Asian history Books

Book SynopsisWhile the 'New Taliban' looms large in the global media, little is known about how it functions as an organisation. How united is it? Are its structures relatively strong, or surprisingly brittle? Are personal relations and networking based on traditional ties of kin and ethnicity the sum total of its organisational capabilities, or are efforts underway to build more institutionalised chains of command? How united is the New Taliban, and how does it maintain whatever degree of unity it has, given the attrition it has suffered in the field? And to what extent is its leadership able to impose switches in strategy among the rank-andfile, given Afghanistan's difficult geography and poor communications? These are among the questions answered in this book by a renowned cast of practitioners, journalists and academics, all of whom have long field experience of the latest phase of the New Taliban's insurgency in Afghanistan. Decoding the New Taliban includes a number of detailed studies of specific regions or provinces, which for different reasons are especially significant for the Taliban and for understanding their expansion. Alongside these regional studies, the volume includes thematic analyses of negotiating with the Taliban, the Taliban's propaganda effort and its strategic visionTrade Review'An outstanding and important collection - just the sort of locally specific, openly debatable, scholarly analysis ... that will be required more and more if the international community is ever to understand the insurgents and divine how to prevent a second Taliban revolution... as up-to-date as scholarship can be.' -- Steve Coll (Pulitzer Prize-winner), The New Yorker'Some evidence that the Taliban have moved on since they were in power is provided by Antonio Giustozzi, who has edited a collection of essays entitled Decoding the New Taliban... Giustozzi argues that the Taliban realise their old position on education was self-defeating and lost them support, and the line is now being reversed. In Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, according to Tom Coghlan, one of Giustozzi's contributors, people in September 2008 'reported a strikingly less repressive interpretation of the Taliban's social edicts.' They no longer ban TV, music, dog-fighting and kite-flying; nor do they insist on the old rule that men grow beards long enough to be held in the fist.' -- Jonathan Steele, London Review of BooksProvides a nuanced micro-level view of the country... One of the most significant contributions ... is the insight into the modus operandi of the insurgency.' -- Foreign Affairs'Far removed from the usual clichés and hasty generalisations, Decoding the New Taliban offers the reader a keen, first-hand sense of field research in Afghanistan, with all its uncertainties and contradictions. the authors, working on different regions or themes, offer new data and thought-provoking analyses. this book is an important step in understanding our failure in the current war.' -- Gilles Dorronsoro, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of Revolution Unending: Afghanistan 1979 to the PresentAntonio Giustozzi has succeeded in drawing together an excellent collection of perceptive essays from eminent and distinguished contributors. The focus on developments in diverse Afghan localities ensures that there is much in the volume that is novel, and instructive for both specialist and general readers. I would strongly recommend that it be published, and given the exceptional topicality of its subject-matter, the sooner the better.' -- Professor William Maley, author, Rescuing AfghanistanA valuable collection . . . [that] offer[s] important clues that could help to answer some of the most pressing foreign policy questions now confronting the Obama administration.' -- David Rohde, The New Republic'This well-researched book contains valuable insight on the command and control of the Taliban.' -- Military Review'Decoding the New Taliban is a serious and comprehensive collection of essays written by authorities on their subject matter that will directly benefit those who find themselves on the ground with the Afghan people and among the still evolving Neo-Taliban.' -- Middle East Quarterly'Decoding the New Taliban is one of the only sources where one can find concrete, specific, and up-to-date information on the structure, strategy, and operations of the Taliban insurgents. Along with Giustozzi's earlier book, Koran, Kalashnikov, and Laptop, Decoding the New Taliban is essential reading for anyone interested in the challenges facing the United States in bringing stability to this crucial region of the world.' -- Professor David B. Edwards, Willliams College, author of Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad

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Book SynopsisThere is a widespread consensus today that the constitutional flexibility to alter state boundaries has bolstered the stability of India's democracy. Yet debates persist about whether the creation of more states is desirable. Political parties, regional movements and local activists continue to demand new states in different parts of the country as part of their attempts to reshape political and economic arenas. Remapping India looks at the most recent episode of state creation in 2000, when the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand came into being in some of the poorest, yet resource-rich, regions of Hindi-speaking north and central India. Their creation represented a new turn in the history of the country's territorial organisation. This book explains the politics that lay behind this episode of 'post-linguistic' state reorganisation and what it means for the future design of India's federal system.Trade Review'Tillin's book is a reminder of how the lower and middle castes have increasingly shaped Indian politics, and of how important the states and state elections have become within the union.' * Financial Times *'Remapping India is an insightful, timely and much-needed exploration of the creation of new states in India, which also contributes to the study of state - society relations in contemporary India.' * International Affairs *'A beautifully presented, well written and admirably researched book.' * Professor Robin Jeffrey, author of India's Newspaper Revolution and co-author of The Great Indian Phone Book *'An elegantly written and insightful study of an aspect of Indian political development that has hitherto received surprisingly little attention from scholars - the creation of new states in what is the world's most populous federal union. The doubling of the number of states within the Republic of India, from fourteen in 1956, following linguistic reorganisation, to twenty-eight in 2000, almost seemed to happen by stealth, in dribs and drabs. However, on three occasions - in 1972, 1987 and 2000 - clutches of three states were created. Remapping India focuses on the last instance to explore the politics.' * James Chiryankandath, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London *'This fascinating book offers not only comparative examinations of three new states of the Indian Union - Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh - but also an explanation of the making of the three largest Indian states which have not been carved out on the basis of linguistic criteria. Louise Tillin painstakingly shows that they have almost been the unintended consequences of the dynamics of a multilevel federal structure in the context of the erosion of the Congress domination, the rise of the lower castes and the surge of Hindu nationalism in the 1990s. An important book for all students of Indian politics.' * Christophe Jaffrelot, Research Director at CNRS and author of Religion, Caste and Politics in India *

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Book SynopsisDecades of Pakistani resentment over India's stance on Kashmir, and its subsequent attempt to force a military solution on the issue, led to the 1965 war between the two neighbours. It ended in a stalemate on the battlefield, and after a mere twenty-one days, the war was brought to a dramatic end with the signing of a peace treaty at Tashkent. The opposing sides both claimed victory, however, and also catalogues of heroic deeds that have since taken on the character of mythology. Although neither prevailed outright, the one undoubted loser in the conflict was the incumbent President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan, who staked his political and military reputation on Pakistan emerging victorious. With the superpowers unwilling assist in negotiations, and Pakistan reluctant to damage its alliance with America, the agreement that followed only reinforced India's position not to surrender anything during diplomacy that Pakistan had failed to gain militarily. This book examines in detail the politics, diplomacy and military manoeuvres of the war, using British and American declassified documents and memoirs, as well as some unpublished interviews. It provides a comprehensive overview of the conflict and makes sense of the morass of diplomacy and the confusion of war.Trade Review'Farooq Bajwa's book on the 1965 war is a mature study based on original research into hitherto unpublished material. ... [H]e eschews partisanship and strives to be fair. The reader is taken all the way through the dense thicket, by each chapter on Operation Gibraltar, Operation Grand Slam and Operation Riddle. [A] lucid account.' -- A.G. Noorani, Frontline' ... a panoptic account of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. Bajwa debunks several myths. ... Bajwa has done a commendable job in providing a comprehensive account of the conflict that will benefit students, scholars, and general readers alike. The book should be included in university courses focusing on South Asian politics and history.' -- Contemporary South Asia

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Book SynopsisWhen anthropologist Delwar Hussain arrived in a remote coal mining village on the Bangladesh/India border to research the security fence India is building around its neighbour, he discovered more about the globalised world than he had expected. The present narrative of the Bangladesh/ India border is one of increasing violence. Not so long ago, it was the site of a monumental modernist master-plan, symbolic of a larger optimism which was to revolutionise post-colonial nations around the world. Today this vision and what it gave rise to lies in spectacular ruin; the innards of the decomposing industrial past are scattered across the borderlands. The dream of a top- down, organised state and society has been replaced by a vibrant, market determined, cross-border coal industry that has little respect for the past, people or the environment. In keeping with these changes, there are new opportunities and prospects too. Social and intimate lives have transformed in unexpected and hopeful ways. While the book explores the relationship between those with a vision for the future and those without, it ultimately seeks to shed light on the communities and places that pay the highest price for the present need to develop. By focusing on the peripheries, the book at once gets to the contradictions at the heart of the neoliberal condition.Trade ReviewAsian Affairs 'This rich and detailed account of the Bangladeshi-Indian borderlands addresses urgent questions concerning "development" and its failures, the uneven effects of industrialisation and the lived realities of geopolitics in South Asia. Delwar Hussain's vivid prose makes the book an engrossing as well as an informative read. * Katy Gardner, Professor of Anthropology, University of Sussex, and author of Discordant Development: Global Capitalism and the Struggle for Connection in Bangladesh *Delwar Hussain has explored one of the still remote borderlands of the world; a place where marginality becomes central, and the periphery is at the heart of life. This was a line of partition between India and Pakistan; and when the former East Pakistan became independent, it divided India from Bangladesh. It was the site of a major limestone project, monument of post-colonial industrialisation, now abandoned and derelict. Today's livelihoods depend on the cross-border coal trade, much of it illegal, between small-scale entrepreneurs, who employ ill-paid migrant labourers. Delwar Hussain, who writes with humane clarity, tells a compelling story of colonial memory, independence, decolonisation, and neo-liberalism, the ambiguous freedoms and mutating poverties of development. * Jeremy Seabrook, author of Freedom Unfinished: Fundamentalism and Popular Resistance in Bangladesh and Consuming Cultures: Globalization and Local Lives *

