Politics

Before the West presents the first comprehensive account of the international relations in 'the East', weaving together histories of the regions we today call East Asia, Central Asia, Eurasia (Russia), the Middle East and South Asia, and also rethinks the concepts of 'sovereignty', 'international order' and 'decline'.

This book explains why emerging economies have come to dominate global environmental politics and examines the implications for international cooperation. Johannes Urpelainen argues that although they continue to prioritize economic growth, innovative bargaining and institutional design offer a way forward.

This book provides an understanding of Russia's geopolitical strategic interests as well as a larger picture of its political realities.

Former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo spearheaded the Trump Administration's most significant foreign policy breakthroughs. Now, he reveals how he did it, and how it could happen again. Mike Pompeo is the only person ever to have served as both America's most senior diplomat and the head of its premier espionage agency. As the only four-year national security member of President Trump's Cabinet, he worked to impose crushing pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran, avert a nuclear crisis with North Korea, deliver unmatched support for Israel, and bring peace to the Middle East. Drawing on his commitment to America's founding principles and his Christian faith, his efforts to promote religious freedom around the world were unequaled in American diplomatic history. Most importantly, he led a much-needed generational transformation of America's relationship with China.Blending remarkable and often humorous stories of his interactions with world leaders and unmatched analysis of geopolitics, Never Give an Inch tells of how Pompeo helped the Trump Administration craft the America First approach that upended Washington wisdom?and made him America's enemies' worst nightmare. It is a raw account of what it took to deliver winning outcomes in the face of a progressive activist media, partisan conspiracies, two impeachments and endless investigations, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Complete with a road map of the trends and players shaping the world today, Never Give an Inch is more than a historical review of the Trump Administration's greatest victories. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the challenges of the future. And it is an inspirational story of leadership through dangerous times that will leave you with a greater appreciation for America.

This book is about an economic system that creates and circulates value. ABC&D explores an economy that is regenerative, accessible, abundant, open source, participative, distributive and devolved - by design. This book is a story of systemic re-orientation, away from an extractive linear economy towards a transformative circular economy. It's about rebuilding 'capitals' through the shift from extraction to circulation in both the monetary and materials cycles at the same time.The book's core concepts are illustrated using the food and farming sector. Through the lens of soil, food and farming systems, it looks in-depth at ways that people can design, build and participate in a regenerative economy. The Circular Economy illustrates really profound shifts and points to a new and emerging economics narrative which is beyond left and right - a devolved, post-capitalist economy based on wealth from the 'commons' and a reinvigorated democracy where the link between work and wages is broken.

This handbook comprehensively explores the European Union's institutional and policy responses to crises across policy domains and institutions - including the Euro crisis, Brexit, the Ukraine crisis, the refugee crisis, as well as the global health crisis resulting from COVID-19.

This open access book brings science and practice together and inspires a global movement towards co-creating regenerative civilizations that work for 100% of humanity and the Earth as a whole. With its conceptual foundation of the concept of transformation literacy it enhances the knowledge and capacity of decision-makers, change agents and institutional actors to steward transformations effectively across institutions, societal sectors and nations.Humanity is at crossroads. Resource depletion and exponential emissions that not only cause climate change, but endanger the health of people and planet, call for a decisive turnaround of human civilization. A new and transformative paradigm is emerging that advocates for regenerative civilizations, in which a narrative of systemic health as much as individual and collective vitality guide the interaction of socio-economic-ecological systems. Truly transformative change must go far beyond technical solutions,and instead envision what can be termed ¿a new operating system¿ that helps humankind to live well within the planetary boundaries and partner with life¿s evolutionary processes. This requires transformations at three different levels:· Mindsets that reconnect with a worldview in which human agency acknowledges its co-evolutionary pathways with each other and the Earth.· Political, social and economic systems that are regenerative and foster the care-taking for Earth life support systems.· Competencies to design and implement effective large-scale transformative change processes at multiple levels with multiple stakeholders.This book provides key ingredients for enhancing transformation literacy from various perspectives around the globe. It connects the emerging practice of stewarding transformative change across business, government institutions and civil societyactors with the most promising scientific models and concepts that underpin human action to shape the future collectively in accordance with planetary needs.

