a fellow politician can convey. Bringing to life the statesman, writer, speaker and leader, Churchill is packed with insights into one of the most important figures of the twentieth century.

Vaclav Havel's remarkable and rousing essay on the tyranny of apathy, with a new introduction by Timothy Snyder Cowed by life under Communist Party rule, a greengrocer hangs a placard in their shop window: Workers of the world, unite! Is it a sign of the grocer's unerring ideology?

Fake news. Digital monopolies. Stealth Marketing. This is the story of how the internet, which began as a dream, has become a nightmare.

A graphic novel version of the dramatic life and untimely death of German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg

Completely revised and updated 10th anniversary edition delving into the issues that will dominate the American midterm elections in 2014.

If we are to understand the politics that we now take for granted, we need to understand its origins. This book examines the paths that different societies have taken to reach their current forms of political order. It starts with the very beginning of mankind and comes right up to the eve of the French and American revolutions.

The classic eye-witness account of Nazi Germany by Hitler's Armaments Minister and right-hand man.

Murakami tells the true story behind an act of terrorism that turned an average Monday morning into a national disaster. In spite of the perpetrators' intentions, the Tokyo gas attack left only twelve people dead, but thousands were injured and many suffered serious after-effects.

What must the United States do to remain the global superpower--and stop alienating the rest of the world? The author of The Paradox of American Power has one clear answer: soft power.

Classic, Renaissance-era guide to acquiring and maintaining political power. Today, nearly 500 years after it was written, this calculating prescription for autocratic rule continues to be much read and studied.

A short primer unravelling the Israel-Palestine conflict from the nineteenth century to today