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Book SynopsisThe republics of Central Asia re-emerged as independent actors in the global interstate system in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, their varied histories and geographies offering many different possible opportunities and course of action. In order to explain their often confusing and complicated foreign policy alignments, many analysts have turned again to the theories of Sir Halford Mackinder (1861-1947), the British geographer who is widely regarded as the founding father of geopolitics. This book brings together historical geographers and political scientists to explore this remarkable renaissance of Mackinder's thinking. It charts his own engagement with the region, in both his writings and his visit to Central Asia as a British envoy in the aftermath of World War I. It outlines and evaluates how his ideas have been used by Central Asian, Russian, and American scholars to explain the region's international relations, and it traces how his writings actually reached Central Asia and the manner in which they have been dynamically reworked by scholars 'in transit'. The book is thus an important contribution not only to theorising the international relations of Central Asia, but also to our understanding of the historical geography of how ideas are ex- changed and reworked in the process.Trade Review'Nick Megoran and Sevara Sharapova's edited collection is a welcome and wide-ranging exploration of [Halford Mackinder's] thought and its relevance for Central Asia.' * International Affairs *'This is an excellent and engaging piece of work, which takes an innovative and ground-breaking approach to Mackinder's theories. It is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Mackinder's contribution to geopolitics and its contemporary readings. The kind of academic work to which so many aspire.' * Christopher Wyatt, author of Afghanistan and the Defence of Empire *'Approaching Central Asia through the theories of the imperial scholar-strategist Halford Mackinder (1861-1947), this book offers an impressive guide to multilingual universes of power, intrigue and geopolitics. And if you think you know Mackinder already, prepare to be astonished and to reappraise.' * James D. Sidaway, Professor of Political Geography, National University of Singapore *'A challenging and insightful book representing serious analysis of Central Asian geopolitics.' * Alisher Faizullaev, D.Sc., Professor at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Uzbekistan, and former Ambassador to the United Kingdom *'Halford Mackinder's "heartland" is invariably invoked in discussions about Central Asia. This distinctive, welcome collection by regional and international scholars provides a must-read systematic and perceptive assessment of how Mackinder's ideas have been interpreted within and adapted to the complexities of Central Asia's local contexts.' * Sally N. Cummings, Professor of International Relations University of St Andrews, and author of Understanding Central Asia *

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Book SynopsisFocussing on the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA), A Revolutionary History delivers a fresh perspective on the ambitions, ideologies and practices of this influential organisation, formed by Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh and inspired by transnational anti-imperial dissent. It is a new interpretation of the activities and political impact of the north Indian revolution- aries who advocated the use of political violence against the British. Kama Maclean contends that the actions of these revolutionaries had a direct impact on Congress politics and tested its policy of non- violence. In doing so she draws on visual culture studies, demonstrating the efficacy of imagery in constructing - as opposed to merely illustrating - historical narratives. Maclean analyses visual evidence alongside recently declassified government files, memoirs and interviews to elabo- rate on the complex relationships between the Congress and the HSRA, which were far less an- tagonistic than is frequently imagined.

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Book SynopsisTibet's enduring myth, animated by the tales of Himalayan adventurers, British military expeditions, and the novel, Lost Horizon, remains an inspirational fantasy, a modern morality play about the failure of brutality to subdue the human spirit. Tibet also exercises immense 'soft power' as one of the lenses through which the world views China. This book traces the origins and manifestations of the Tibetan myth, as propagated by Younghusband, Madam Blavatsky, Himmler, Acheson and Roosevelt. The authors discuss how, after WW2, Tibet - isolated, misunderstood and with a tiny elite unschooled in political-military realities - - misread the diplomacy between its two giant neighbours, India and China, forlornly hoping London or Washington might intervene. The PLA sought nothing less than to deconstruct traditional Tibet, unseat the Dalai Lama and 'absorb' this vast region into the People's Republic, and Lhasa succumbed to China's invasion in 1950. Drawing on declassified CIA and Chinese documents, the authors reveal Mao's collusion with Stalin to subdue Tibet, double-dealing by Nehru, the brilliant diplomacy of Chou en Lai and how Washington see-sawed between the China lobby, who insisted there be no backing for an independent Tibet, and Presidents Truman and later Eisenhower, who initiated a covert CIA programme to support the Dalai Lama and resist Chinese occupation. It is an ignoble saga with few, if any, heroes, other than ordinary Tibetans.Trade Review'In Tibet, Lezlee Brown Halper and Stefan Halper look behind a tragic past and uncertain future... The book, based on recently declassified documents, is as gripping as a spy thriller, with vivid details and fully drawn characters in all their heroism and foibles.' * Financial Times *'The great strength of this book, a tour de force of original research, lies in its fresh exploration of America's secret assault on China through Tibet. The authors have interviewed participants on several continents, perused hitherto classified documents and even somehow penetrated the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. Their description of the difficulties encountered by the CIA in training its Tibetan operatives is especially enthralling... This absorbing book illustrates a tragically familiar situation: the weak being devoured by the strong.' * Literary Review *'Since World War II few peoples have been more badly served than the Tibetans - abandoned to their fate at the hands of the Han Chinese by their so-called friends and admirers. Yet the Tibetan myth, a cultural state of mind and belief, lives on. This excellent book explains its fate and its extraordinary durability, and suggests that the myth may yet prove to have more soft power and greater longevity than the Chinese Communist Party itself - a wonderfully seditious idea which should set alarms ringing in Beijing.' * Sir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE, formerly Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service *'The West is - understandably - deeply impressed with the spiritual energy and depth of the Dalai Lama; but we have long needed a judicious and comprehensive overview of how the current indefensible situation in Tibet arose that will take us beyond vague sympathy. This book offers just such an overview, spelling out how short-term needs of the Cold War and the tunnel-vision of pro-Taiwanese lobbyists in the USA combined with the political and moral radar of the world. It is a tragic and shameful story, told here with clarity and challenge.' * Lord Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge and former Archbishop of Canterbury *'Lezlee and Stefan Halper are unique; a literary partnership at home in the rigorous disciplines of research and scholarship, with deep experience in high level public service, yet able to enthral the reader with a thrilling story. In Tibet, they have drawn on all these talents to illuminate the adventure, mythology, violence and geopolitics of Tibet in a way never before achieved. They have unearthed new secrets through diligent research and unique access while never losing a grasp of the arc of the romantic tragedy that is the fabled "Shangri-la."' * John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy, member of the 9/11 Commission and the author of Command of the Seas *'This book reshapes the way we look at Tibet. A challenging, fascinating and provocative work that anyone interested in the society and its fate should buy.' * Christopher Coker, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics *'This book evokes a romantic yet informative vision of Tibet based on extensive research into the official record. Many episodes and details will be new and surprising even to veteran scholars of modern Tibetan history, let alone the general reader.' * Krishnan Srinivasan, former Indian foreign secretary *'In Tibet: An Unfinished Story, Lezlee and Stefan Halper provide the most readable and insightful account of Tibet's history during the Cold War to date. This is the remarkable story of how Tibet, weak militarily, without genuine allies, and surrounded by powerful states, was frequently traduced. It was unable to gain the independence it wanted at a time of decolonization across Asia. But the book is also the story of the emergence of a Tibetan myth that has become fundamental to its unique position in the world today. Anyone who wants to to understand the Cold War in East Asia, the problem that Tibet will pose for the People's Republic of China as it progresses on its 'peaceful rise', and the continuing sympathy for Tibet in the West must read this book. Written in a lively and accessible style by authors who care about the subject and know it inside out, this book is a genuine achievement.' - * Hans van de Ven, Professor of Modern Chinese History, Cambridge University *'This is a powerful account of the West's fascination with Tibet and the hard truths of realpolitik that have shaped policy towards the country, from the advent of Cold War to the present day. Based on personal interviews with some of the key players and on archival sources, the authors uncover the dilemma faced by the Western powers in their need to accommodate China at the expense of Tibet's desire for independence. An important book.' * Tsering Shakya, Canadian Research Chair in Religion and Contemporary Society in Asia, University of British Columbia, and author of The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947 *'The authors bring much insight into why the often spurious accounts [of Tibet] and the enduring sympathy they created ... did nothing to save the real country and its people from the tragedies it has endured in the past 60 years. ...Drawing on recently declassified archives and extensive official contacts [the authors] bring an illuminating level of detail to their account.' * International Affairs *'The authors have researched their subject with meticulous attention to detail and they pose the intriguing question of whether Tibet may come to outlive the present regime in Beijing.' * Geographical *'The authors' in-depth explanation of the inner workings of the American security establishment is fascinating for anyone interested in the twists and turns of diplomatic decision-making. Viewing Tibet from an American perspective allows the authors to situate Tibet's struggle for independence among the big themes of modern history... their meticulous research is evident and the wealth of anecdotes and asides make for an account as lively as it is thorough.' * Asian Review *

