Politics

What do ordinary citizens really want from their governments?

The untold story of China''s rise as a global superpower, chronicled through the diplomatic shock troops that connect Beijing to the world.China''s Civilian Army charts China''s transformation from an isolated and impoverished communist state to a global superpower from the perspective of those on the front line: China''s diplomats. They give a rare perspective on the greatest geopolitical drama of the last half century. In the early days of the People''s Republic, diplomats were highly-disciplined, committed communists who feared revealing any weakness to the threatening capitalist world. Remarkably, the model that revolutionary leader Zhou Enlai established continues to this day despite the massive changes the country has undergone in recent decades. Little is known or understood about the inner workings of the Chinese government as the country bursts onto the world stage, as the world''s second largest economy and an emerging military superpower. China''s Diplomats embody its battle between insecurity and self-confidence, internally and externally. To this day, Chinese diplomats work in pairs so that one can always watch the other for signs of ideological impurity. They''re often dubbed China''s "wolf warriors" for their combative approach toasserting Chinese interests.Drawing for the first time on the memoirs of more than a hundred retired diplomats as well as author Peter Martin''s first-hand reporting as a journalist in Beijing, this groundbreaking book blends history with current events to tease out enduring lessons about the kind of power China is set to become. It is required reading for anyone who wants to understand China''s quest for global power, as seen from the inside.

The story of how America turned its back on the world...

How can we turn back the tide of post-truth politics, fake news, and misinformation that is damaging our democracy? First, by empowering citizens to recognize and resist political lies and deceptions: Using cutting-edge neuroscience research, we show you the tricks post-truth politicians use to exploit our mental blindspots and cognitive biases. We then share with you strategies to protect yourself and others from these threats. Second, by addressing the damage caused by the spread of fake news on social media: We provide you with effective techniques for fighting digital misinformation. Third, by exerting pressure on politicians, media, and other public figures: Doing so involves creating new incentives for telling the truth, new penalties for lying, and new ways of communicating across the partisan divide. To put this plan into action requires the rise of a Pro-Truth Movement - a movement which has already begun, and is making a tangible impact. If you believe truth matters, and want to protect our democracy, please read this book, and join us. Dr. Gleb Tsipursky and Tim Ward have teamed up to help citizens learn to protect themselves from lies, and empower them to put truth back into politics.

Verso's classic Mapping series, published in association with New Left Review, collects the most important writings on key topics in a changing world and delineates the controversies among the most important scholars in each field.

Some crimes become defining moments in history; the perpetrators infamous. During the 1980s, Belgian citizens were equal parts terrified and horrified by a series of brutal supermarket massacres committed by a trio of cold, callous murderers. The media dubbed the trio the Insane Brabant Killers. No one could identify the men, who used various disguises, but they became known as the Old Man, the Psycho, and the Giant.The Brabant Killers targeted supermarkets, but they didn't seem to be motivated solely for money. They didn't hesitate to kill anyone who got in their way, ruthlessly murdering even women and children in cold blood. Witnesses and victims who survived were threatened into silence and crucial evidence disappeared.Conspiracy theories abound, raising questions about high-level involvement by foreign powers, terrorist factions, the Gendarmerie, a child pornography ring comprised of powerful people, and a dangerous neo-Nazi splinter cell. This book will help readers finally piece together the truth about the Brabant Killers.

For much of recorded history, China was a leading science and technology power. But just as the West rose, China turned in on itself, and missed the Industrial Revolution. The result was the ΓÇÿHundred Years of HumiliationΓÇÖ, and a long struggle for a modern, yet distinctly Chinese, civilisational identity. Today, technological innovation has returned to the core of national pride and ambition.Since the 1980s, reforms have transformed China into the worldΓÇÖs second largest economy and a major global power. Cyber space and other advanced technologies have become a battleground for international dominance; but todayΓÇÖs world relies on global supply chains and interstate collaborationΓÇöat least, for now. Growing tension between the USA and China could result in the two superpowers decoupling their technologyΓÇöwith significant consequences for humanityΓÇÖs future.The Great Decoupling shows that this technology contest, and how it plays out, will shape the geopolitics of the twenty-first century.

A provocative, essential guide to showing up for each other and cultivating community, from activist, community organizer and thought leader whose viral TED talk has been viewed more than 1.8 million times

Genuinely international in scope and drawing on a wide range of examples from around the world, this important new text provides an accessible introduction to the key elements of foreign policy analysis. Analyzing Foreign Policy examines the wide range of factors that explain why states and other actors behave in the way they do.