We take it for granted that the streets outside out homes are designed for movement from A to B, nothing more. But what happens if we radically rethink how we use these public spaces? Could we change our lives for the better?Our dependence on cars is damaging our health ¿ and the planet¿s. The Dutch seem to have the right idea, with thousands of bike highways, but even then, what happens to pedestrians or people who want to cycle at a more leisurely pace? What about children playing outside their homes? Or wildlife, which enriches our local areas? Why do we prioritise traffic above all else?Making our communities safer, cleaner, and greener starts with asking the fundamental questions: who do our streets belong to, what do we use them for, and who gets to decide?Join journalist Thalia Verkade and urban mobility expert Marco te Brömmelstroet as they confront their own underlying beliefs and challenge us to rethink our way of life to put people at the centre of urban design. But be warned: you will never look at the street outside your front door in the same way again.

Democracy is a matter of degree, and this book offers mainstream empirical evidence that shows how rich democracies would be better off with a few degrees less of it.

Liberalism - the comparatively mild-mannered sibling to the more ardent camps of nationalism and socialism - has never been so divisive as today. From Putin's populism, the Trump administration and autocratic rulers in democracies the world over, it has both thrived and failed under identity politics, authoritarianism, social media and a weakened free press the world over. Since its inception following the post-Reformation wars, liberalism has come under attack from conservatives and progressives alike, and today is dismissed by many as an 'obsolete doctrine'. In this brilliant and concise exposition, Francis Fukuyama sets out the cases for and against its classical premises: observing the rule of law, independence of judges, means over ends, and most of all, tolerance. Pithy, to the point, and ever pertinent, this is political dissection at its very best.

One of Britain's most radical veterans takes us on a guided tour through ex-military life at the heart of a dead empire.

A cultural and intellectual balance-sheet of the twentieth century's age of revolutions

What does it mean to be working-class in a middle-class world? Cynthia Cruz shows us how class affects culture and our mental health and what we can do about it - calling not for assimilation, but for annihilation.

South Africa's democracy is often seen as a story of bright beginnings gone astray, a pattern said to be common to Africa. Building on the work of the economic historian Douglass North and the political thinker Mahmood Mamdani, Steven Friedman shows that South African democracy's difficulties are legacies of the pre-1994 past.

"The name George Soros is recognized around the world. Universally known for his decades of philanthropy, progressive politics, and investment success, he is equally well-known as the nemesis of the right--the target of sustained attacks from national populists, authoritarian regimes, and anti-Semites in the United States and around the world--because of his commitment to open society, freedom of the press, and liberal democracy. Named the Financial Times Person of the Year for 2018, and now at 91 years old, he still looms large on the global stage. And yet the man himself is surprisingly little understood. Depending on who or where you are, describing Soros is likely to elicit different answers. He has even more identities than he has lived decades, now into his tenth. Who is George Soros, really? And why does this question matter? Over the years, attempts have been made to write George Soros's biography, but no single account of his life can capture its extraordinary multi-faceted character. In addition to survivor, billionaire, speculator, philanthropist, activist, author, nemesis of the far right, and global citizen, there is husband, father, and to an extent he may not even realize, friend. The writers whose work appears in this volume have approached Soros from wide-ranging and unique perspectives. Their collective expertise shines a new light on the activities and passions of George Soros' life and, to the extent possible, the motivation for them and their impact. The breadth of these portrayals is considerable; the depth of insight, it is hoped, equally so. The goal is to give readers the best possible representation of George Soros's life that can be achieved. George Soros's life in full"--

In February 2014, al-Qaida issued a statement that shocked the entire Jihadi movement. For the first time in its history, the group declared that a local affiliate, the Islamic State in Iraq, was no longer part of al-Qaida. The renegade Iraqi group, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had expanded its operations to Syria, taking over the regional branch Jabhat al-Nusra; but in the process, the group had defied orders from al-Qaida's amir, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Islamic State's actions, and increasingly aggressive posture towards fellow Jihadis, eventually ignited a Jihadi civil war--a period defined by internal tensions that ultimately turned global. With devastating impact, this fitna left the Jihadi movement more polarised and fragmented than ever, seriously threatening its internal cohesion. 'Jihadi Politics' presents the first exhaustive account of infighting within the global Jihadi movement. Based on years of digital anthropology, hundreds of primary documents, and interviews with Jihadis, it offers an unprecedented glimpse into historic and current conflicts between and within Jihadi groups. This thorough examination of the years 2014-2019 offers a more nuanced understanding of the current state of Jihadism, with important insights into its future evolution--including Islamic State's role in Afghanistan.

A former chair of the Federal Reserve explains the transformation of one our most powerful and consequential institutions