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Book SynopsisIf Pakistan is to preserve all that is good about its country - the generosity and hospitality of its people, the dynamism of its youth - it must face the deterioration of its social and political institutions. Sidestepping easy headlines to identify Pakistan's true dangers, this volume revisits the major turning points and trends of Pakistani history over the past six decades, focusing on the increasing entrenchment of Pakistan's army in its political and economic arenas; the complex role of Islam in public life; the tensions between central and local identities and democratic impulses; and the effect of geopolitical influences on domestic policy and development. While Ian Talbot's study centres on Pakistan's many failures - the collapse of stable governance, the drop in positive political and economic development, and, most of all, the unrealised goal of securing a separate Muslim state - his book unequivocally affirms the country's potential for a positive reawakening. These failures were not preordained, Talbot argues, and such a fatalistic reading does not respect the complexity of historical events, individual actors, and the state's own rich resources. While he acknowledges grave crises still lie ahead for Pakistan, Talbot's sensitive historical approach makes it clear that favourable opportunities still remain for Pakistan, in which the state has a chance to reclaim its priorities and institutions and re-establish political and economic sustainability.Trade Review'Understanding Pakistan's complicated past is integral to grasping why long-standing observers of Pakistan such as Talbot are still able to identify the opportunities within the country alongside the obstacles that need to be overcome before Pakistan's potential can be fully realized. As Pakistan's troubles seem to be getting worse, this timely volume not only helps shed light on some of the reasons why that is, but also explains in depth how Pakistan can still steer itself into a more positive direction through much needed structural reforms.' * International Affairs *'In this work of interpretation Talbot builds on his earlier historical analyses of Pakistan. He reflects on the entrenchment of the army in politics; the issues surrounding the role of Islam in public life; the tensions between centralising tendencies and local identities; and the impact of geopolitics on internal development. In doing so he lays bare failures of governance, economic and political development. He concludes that the security crisis may not be the worst that Pakistan will have to face; more serious threats lie in population and environmental pressures. Talbot's judgements are balanced and his words authoritative.' * Francis Robinson, Professor of the History of South Asia, Royal Holloway, University of London *'An invaluable guide for navigating and understanding Pakistan's complex, byzantine politics. Talbot brings extraordinary understanding and empathy in analysing the trials and tribulations of Pakistan's political experience. No other contemporary history of Pakistan comes anywhere near Talbot's understanding and detail of its challenges and missed opportunities.' * Maleeha Lodhi, former Pakistani Ambassador to the US and editor of Pakistan: Beyond the 'Crisis' State *'This is an excellent overview of Pakistan's troubled past and uncertain future. Professor Ian Talbot provides a judicious, informed and incisive account of a polity that has defied standard explanations. A work of exceptional quality that is a must read for everyone seriously interested in Pakistan's history and politics.' * Gurharpal Singh, Dean , Faculty of Arts and Humanities, SOAS *'This book by Ian Talbot is a timely addition to understand the predicaments in which Pakistan is presently embroiled. Talbot has written extensively on South Asia in particular the history of Pakistan and this book shows his expertise on the subject. - [It is] a welcome addition to understand the state of Pakistan and its society from a historical perspective.' * Muhammad S. Pervez, Lahore School of Economics *

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Book SynopsisIndira Gandhi's last years in office as India's prime minister ran from January 1980 to her assassination in October 1984 but until now no book has been devoted to her final term. Among the principal themes discussed in this innovative volume are how Indian politics and society changed in the 1970s, including the State of Emergency (1975-77); Congress's response to insurgency in Punjab, Assam and Kashmir; the rise of new forms of political mobilisation in the early 1980s; and the prime minister's relationship with the key institutions of state. Maiorano also reveals how Mrs Gandhi's policies in the 1980s impacted on the big industrialists, the middle class, the rich peasantry and the poor, thereby crucially re-orienting India's economic strategy. 'Autumn of the Matriarch' is the first major study of Mrs Gandhi's last years in power, an important juncture in India's recent history, as it was then that trends emerged that influenced the country for the next three decades.Trade ReviewIn an elegantly written and compact study, [Maiorano] sketches the shift Gandhi brought about from a Congress with a strong base in India's rural areas to one that relied critically on a threeway alliance combining the state, the urban middle class and India's corporate sector ... This account of the weakness and vulnerability of India's institutions makes sobering reading. * Survival journal *This fine book is the first comprehensive analysis of Indira Gandhi's last spell in power and fills a major gap in our understanding. It examines her drive for personal rule and its corrosive impact on democratic institutions, and assesses her manipulation of dangerous communal forces which ultimately led to her own demise. And yet it is also an admirably balanced account of crucial economic and other policy issues, and much else besides. -- James Manor, Emeka Ayaoku Professor Emeritus of Commonwealth StudiesA meticulously researched and lucidly written study that offers a much needed reappraisal of a central figure and a pivotal decade in Indian politics. Maiorano is a fine scholar, measured and perceptive in his assessments, challenging simplistic views of Indira Gandhi and the 1980s. -- Rochana Bajpai, Associate Professor, Department of Politics and International StudiesMaiorano's study of Indira Gandhi's final term in office is illuminating. His carefully crafted analysis, interweaving national and state level dynamics, contributes to our understanding of Indian politics during this period, and of her legacies to contemporary Indian politics, economy and society. -- Katharine Adeney, Director of the Institute of Asia and Pacific Studies * University of Nottingham *In this penetrating study of Indian politics in the 1980s Diego Maiorano shows how, in her last term as prime minister, Indira Gandhi contributed to making the hard task of governing India even harder, making choices that helped bring to the fore the Hindu nationalism, regional and caste oriented politics and venal political culture of today's India. The revealing picture he draws of India then is invaluable in understanding the country now. -- James Chiryankandath, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London and editor of 'Parties and Political Change in South Asia''Diego Maiorano has ... produced an analytical study that offers some original insights into an important if dark period in Indian political life. ... perhaps the most original finding of his book is its argument that Mrs Gandhi used her final term to inaugurate a new alliance between the state, the corporate sector and the middle class. ... [Maiorano's] enthusiasm for his subject is infectious and his research very impressive. He has painstakingly read the Indian daily press for the period on which he focuses and has also interviewed a wide range of Indian politicians, journalists and political scientists. * Standpoint *[Maiorano] provides an important insight into the later implications for India of Gandhi’s time in power. * The World Today *

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Book SynopsisBattles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal is a story of Nepal's transformation from war to peace, monarchy to republic, a Hindu kingdom to a secular state, and a unitary to a potentially federal state. Part-reportage, part-history, part-analysis, part-memoir, and part-biography of the key characters, the book breaks new ground in political writing from the region. With access to the most powerful leaders in the country as well as diplomats, it gives an unprecedented glimpse into Kathmandu's high politics. But this is coupled with ground-level reportage on the lives of ordinary citizens of the hills and the plains, striving for a democratic, just and equitable society. It tracks the hard grind of political negotiations at the heart of the instability in Nepal. It traces the rise of a popular rebellion, its integration into the mainstream, and its steady decline. It investigates Nepal's status as a partly-sovereign country, and reveals India's overwhelming role. It examines the angst of having to prove one's loyalties to one's own country, and exposes the Hindu hill upper-caste dominated power structures. Battles of the New Republic is a story of the deepening of democracy, of the death of a dream, and of that fundamental political dilemma - who exercises power, to what end, and for whose benefit.Trade ReviewAdmirably clear and well-told - Jha's limited optimism is nicely judged. * The Economist *In his authoritative 'Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal', [Jha] follows the country's tumultuous path from the Maoist rebellion to the years just before the earthquake. * New York Review of Books *No one writes about Nepal more incisively and presciently than Prashant Jha. This is a meticulously researched and deeply passionate book. Generations of readers will turn to it to understand Nepal's fraught transition to democracy. -- Manjushree ThapaThe best way to understand the twists and turns of Nepal's tortuous peace process has long been to follow the articles of Prashant Jha. Now he has woven his critical understanding of all the political actors, his sensitivity to the claims of marginalised groups and his unique access to India's involvement into a beautifully written personal account. -- Ian Martin, former Special Representative of the Secretary General and head of United Nations Mission in NepalPrashant Jha is one of India's finest journalists. This is a meticulous, clear-eyed and riveting story of the revolutionary changes in Nepal, told with narrative flair, historical insight and a depth of knowledge rare in the field. It may be the one indispensable book on the subject. But the story of revolution and reaction, high idealism and low politics, universal aspiration and community division, will be of much wider interest. A major achievement. -- Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President of the Centre for Policy Research, New DelhiNepal's democratic revolution is one of the most remarkable political and social developments of the twenty-first century and there cannot be a better chronicle of this story than Prashant Jha's 'Battles of the New Republic'. -- Siddharth Varadarajan, former editor of The HinduThis is a highly readable account of recent Nepalese politics by a clear-headed and well-connected journalist. It is especially valuable for its balanced account of India's role and for its information on the informal links between members of the Nepalese political class, which often cut across ideological cleavages. The author also provides an insider's view of the problems faced by those Nepalis whose languages and cultures span the border with India and thus make them suspect in the eyes of the majority hill community. -- John Whelpton, author of 'A History of Nepal'Jha, one of the most remarkable young journalists from South Asia and undoubtedly a leading voice on Nepal, has made its history comprehensive through his maiden but seminal book, 'Battles of the New Republic'. … This is a definitive account and should be on the essential list of all enthusiasts of South Asian political history. * Millennium Post *the definitive inside account of Nepal's current political changes. * Recordnepal.com *A book of remarkable detail and comprehensiveness, with both historical and sociological depth … 'Battles of the New Republic' is both intellectually serious and accessibly written … [E]ssential reading for anyone who hopes to understand India's messy, fragile and tragic neighbourhood. -- Keshava Guha * Scroll.in *