"This book is a true behind the scenes look at the historic Bernie 2020 Latino outreach operation and Chuck's unique story of redemption through his personal journey to Bernie." -Jeff Weaver, Bernie 2020 Senior Advisor

Geoengineering is the deliberate and large-scale intervention in the Earth's climate system in an attempt to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming. Now that a climate emergency is upon us, claims that geoengineering is inevitable are rapidly proliferating. How did we get into this? What options make it onto the table? Which are left out? Whom does geoengineering serve? These are some of the questions that the thinkers contributing to this volume are exploring.

In its heyday in the late 1990s, neoliberalism emerged as the world's dominant economic paradigm. Since then the global financial crash of 2008 and the recent emergence of more nationalist ideologies have challenged neoliberal assumptions and systems. This book examines the origins, core claims, and global variations of neoliberalism.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about the Black Panther Party. I wanted to write this book so people could have better insight into the inner workings of the Party, so that people would have a more true understanding of the Black Panther Party - what it really does, the kind of people who are in it, their everyday lives, the things that have happened to the Party." Scale's document derives from tape recordings he made in the early fall of 1968 and the fall and winter of 1969-1970, edited by a former Ramparts editor under Scale's supervision. With an earnest intentness upon clarifying Panther philosophy (not racist, not pro-violence) and Panther practice (they do not murder former members), with wonderfully direct language and an endearing hero worship of the charismatic Huey P. Newton, "the baddest motherfucker ever to set foot in history," Scale sets forth the whole turbulent career of the Panther Party and his own fortunes as Huey's partner and Panther Chairman. Scale can fling rhetoric with the best of them: "The time is now to wage relentless revolutionary struggle against the fascist, avaricious, demagogic ruling class and their low-life, sadistic pigs." But, surprisingly, what shines through the whole account as convincingly as the anger and the ardor is a touching, almost naive sincerity and faith: Huey Newton shouting at a flustered patrolman, "What's the matter with you? You're supposed to be people enforcing the law, and here you are, ready to violate my constitutional rights"; Newton and Scale proscribing public "cussing" so that mothers won't misunderstand the real program of the Panther Party; Scale at the Chicago "Conspiracy" trial clamoring for his right to have his own lawyer - "Hoffman didn't even investigate; he didn't care. A judge is supposed to at least investigate a person's position, especially in regard to legal defense. But he didn't." It's militantly persuasive so seize the time to read it. (Kirkus Reviews)

A revealing look at President Trump's behaviour at his Palm Beach resort - and the national security risks, financial graft, and other scandals that result from it.

"A sharp and smart history of 20th and 21st century China"--

The Closed Circle offers an unprecedented inside view into how one of the world's most influential Islamist groups operates. Lorenzo Vidino marshals unique interviews with prominent former members and associates of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West, shedding light on why and how people join and leave the organization.

Aliens, nuclear war and talking dolphins; this book is a study of the weird and wonderful world of the Posadists

David Graeber's influential thinking was always at odds with the liberal and left-wing mainstream. Drawing on his huge theoretical and practical experience as an ethnologist and anthropologist, activist and anarchist, Graeber and his interlocutors develop a ramified genealogy of anarchist thought and possible perspectives for 21st-century politics. Diverging from the familiar lines of historical anarchism, and against the background of movements such as Occupy Wall Street and the Gilets jaunes, the aim is to provide new political impulses that go beyond the usual schemata of unavoidableness. The spontaneous and swift-moving polylogue shows Graeber as a spirited, unorthodox thinker and radical activist for whom the group can always achieve more than the individual.

The actual course given to all secret agents in SOE before working behind enemy lines. It includes everything you needed to know to go undercover - from documents, cover stories and how to live off the land to how to get through an interrogation.The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers, and to aid local resistance movements.In late 1942, SOE was asked to increase the number of agents to aid the invasion of mainland Europe. Part of agent training was 'tradecraft' - the practical details on how to be a clandestine agent behind enemy lines - which every agent had to attend at various bases centred around Beaulie in Hampshire.The course was a set of lectures and this book contains the actual text of those lectures which were discovered in the National Archives this year. It is not only a fascinating insight into the workings of one of the Second World Wars most famous and secretive organisations, but is also a reminder of the huge danger anyone being dropped behind enemy lines had to face.