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Book SynopsisOver sixty years of violence and dialogue have brought China and the Tibetans no closer to a resolution of their conflict. Tsering Topgyal argues that it is China's sense of insecurity, its perception of itself as a socio-politically weak state, which has disproportionately influenced its policies towards the religion, language, education and economy of Tibet. Beijing has also denied the existence of a 'Tibet Issue' and rejected several Tibetan proposals for autonomy, fearful that they might undermine its state-building project in Tibet. Conversely, Tibetan insecurity about threats to their identity, generated by Chinese policies, Han migration and cultural influences in Tibet, ex- plains both the Dalai Lama's unpopular decision to abandon his aspiration for Tibetan independence and his demands for autonomy and unification of all Tibetans under one administration. Identity insecurity also drives the multi-faceted Tibetan resistance both inside Tibet and in the diaspora.Thus, while Beijing and the Tibetans seek to harden their positions in order to counter their respective insecurities, real or imagined, the outcome is, paradoxically, greater insecurity on both sides, plunging them into unremitting cycles of state-hardening on the part of China and fortifying resistance on the Tibetan side.Trade Review'Tsering Topgyal captures the complexity of Sino-Tibet relations in this well-argued book. Not many academic works on Tibet are grounded in theory but Topgyal succeeds in linking theory and history. By so doing, he not only gives us a new lens to look at an old conflict but also advances the academic debate on the causes and consequences of intra-state conflicts with ethnic dimensions.' * Harsh V. Pant, Professor of International Relations, King's College London *'Tsering Topgyal has delivered a groundbreaking work. Developing an innovative theoretical approach drawing on major strands of international relations and security studies, he persuasively argues that the "Tibet Issue" is defined by a socially constituted insecurity dilemma between an increasingly powerful yet anxious party-state and an alienated Tibetan nation. Topgyal's analysis is thoughtful and rigorous and reveals the full potential for ongoing Sino-Tibetan conflict to rent China's rise asunder.' * Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University, and author of Xinjiang and China's Rise in Central Asia: A History *'At long last, a major international relations analysis of the China-Tibet conflict that illuminates why it is so painfully intractable. Tsering Topgyal writes with impressive objectivity and acuity about how the insecurities of the two sides interact destructively and impede reconciliation. A valuable contribution to international relations theory as well as a vivid, well-written account of the history of the conflict.' * Susan L. Shirk, Chair, 21st Century China Program, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego *'By critically investigating the security discourses that shape relations between Tibet and China, Topgyal provides a pathbreaking analysis. This book is a rare one in the field of international relations, in that it contributes to the debate over the contested politics of identity and insecurity that marks Sino-Tibetan interactions.' * Dr Dibyesh Anand, Reader (Associate Professor) in International Relations, University of Westminster *

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Book SynopsisWhy are relations between politically mobilised ethnic identities and the nation-state sometimes peaceful and at other times fraught and violent? Madurika Rasaratnam's book sets out a novel answer to this key puzzle in world politics through a detailed comparative study of the starkly divergent trajectories of the 'Tamil question' in India and Sri Lanka from the colonial era to the present day. Whilst Tamil and national identities have peaceably harmonised in India, in Sri Lanka these have come into escalating and violent contradiction, leading to three decades of armed conflict and simmering antagonism since the war's brutal end in 2009. Tracing these differing outcomes to distinct and contingent patterns of political contestation and mobilisation in the two states, Rasaratnam shows how, whilst emerging from comparable conditions and similar historical experiences, these have produced very different interactions between evolving Tamil and national identities, constituting in India a nation-state inclusive of the Tamils, and in Sri Lanka a hierarchical Sinhala-Buddhist national and state order hostile to Tamils' political claims. Locating these dynamics within changing international contexts, she also shows how these once largely separate patterns of national-Tamil politics, and Tamil diaspora mobilisation, are increasingly interwoven in the post-war internationalisation of Sri Lanka's ethnic crisis.

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Book SynopsisRecent international intervention in Afghanistan has reproduced familiar versions of the Afghan national story, from repeatedly doomed invasions to perpetual fault lines of ethnic division. Yet almost no attention has been paid to the ways in which Afghans themselves have made sense of their history. Radically questioning received ideas about how to understand Afghanistan, Afghan History Through Afghan Eyes asks how Afghan intellectuals, ideologues and ordinary people have understood their collective past. The book brings together the leading international specialists to focus on case studies of the Dari, Pashto and Uzbek histories which Afghans have produced in abundance since the formation of the Afghan state in the mid-eighteenth century. As crucial sources on Afghans' own conceptions of state, society and culture, their writings help us understand the dominant and marginal, conflicting and changing, ways in which Afghans have understood the emergence of their own society and its relationships with the wider world.Based on new research in Afghan languages, Afghan History Through Afghan Eyes opens up entirely fresh perspectives on Afghan political, social and cultural life, providing penetrating insights into the master narratives behind domestic and international conflict in Afghanistan.Trade ReviewThe past in the present constrains and enables our visions of ourselves as inheritors and makers of history and identity. Afghan History Through Afghan Eyes, drawing on Afghan discourse and texts, provides a much needed corrective to the Great Game paradigm of history. It is a very welcome contribution to the understanding of our past and the foundation for a new paradigm of analysis. -- Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of AfghanistanThe central purpose of Afghan History Through Afghan Eyes, a fascinating collection of historiographical essays edited by Nile Green, is to counter what he calls the 'Great Game paradigm,' which 'places at the epicenter of historical causation external agents and imperial foes, foreign soldiers and domestic rebels.' I have a great deal of sympathy for this critique. -- Anatol Lieven, New York Review of BooksThis wonderful volume provides a much needed addition and corrective to the recent historiography of Afghanistan, which relies on colonial narratives of the Afghan past. It draws on indigenous voices in indigenous vernaculars to provide a scholarly depth equalled only by its topical breadth. -- Benjamin D. Hopkins, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University, author of Fragments of the Afghan FrontierThis excellent volume on Afghan historiography will make Afghan historians and their indigenous sources better known to the outside world. It traces the changing uses of history in Afghanistan, from justifying and glorifying dynastic rulers to buttressing Afghanistan as a nation state. This ambitious book is the first to take on this topic. -- Thomas Barfield, Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, and author of Afghanistan: A Political and Cultural HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction: A History of Afghan Historiography (Nile Green) 1. Afghan Polities and the Indo-Persian Literary Realm: The Durrani Rulers and Their Portrayal in Eighteenth-Century Historiography (Christine Noelle-Karimi) 2. Tarikh-i Ahmad Shahi: The First History of 'Afghanistan' (Amin Tarzi) 3. 'The Bottomless Inkwell': The Life and Perilous Times of Fayz Muhammad 'Katib' Hazara (Robert D. McChesney) 4. Archaeology in the Reign of Amanullah: The Difficult Birth of a National Heritage Annick Fenet (translated by Nile Green) 5. From Patriot to Port-City Poet: Mahmud Tarzi in Istanbul (Thomas Wide) 6. Writing National History: Afghan Historiography in the Twentieth Century (Senzil Nawid) 7. Reclaiming the Past: The Tawarikh-i Hafiz Rahmat Khani and Pashtun Historiography (Robert Nichols) 8. Uzbek Oral Histories of Migration and War: Remembering the Early Twentieth Century in Northern Afghanistan (Ingeborg Baldauf) Afterword (Farzin Vejdani)

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Book SynopsisMarie Lall's book seeks to uncover and explain the recent political and economic reforms implemented in post-military Myanmar, focussing on key turning-points that ushered in the current transformation programme, particularly those affecting education, NGOs and social justice.She maps the main reform priorities, explaining how they are interconnected, and what has been achieved, which amount to the first tentative steps towards 'democratisation', albeit under the umbrella of President Thein Sein's controlled and more inclusive governance. Beyond the building site that is now Yangon, burgeoning urban car ownership and ubiquitous mobile phone use, there remains a widening gap, sharpened by inflation, between rural and urban Myanmar, at social, economic and political levels. Peasants are losing their livelihoods to development schemes that are being created to bring in foreign investment, and social justice is largely absent from the country's reform agenda.While the country has changed significantly, has the West been gulled into mistaking 'discipline-flourishing democracy' for true participatory democracy?Will the hopes of Aung San Suu Kyi coming to power in Yangon at the head of the NLD through an open and fair ballot ever be realised? These and other questions are scrutinised in this shrewd analysis of post-military Myanmar.Trade Review'At its heart [the book] is a rigorous look at the reform process over the past few years, written partly from an insider's viewpoint: Ms Lall continued to work with NGOs and colleges in Myanmar even when the country was largely boycotted by the West before 2010 ... Ms Lall's book is also a sobering reminder of what a monumental job the new NLD government has to reconstruct the country.' * The Economist *'A truly remarkable insight into Myanmar's exciting move away from deeply entrenched military rule. Marie Lall's ten year Odyssey inside this enigmatic country shatters many Western illusions, and highlights the extent to which the current transition owes so much to responsible civil society responding to unexpectedly enlightened leadership.' * Derek Tonkin, former British Ambassador to Thailand and Vietnam *'Understanding Reform in Myanmar is essential reading for anyone who takes a serious interest in the politics of Myanmar (Burma). This bold and incisive account describes how President Thein Sein's reforming government emerged from the previous military regime, and the key roles played by civil society actors, often working behind-the-scenes to promote change in this beautiful but troubled country. Professor Lall also provides timely insights into some of the challenges which lie ahead, following the National League for Democracy's decisive election victory in November 2015.' * Dr Ashley South, Myanmar scholar and consultant, Chiang Mai University *'This is a very significant work which makes a major contribution to the literature. Marie Lall demonstrates unprecedented access to sources of data, not only in existing reports but also to key individuals. Understanding Reform in Myanmar is fact-filled, and breathtaking in the depth and quality of research into what is an extremely broad topic -- it contains a wealth of detail I did not know.' * Dr Anthony Ware, Senior Lecturer in International and Community Development, Deakin University *

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the political landscape that took shape in Myanmar after the 2010 elections and the subsequent transition from direct military rule to a quasi-civilian 'hybrid' regime. Striking political, social, and economic transformations have indeed taken place in the long-isolated country since the military junta was disbanded in March 2011. To better construe -- and question -- what has routinely been labelled a 'Burmese Spring', Egreteau examines the reasons behind the ongoing political transition, as well as the role of the Burmese armed forces in that process, drawing on in-depth interviews with Burmese political actors, party leaders, parliamentarians and retired army officers. The study also takes its cue from comparative scholarship on civil-military relations and post-authoritarian politics, to look at the 'praetorian' logic explaining the transitional moment. Myanmar's road to democratic change is, however, still paved with daunting obstacles.As the book suggests, the continuing military intervention in domestic politics, the resilience of bureaucratic, economic and political clientelism at all levels of society, the iconification of Aung San Suu Kyi, the shadowy influence of regional and global powers, as well as enduring concerns about interethnic and interreligious relations, all are strong reminders of the series of elemental conundrums with which Myanmar will have to deal in order to achieve democratisation, sustainable development and peace.Trade Review'[I]mpressive. [...] the book is valuable not only to Myanmar specialists, but also to political scientists who want to know how Myanmar's political transition fits in with broader insights and debates.' -- Jürgen Haacke, Contemporary Southeast Asia'A timely and first-rate analysis of the complex changes taking place in Myanmar, Caretaking Democratization is a must-read for anyone trying to understanding the country's labyrinthine politics.' -- Thant Myint-U, Chairman of the Yangon Heritage Trust and author of The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma'Renaud Egreteau combines in this important new work an expert knowledge of Myanma society and politics with a close understanding of the theoretical literature on military regimes and their transitions. This nuanced volume should be required reading.' -- David I. Steinberg, Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies Emeritus, Georgetown University'Since the advent of Thein Sein's reformist government in 2011, Renaud Egreteau has established himself as an international authority on the political role of Myanmar's armed forces. This comprehensive and carefully researched book is not only essential reading for that period but also for the country's future development under Aung San Suu Kyi.' -- Andrew Selth, Associate Professor at Griffith University and Australian National University'This book will be of great interest to those seeking to understand Myanmar's complex political dynamics. Egreteau draws on a wide range of scholarly literature and his own extensive empirical research to analyze the balance of power between the military and other key political actors in the post-2010 period.' -- Christina Fink, Professor of Practice of International Affairs at George Washington University and author of Living Silence in Burma: Surviving under Military Rule

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Book SynopsisThe British defeat in Burma at the hands of the Japanese in 1942 marked the longest retreat in British army history and the onset of its most drawn-out campaign of World War II. It also marked the beginning of the end of British rule, not only in Burma but also in south and south-east Asia. There have been many studies of military and civilian experiences during the retreat but this is the first book to look at the way the campaign was represented in the Western media: newspapers, pictorial magazines, and newsreels. There were some twenty-six accredited war correspondents covering the campaign, and almost half of them wrote books about their experiences, mostly within a year or two of the defeat. Their accounts were censured by government officials as being misinformed and sensationalist. More recent historians, on the other hand, have criticised them for being too patriotic and optimistic in their coverage and thus giving the public an unrealistic view of how the war was progressing. Philip Woods returns to the original sources to asses the validity of these criticisms.His is the first re-evaluation of the war correspondent's role in Burma and as such will be of great value to students of journalism and media.Trade Review‘This clearly-written book will be useful not only to those people interested in the early phases of the war in Burma but also those who wish to understand the challenges of journalists who still find themselves in the ‘fog of war’ during 21st century conflicts.’ -- New Books Asia'At last, a new angle on the Burma campaign. Philip Woods offers an entirely fresh perspective by focusing on the war correspondents who were there, offering an intimate portrait of momentous events. In so doing, the book sheds new light on the activities of the colonial government and the maligned Governor, the plight of fleeing civilians, and the actions of imperial armed forces.' * Ashley Jackson, Professor of Imperial and Military History, Defence Studies Department, King's College London *'Reporting the Retreat is a brilliant book. It is meticulously researched, clearly written and cogently argued. Every student of late-colonial Burma or war reportage should read it. Woods weaves both strands into an elegant 'history from the side.' He manages to judge colonial politicians, military leaders and war correspondents with magisterial authority and deep humanity.' * Michael D. Leigh, Research Associate, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; author of 'The Evacuation of Civilians from Burma: Analysing the 1942 Colonial Disaster' *

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Book SynopsisSouth Asia is today the region inhabited by the largest number of Muslims--roughly 500 million. In the course of the Islamisation process begun in the eighth century, it developed a distinct Indo-Islamic civilisation that culminated in the Mughal Empire. While paying lip service to the power centres of Islam in the Gulf, including Mecca and Medina, this civilisation has cultivated its own variety of Islam, based on Sufism. Over the last fifty years, pan-Islamic ties have intensified between these two regions. Gathering together some of the best specialists on the subject, this volume explores these ideological, educational and spiritual networks, which have gained momentum due to political strategies, migration flows and increased communications. At stake are both the resilience of the civilisation that imbued South Asia with a specific identity, and the relations between Sunnis and Shias in a region where Saudi Arabia and Iran are fighting a cultural proxy war, as evident in the foreign ramifications of sectarianism in Pakistan. Islamic Connections investigates the nature and implications of the cultural, spiritual and socio-economic rapprochement between these two Islams.Trade Review'The Indian Ocean, linking Arabia to South Asia, looms as the testcase for Muslim networks, yet the profile of Indo-Islamic civilization remains contested between Saudi Salafis, Pakistani Sufis and also Iranian Shi'ites. This pioneering volume provides a welcome transregional, comparative analysis of multiple case studies, at once historical and contemporary.' -- Bruce Bennett Lawrence'Connections of trade, family, learning and faith have existed between South Asia and the Gulf for hundreds of years. This book focuses on their workings in the modern period with especial emphasis on Islam. It demonstrates the significant and complex interactions which take place across the region, some of which are of strategic potential.' -- Francis Robinson

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Book SynopsisIndia's association with magicians goes back thousands of years. Conjurors and illusionists dazzled the courts of Hindu maharajas and Mughal emperors. As British dominion spread over the subcontinent, such wonder-workers became synonymous with India. Western magicians appropriated Indian attire, tricks and stage names; switching their turbans for top hats, Indian jugglers fought back and earned their grudging respect. This book tells the extraordinary story of how Indian magic descended from the realm of the gods to become part of daily ritual and popular entertainment across the globe. Recounting tales of levitating Brahmins, resurrections, prophesying monkeys and 'the most famous trick never performed', Empire of Enchantment vividly charts Indian magic's epic journey from street to the stage.Trade Review‘Explores the history of magic rituals in India and the way they shaped western imaginations . . . [with] a pleasing sense of humour . . . and an eye for the absurd.’ ‘A fantastic and thoroughly engaging history of Indian magic . . . bristling with . . . tales of conjurors, tricksters, illusionists, jugglers, and cunning conmen across the centuries.’ 'Fascinating.'‘Hugely entertaining . . . a vividly illuminating history of the place of magic in Indian life . . . [a] fabulous book of marvels and wonders.’'A valuable and entertaining book.'‘A strange, deeply learned but consistently entertaining salmagundi of marvels, myths and outrageous cons — a surefooted survey of a vast terrain.'‘Delightful and charming . . . Empire of Enchantment is much more than a history of Indian magic. It is an extraordinarily riveting social history of India, and of India’s encounter with the world.’'Weaving, with his own magical touch . . . an utterly fascinating history of a wonderful cultural tradition . . . Zubrzycki has it all, and his scholarship ranges far and wide. . . . a readable and fast-paced book.’'John Zubrzycki has found the most wonderful story- the sort all writers look for and long for- and told it brilliantly. This is- quite literally- a book of marvels.' -- William Dalrymple'Exceptionally well-crafted and brilliantly told, Empire of Enchantment brings alive the most enchanting tales and traditions from the history of Indian magic, packed with an extraordinary cast featuring emperors and politicians, street performers and thugs. Travelling with Zubrzycki from distant antiquity down to our own, more recent times, what this book offers is a universe of pure, unadulterated delight.' -- Shashi Tharoor

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Book SynopsisMuch of the recent surge in writing about the practice of nonviolent forms of resistance has focused on movements that occurred after the end of the Second World War, many of which have been extremely successful. Although the fact that such a method of resistance was developed in its modern form by Indians is acknowledged in this writing, there has not until now been an authoritative history of the role of Indians in the evolution of the phenomenon. Celebrated historian David Hardiman shows that while nonviolence is associated above all with the towering figure of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘passive resistance’ was already being practised by nationalists in British-ruled India, though there was no principled commitment to nonviolence as such. It was Gandhi, first in South Africa and then in India, who evolved a technique that he called ‘satyagraha’. His endeavours saw ‘nonviolence’ forged as both a new word in the English language, and a new political concept. This book conveys in vivid detail exactly what nonviolence entailed, and the formidable difficulties that the pioneers of such resistance encountered in the years 1905-19.Trade Review'Hardiman looks at the tangled web around the idea of ahimsaor non-violence both as a religious creed and its crossing over to the political domain at a time when organised mass mobilisation had just begun in India.''Hardiman demolishes the myth that Gandhian nonviolence succeeded in India because the colonial state observed the law. . . . This is a book every university should have in its library.'‘Provides new insights into India’s nationalist struggle during the first two decades of the 20th century . . . this book is required reading for those who wish to understand not only the central role Gandhi played in the Indian nationalist struggle but also the cooperation and contestation required of mass movements involving different social groups.’'Hardiman locates Gandhi in the little-known history of earlier Indian experiments with nonviolence, showing nonviolent resistance to be both creative and problematic, ambiguous and difficult, depending on the contexts in which it was practiced. A refreshing and illuminating approach.' -- Judith M. Brown'Hardiman brings his fierce capacity for scholarly focus to the formative period of India's freedom struggle. A vital and illuminating study of building strategy and a mass base, the honing of the practices of resistance, and the construction of a whole philosophy that has come to be called "nonviolence".' -- Akeel Bilgrami'An excellent contribution to the literature on nonviolent resistance.' -- April Carter'A valuable contribution to our understanding of the contested nature of nonviolence in India before the better-known Salt March. An important read for anyone who is interested in putting civil resistance in its historical context.' -- Erica Chenoweth

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Book SynopsisThis study seeks to penetrate the roots of the Taliban movement on Afghanistan, the factors which contributed to its sudden rise to prominence, and the implications of Taliban mobilization for the stability of Afghanistan and the region.Table of ContentsPart 1 The rise of the Taliban. Part 2 The Taliban and the world. Part 3 The Taliban and the reconstruction of Afganistan. Part 4 Paths to the future.

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Book SynopsisThis text reconstructs the history of the Sufi Naqshbandi brotherhood and its impact on the North Caucasus (Chechnya and Daghestan) in the early 19th century. It draws on Naqshbandi Arabic sources to explain the pivotal role of Sufism in transforming mountain society.Trade Review'What makes the study particularly novel contribution to the academic writing on the Caucasus is the fact that it focuses mainly on the Caucasian perspective towards the Russian expansion and the impact such expansion produced on the religious and political processes in the North Caucasus. [A...] Zelkina's nook is based on thorough and dedicated research, and provides extensive historical evidence to illustrate her argument. -Anna Matveeva, Islam and Christian-Muslim RelationsTable of ContentsGeneral description of the north Caucasus; Islam in Daghestan; the north Caucasus and foreign powers - the first stage of Russian expansion; the formation of the Naqshbandi Tariqa; the Naqshbandi ideas in Chechnya; the Naqshbandi Tariqa after the assassination of Hamza Bek; Shamil's Imamate.

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Book SynopsisDespite its centrality to the political life of India and Pakistan, the few reliable works of history that have appeared on Kashmir insist ahistorically on the existence of a unique Kashmir cultural identity. This text questions the notion of any transcendent cultural uniqueness and "Kashmiriyat".Trade Review'Languages of Belonging is a quantum leap forward in Kashmir studies and will make one of the best histories of A"regionalA" identities and economies in India yet produced.' -Professor C.A. Bayly, Cambridge University

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Book SynopsisSina Ak-in is one of Turkey's most important historians, and published in 1996 the Turkish version of this book, which has already gone into several editions. It was inspired by the author's conviction that in Turkey itself the teaching of 20th-century Turkish history -with which the book is largely concerned -and indeed of the social sciences as a whole is inadequate. As the Bibliographical Note makes clear, the histories of modern Turkey available to Western readers are almost entirely by Western scholars; substantial works in Turkish exist, but have not been translated. The appearance of Ak-in's work in this English edition thus establishes a bridge between Turkish scholarship and Western readers, who will find his treatment of the period before, during and after the First World War, encompassing the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Ataturk, clear and compelling. The final three chapters, on the 1980s, the 1990s and the new millennium, concluding with the question of EU accession, were written specially for the English edition, and will attract particular attention for the sophisticated Turkish view they provide of the contemporary period.Trade Review&"Of recent important works on the history of Turkey, this one should rank among the best in recounting the evolution of the modern state from 1789 to the present....The book is replete with important detail, well written in the translated form, and quite suitable to substitute for other works on the subject. . . . Essential."

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Book SynopsisAnnouncements of an impending victory over the Taliban have been repeated ad nauseam since the Allied invasion of Afghanistan in 2002, particularly after the Presidential elections of 2004, which were said to have marked the 'moral and psychological defeat of the Taliban'. In moments of triumphalism, some commentators claimed that 'reconstruction and development' had won over the population, despite much criticism of the meagre distribution of aid, the lack of 'nation-building' and corruption among Kabul's elite. In March 2006, both Afghan and American officials were still claiming, just before a series of particularly ferocious clashes, that 'the Taliban are no longer able to fight large battles'. Later that year, the mood in the mass media had turned to one of defeatism, even of impending catastrophe. In reality, as early as 2003-5 there was a growing body of evidence that cast doubt on the official interpretation of the conflict. Rather than there having been a '2006 surprise', Giustozzi argues that the Neo-Taliban insurgency had put down strong roots in Afghanistan as early as 2003, a phenomenon he investigates in this timely and thought-provoking book.Trade Review'provides a balanced, objective and un-sensationalised consideration of the emergence of the neo-Taliban, taking on board the many perspectives and insights provided by numerous actors and analysts while also drawing on the author's own conclusions. In so-doing, it covers new and important ground in research on Afghanistan.' * Peter Marsden, author, The Taliban: War, Religion and the New Order in Afghanistan (1998) *'This detailed study . . . chronicles the rise of what Giustozzi labels 'the neo-Taliban'. Separate chapters treat how and why the neo-Taliban were recruited, their organization, their tactics and strategy, and the counterinsurgency efforts of the Afghan government and its outside supporters. With copious cross-referencing, he works in such subjects as the continued involvement of Pakistan, the drug trade, neo-Taliban relations with Al Qaeda, and the rural-versus-urban dimension of this struggle. There are also several perceptive comparisons with insurgencies elsewhere in the world. [Giustozzi] concludes that reining in the neo-Taliban by arms or diplomacy will be more difficult now than reining in the original was five years ago. He also sees the group's strategy as having shifted in its new form from national resistance to global jihad.' * Foreign Affairs *'A revelatory new book.' * Asia Times *Table of Contents1. Sources of the Taliban Insurgency 2. How and Why the Taliban Recruited 3. Organisation of the Taliban 4. The Taliban's Strategy 5. Military Tactics of the Insurgency 6. The Counter-insurgency Effort Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first authoritative volume in English on Yasukuni, the controversial Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo, dedicated to the Japanese war dead. Twelve convicted and two suspected Class A war criminals are enshrined at Yasukuni, while the shrine's museum narrates an account of Japan's actions in the Second World War that is best described as revisionist. Visits to the shrine by cabinet members often set off protests at home and abroad, especially in China, Korea and Taiwan, and Yasukuni remains a source of considerable mistrust between the Chinese and Japanese governments. Despite the controversy, the former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made annual visits from 2001-6. The distinctive feature of this volume is that it sets out neither to commend Yasukuni nor to condemn it; it seeks, rather, to present authoritative yet divergent views, thereby allowing the contributors to render more complex an issue which, in the media at least, has long been portrayed in starkly simplistic terms. It accommodates chapters by leading pro-Yasukuni and anti-Yasukuni Japanese intellectuals; it carries multiple Chinese perspectives; and there are also contributions from Western commmentators who offer their own insights on the shrine and its place in post war Japanese diplomacy, ideology and history.Trade Review'By bringing together a wide range of perspectives and casting Yasukuni in multiple historical, ideological, political and religious frameworks that cut across Japanese, Chinese and international perspectives, this volume contributes much that is fresh and provocative.' * Mark Selden, Japan Focus *'The controversial Yasukuni Shrine has become a barometer of the inclinations of the Japanese political elite but we have lacked a dispassionate examination of its history and political significance. John Breen has brought his formidable energies as a researcher and his expertise in the history of Japanese religion to bear on a subject of continuing political significance, and this splendid book ought to dispel much of the myth-making and mistaken suppositions that surround this subject.' * Professor Peter Kornicki, University of Cambridge *'One of the key Sino-Japanese points of friction is the relatively obscure Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. In this impressive English language work John Breen brings together eight scholars who represent a diverse array of perspectives spanning the entire spectrum of thought on the Shinto shrine. The conflicting Chinese, Japanese and foreign opinions found in this volume, illuminate the radically differing standpoints and national narratives surrounding the shrine. They also demonstrate the daunting challenge the two countries face in their efforts to resolve this highly emotive and contentious issue.' * Japan Society *Table of ContentsContentsPrefaceIntroductionYasukuni -- A GenealogyJohn Breen1 The Yasukuni Shrine Problem in Sino-Japanese Relations: Facing a StalemateCaroline Rose2A Religious Perspective on the Yasukuni Shrine ControversyKevin Doak3Unlocking the Secrets of Yasukuni: a Chinese PerspectiveWang Zhixin,4Plumbing the Depths: the Yasukuni Controversy in ChinaSeki Hei5The Showa Emperor and the Yasukuni ShrineTakahashi Tetsuya6And Why Shouldn't the Prime Minister Worship at Yasukuni?Nitta Hitoshi7Yasukuni and the Loss of Historical MemoryJohn Breen8Pledge Fulfilled: the Japanese Media and Prime Minister Koizumi's Yasukuni Worship, 2001-6,Phillip SeatonIndex

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Book Synopsis"The State in Myanmar" is a totally revised and expanded and updated version of "The State in Burma" (1987), with additional chapters covering the last twenty years of Myanmar's political history. It attempts to explain the country's current politics in the light of the historical evolution of state-society relations in Myanmar since the pre-colonial kings, through the colonial era to the current, and third, post-colonial regime in this strategically important and little studied South East Asian nation. The book explains the dramatic and unpredicted collapse of the previous socialist regime and the attempts by new and old political forces to wrest control of the state from a revitalised and increasingly confident military government. Myanmar's state builders have applied varying ideas in their attempts to fashion a stable political order in an often fractious and far from unified nation and "The State in Myanmar" places those experiences in comparative perspective.Trade Review'a well researched, masterly presentation of political, economic and social developments in Burma. ... will no doubt become a standard reference work.' - The Round TableTable of ContentsContents Introduction The Precolonial State The Rationalisation of the State, 1825-1942 Politics under the Rationalised State, 1886-1942 Reasserting the State, 1962-87 The State Redux (1985-2007)

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisMaulana Husain Ahmad Madani (1879 – 1957) was a political activist, Islamic scholar, and supporter of Gandhi during the struggle for India’s independence. Humane and fiercely dedicated whether campaigning against the separation of Pakistan, or in favour of democracy and inter-religious peace, he brooked no nonsense and fought relentlessly for what he believed in. Spanning a lifetime of campaigning and controversy, Barbara Metcalf’s compelling biography draws from Madani’s letters and autobiographies, as well as detailed knowledge of the prevailing political climate, to create an intimate and revealing account of one of the most important men in the history of modern Islam.Table of ContentsSources and Acknowledgements Maps INTRODUCTION 1 THE ARREST OF THE “UNDESIRABLE INDIANS,” 1916 Maulana Mahmudul Hasan, Deoband, and new political strategies The War and the “Silk Letter Conspiracy” 2 “THE PRISONER OF MALTA,” 1916–1920 The tribunal Travel Malta Everyday routines: mutual bonds, common commitments Colonial internment as a school for anti-colonialism 3 FLASHBACK: BECOMING AN ISLAMIC SCHOLAR IN COLONIAL INDIA AND MEDINA The family Everyday life and education in Tanda The formation of an Islamic scholar The Sufi path A sectarian conflict India, 1909–1911 and 1913 Maulana Husain Ahmad at thirty-five 4 BECOMING A “NATIONALIST MUSLIM”: INDIA IN THE 1920s Bombay, the Khilafat Movement, and political awakening The Shaikhul Hind, Maulana Madani, and non-cooperation The double strand of activism: the “Karachi Seven” and Islamic renewal Calcutta and Sylhet Principal of Deoband Mass politics, minority politics 5 WHO SPEAKS FOR MUSLIMS? THE CHALLENGES OF THE 1930s Maulana Madani’s character Non-cooperation and round tables Izhar-i Haqiqat, “A Declaration of Truth” The elections of 1936 Defending “Composite Nationalism” Differences: against the ‘ulama, among the ‘ulama The Shi‘a–Sunni dispute in Lucknow Transitions 6 “THE GLORIOUS WARRIOR”: AGAINST BRITAIN, AGAINST PARTITION A voice crying in the wilderness? Words as weapons: anti-colonialism, Muslim freedom fighters, sacred India Protesting and negotiating throughout the war Dividing India Partition CONCLUSION: INDIAN INDEPENDENCE AND THE CONTINUING JIHAD A final story In conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe greatest of the Mughal emperors, Jalal ad-Din Akbar (1542-1603) was a formidable military tactician and popular demagogue. Ascending to the throne at the age of thirteen, he ruled for half a century, expanded the Mughal empire, and left behind a legacy to rival his infamous ancestors Chinggis Khan and Timur. Renowned for his attempts to integrate the diverse religious heritage of India, he was a true polymath who although illiterate was widely active in a number of intellectual pursuits. In this fascinating biography, Andre Wink provides glimpses into Akbar’s daily life and highlights his contribution to new methods of imperial control, surveillance and record-keeping. Contrasting his reign with those of his nomadic Mongol ancestors, this lucid study is an essential read for anyone interested in the history of India and South Asia.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments INTRODUCTION 1 DIVINE NURSLING OF THE GARDEN OF SOVEREIGNTY Akbar’s birth Separated from his parents Akbar’s education 2 AN OLD WORLD GREW YOUNG 3 THE DAILY INCREASING DOMINION The Mughal army The conquest of Gujarat Kabul, the North-West Frontier, and the “Great Game” of the sixteenth century The conquest of Bengal 4 CLOUDS AND ELEPHANTS AND MUD Episode one: 1564–1566 Episode two: 1574 Episode three: 1589 5 TAMING THE MONGOL BEASTS The new court etiquette From Chingis Khan to Akbar: the rise of Mughal civilization in the sixteenth century Maxims of order Hunting and government Mongol vegetarians The emperor never wastes his time 6 MAKER OF THE INDO-MUSLIM WORLD Gunpowder empires American silver The imperial political system and its Indian foundations Land revenue and the peasantry 7 SERENE CITY OF UNIVERSAL TOLERANCE Akbar and Islam The Religion of God Peace for all Allahu Akbar After Akbar: the demise of the Religion of God 8 BEING AKBAR Endnotes Further Reading Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis important study introduces the history and people of West Papua, tracing the origins of the international conflict surrounding their struggle for self-determination following the Second World War. Based on three decades of exhaustive research and focusing particular attention on the sham referendum of 1969 - which Indonesia dubbed 'The Act of Free Choice', an election rigged to legitimize Indonesian control over West Papua - Droogleever highlights the continuing impact of this injustice on Indonesia's most underdeveloped and poverty-stricken province.Trade Review"Nowhere else can one find a fuller or more creditable account." * International Institute for Asian Studies Newsletter *"it is a book for politicians, historians, legal experts and, above all, for those who want to know about the weight of the weak in the events of the modern world. " * Inside Indonesia *“There is always merit in setting the record straight, no matter how much time has passed. For the Indonesian province of Papua, it has been a long and bloody 36-year wait. The Papuans have refused to accept the ‘Act of Free Choice’ by which they supposedly voted to join Indonesia in 1969. [This book], commissioned by the Dutch government, the former colonial ruler in Indonesia, unequivocally vindicates their stance.” * The Sydney Morning Herald *Table of ContentsPreface Illustrations Map: Netherlands New Guinea c. 1960 1 A Distant Corner of the Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East India Company (DEIC), Tidore and New Guinea The eastern frontier of the Netherlands East Indies Establishing control and exploring the interior Administrative policies up to the Second World War The Protestant and Catholic Missions The ‘mise en valeur’: business and colonists Looking back 2 The Shock of War West New Guinea during the Second World War The way back New Guinea under the Japanese occupation The restoration of government under Van Eechoud Echoes of the revolution 3 New Guinea as a Bargaining Tool Indonesia becomes independent The nationalists take the helm Political relations in the Netherlands The federal response Linggadjati; talks and clashes A poker game between Bandung, Yogya and The Hague Claims on New Guinea The Republicans’ wishes Malino and the Moluccan Commonwealth The Indo-European option and the Papuan cause Passing the Papuans from player to player Dutch moves East Indonesian aspirations Republican reactions Two Dutch pickets New Guinea and the Decree on the Government of Indonesia during the Period of Transition The removal of Tidoran home rule on New Guinea 4 Separation from Indonesia Minister Van Maarseveen steps into the limelight The covert hand of Hollandia The Round Table Conference Players from the side-lines Arguments, circumstances and motives 5 Locking Horns The Netherlands and Indonesia in the ‘status-quo’ year New Guinea in cold storage The Supomo mission Ali Sastroamidjojo’s offensive The Geneva Conference 6 Direct Rule from The Hague A new system of government Regaining momentum under Van Waardenburg Two Calvinist comrades in power For the sake of the Papuans’ education Changed conditions in Protestant circles The arrival of the American and Australian missions A new place for the Roman Catholics Education Language policy The hesitations of big business A development project under the colonial flag Territorial extension of the administration 7 The Dispute in an International Perspective The hounds are loose The superpowers and the place of the United Nations Consultations with Australia American guarantees An arms race at the equator The points of departure The Indonesian military build-up from 1958 onward The Karel Doorman’s odyssey 8 The Turning Tide in The Hague and Washington The crumbling home front De Quay takes office The first steps on the path to internationalization Minister Luns and the General Assembly of 1960 Tunku Abdul Rahman's mediation attempt Bright boys in Washington Further commotion on the home front The conception of the Luns plan The Luns plan in the General Assembly of 1961 9 The Metamorphoses of the Luns Plan The Dutch Cabinet’s definition of its position Talking under pressure The military situation American diplomatic assistance The dispute about the preconditions Washington’s ‘knock on the head’ Kennedy nails his colours to the mast Ambassador Bunker’s plan Back to Middleburg The New York Agreement The Indonesian approach Van Roijen and Malik get down to business The making of the New York Agreement The last hurdles 10 Democratization Under Bot and Platteel New Guinea; reactions of the government and the population The democratization of the administration Town and Regional Councils The New Guinea Council Forming Parties 11 Papua Blues The New Guinea Council and the political parties The forming of the National Committee: Flag and Anthem The Luns Plan in the New Guinea Council Bitter travel experiences Jitters in New Guinea The political stance of the Papuans in 1962 Contacts with the Eastern neighbours Contacts with African countries Members of the New Guinea Council visit The Hague A proclamation of independence? The final months under the red-white-and-blue 12 Under Jakarta’s Thumb The entry of the UNTEA Under one roof with the UNTEA and Indonesia Indonesia as temporary administrator Build-up to the plebiscite Between Delft, Manokwari and New York 13 The First Phase of the Act of Free Choice Preliminary manoeuvres The task of the United Nations The appointment of Ortiz Sanz Defining positions in The Hague, Jakarta and Washington Ortiz Sanz’s first steps Interim consultations in The Hague and New York The further development of the Indonesian plans Papuans in action Resistance Diplomacy 14 The Second Phase of the Act of Free Choice Luns, Udink and Malik to Rome The composition of the consultative councils Self-determination in practice Reporting to the United Nations Looking back in the Netherlands Conclusion Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSeeks to explore the nature of the relationship between Britain and India at the height of imperial expansion. This collection is of interest among academic communities exploring British and Indian history. It is useful for literary, cultural and urban historians working in this area.

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Book SynopsisWhile an anarchist group blows up the equestrian statue of General Gough in Dublin’s Phoenix Park during the 1950s, the narrator recalls his mother’s Kiplingesque tales of childhood in India, recreating the atmosphere and events of the Irish abroad in the service of the British Empire. The life of John Henry Foley (1818-1874), Queen Victoria’s favourite sculptor, is interwoven with those of some of his principal subjects, Hardinge, Montgomery, Outram and Lawrence, Foyle College boys from Derry, who formed a remarkable constellation of soldier-administrators in northern India during the nineteenth century. The powerful, suggestive sketches of these Irishmen speak for generations gone. Engagements, atrocities and counter-atrocities are colourfully drawn in a language of heroism that conveys that turbulent, chaotic thing that was Britain’s empire in Asia. Gough himself was a hero of the Peninsular War, wheeled out in the 1840s to pursue the punitive Opium War in China and to conquer the Punjab. Ronan Sheehan has created a remarkable imaginative work through these related narratives, shifting between nineteenth-century set-pieces and modern-day Ireland. The statue from which the book derives its name, the vulnerable and defiant figure of Asia below subverting Albert above in the Hyde Park memorial, expresses the conflicted loyalties at the heart of Foley’s finest monuments. By exploring these fractured identities and interrogating the past, Foley’s Asia enriches our understanding of this sculpted world.Trade ReviewThe unlikely world of monumental sculpture opens up an incredibly varied series of tableaux in Foley’s Asia. A meditation on arms, oppression and empire, it offers a unique insight into Irish and Indian colonial experience.’ – Neil Jordan ‘Foley’s Asia suspends itself quite beautifully between contradictory worlds. Like Foley’s sculpture, it is a book which poses provocative questions about art, colonialism, violence, and even the nature of fiction itself. It’s a brave book, agile, evocative and understated. It belongs on the shelf with others of the ‘international bastard’ brigade – W.G. Sebald, Michael Ondaatje and John Berger.’ – Colum McCann

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Book SynopsisTimor-Leste has had a troubled history and faces an uncertain future. Having experienced colonisation for centuries followed by the Indonesian occupation, with all its abuses of human rights, Timor-Leste emerged as an independent state, based on the rule of law and on respect for human rights. The last few years have shown that no society is simple and that the complex influences of the past continue to shape political, social and cultural realities. This book seeks to examine contemporary challenges for justice and human rights in the shadow of the past. It approaches the task from a broad, interdisciplinary perspective, conscious of the need to integrate insights not only of scholars immersed in human rights, international criminal justice and customary law, but of others whose backgrounds are in international relations, history, anthropology, demography, sociology, geography and ecologyTable of ContentsJustice Systems in Historical and Cultural Perspective 1. Rod Nixon, Non-State Actors as Agents of Order: Suco Justice and Dispute Resolution Systems in East Timor 2. Laura Grenfell, Harnessing Local Law in the Post-Conflict State: The Case of Timor-Leste 3. James T. Thomson, Justice in East Timor: Super-Naturally-Based Local Enforcement Systems Focusing on Renewable Natural Resources. The Indonesian Occupation and Its Aftermath 4. Sarah Staveteig, How Many Persons in East Timor went 'Missing' During the Indonesian Occupation?: Results from Indirect Estimates 5. Dominik Zaum, Building the Rule of Law after Conflict: UNTAET and Judicial Institution Building in East Timor 6.Clinton Fernandes, The Continuity of Australian Foreign Policy towards East Timor 7. Simon Philpott, Postcolonial Troubles: The Politics of Transitional Justice in Timor-Leste 8.William Binchy, The Constitution of Timor-Leste in Comparative Perspective International Law and Human Rights 9. Gernot Biehler, Current International Law Influences in the Government of Timor-Leste 10. Jackson Nyamuya Maogoto, East Timor's Tortured March to Statehood: The Triangle of Self-Determination, International Norms and Realpolitik 11. Clive Symmons, Denial of Self-Determination and Utilisation of Natural Resources by an Illegal Occupier of Territory: the Role of Non-Recognition in such Instances in the Light of the East Timor Case and the Situation in Western Sahara 12. Fernand de Varennes, Timor-Leste's Language Policy: Does It Breach International Law? Gender 13. Carolyn Graydon, Time to get Serious about Women's Rights in Timor-Leste: Wrestling Change from the Grassroots Up 14. Susan Harris Rimmer, Beloved Madam: The Indonesian ad hoc Human Rights Court Impunity, Truth and Reconciliation 15. Guy Cumes, Impunity, Truth and the Rule of Law: The Political Compromise of Accountability and Justice for Human Rights Atrocities in East Timor 16. Joseph Nevins, Truth, Justice and Reconciliation for East Timor in a World of Lions and Mice 17. Jeff Kingston, Human Rights, Justice and Reconciliation in Timor-Leste 18. Spencer Zifcak, Combining Community Reconciliation and Local Justice: A Modest Proposal for Reform

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Book SynopsisThe arrival of an unpublished memoir offering up a scandalous version of the hitherto blameless public life of the revered oriental scholar, Sir Edmund Backhouse, sets Hugh Trevor-Roper on the trail of an outrageous confidence trickster. One of the great detective stories of our age, told with a pace and an infectious delight in the process of historical research, "The Hermit of Peking" would have made an outrageously imaginative work of fiction but for the fact that it is all true. Trevor-Roper unearths scholars with bizarre sexual fantasies, eunuchs, rare manuscripts and a malicious dowager Queen, and sets them all against the backdrop of a decadent and intrigue-ridden Imperial Court.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisChina remains an enigma to many. It is suspended in limbo between media reports and the filtered reality of friends and family visits. This enormous and complex country is either vilified for its shortcomings or praised for its vibrancy, culture and heritage. The truth lies somewhere in between. The stories in this fascinating book unearth the modern-day truths of China, in all its complexity, through the words of those who live there. It is a beguiling series of insights and nuggets of knowledge that will educate, inform and surprise you. In reading these stories, you will gain a deeper appreciation of the country and particularly of the people who have laid the foundation for China's remarkable rise and influence in the world.

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Book SynopsisSomething is rotten in the heart of the capital The Ming dynasty is at its zenith. All under heaven bow towards the Forbidden City, where the Celestial Emperor and his servants grace the earth. Yet rot festers deep in the palace...Emperor Jiajing has sealed himself away, more interested in Taoist magics than the Dragon Throne. In his absence, the corruption of ambitious men grows unchecked. Among such shameless villains stride the Yan, a ruthless clan whose lustful grasp on the state ever tightens. Few dare stand against them, but heaven's mandate calls for balance, and a humble clerk named Hai Rui rises to answer. Across land and over water, forces awaken, stirred by the shadows emanating from the halls of power. No one knows if or when the peace of the Great Ming will collapse. Perhaps the cracks can be healed. Perhaps fate can be appeased. Or perhaps the old saying holds true: a realm long united, must divide...

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Book SynopsisThe fate of the Ming hangs on a knife edge. In the south, defence against relentless pirate raids is escalating into all-out war. The beleaguered Chinese forces must rally for a desperate last stand fought across salt and sand. Nearby, fearless magistrate Hai Rui is tasked with investigating a major corruption scandal. In Beijing, a chance to trump the embezzling viper Yan Song and his influential clan presents itself. There to snatch it is the Crown Prince, and his coalition of the righteous. At a time when the appearance of a mysterious 'blood scripture' could either turn the tide or unleash chaos untold, chief eunuch Lu Fang, a loyal and yet crafty kingmaker, is forced to choose sides. In war as in the Forbidden City, the game is sudden death. Now, China's heroes make their move: a perilous gambit to salvage centuries of progress. If they fail everything burns.

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Book SynopsisThe empire is in mortal danger. Hai Rui and his allies bought her time, but now it is spent. Endless war. Mass starvation. Bleak omens. Addled by mercury and aided by sycophants, Emperor Jiajing is squandering the last remnants of the treasury.Minutes to midnight, Hai Rui is ordered to the capital. He alone is prepared to fight the rot at its source. In the Forbidden City, such bravery cannot go unpunished. It will be down to Hai Rui’s allies – foremost the honourable Crown Prince – to initiate the endgame.This is it. No more hiding. No more half-measures. Now it is time to rescue the once-mighty Ming, or join in the plunder as it descends in flames to a hell of no return.

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Book SynopsisBefore Raffles, before Rajah Brooke, there was Francis Light, the 18th-century trailblazer in the Malay Archipelago. 'Dragon', the first volume of the Penang Chronicles, charts Light's colourful adventures in the decades before the settlement of Penang island, the Company's first possession in the East Indies.

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