Political control and freedoms Books

Book Synopsis“In this fascinating book, Madeleine Albright weaves together history, personal experiences, and brilliant analysis in exploring how religion can be a force for liberty and tolerance rather than oppression and terror. -- Walter Isaacson, author of The Code BreakerThe New York Times bestselling author and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright offers a provocative and very personal look at the role of religion in America’s foreign policyTraditionally, America’s foreign policy professionals have sought to downplay the impact of religious beliefs in international affairs. Reinforced by the constitutional separation between church and state, policymakers have shied away from this potentially volatile and divisive issue. In this timely precient book, one of the most renowned figures in American politic argues that in today’s climate, a secular approach is no longer sufficient.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOnly the American right has ever really recognised the potency of the American left. This book details the left's achievements, including the welfare state, opposing militarism, reshaping of American culture, black rights and civil liberties, awakening the USA to the dangers of fascism and great public enterprises such as the late Twin Towers.Trade Review'The American Left provides a sweeping overview of the American leftwing and socialist tradition since the late 19th century. It compellingly argues that progressives should cease to dismiss its importance. Instead they should acknowledge its ties with and enormous influence on American progressives. It shows that the American left has made a large contribution to the American Welfare State, changes in social policy and has often been a model for left of centre movements abroad. The committee was unanimous in awarding the prize.' Tom Packer, Chair of the Prize Committee, The American Politics Group - Richard Neustadt Book Prize 2013

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this, the first book to deal with the concepts of war power and police power together, Mark Neocleous conducts a critical exploration of the ways in which war power and police power are intertwined in the form of state violence and exercised in social ordering.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction; 1. War as Peace, Peace as Pacification; 2. War on Waste; or, International Law as Primitive Accumulation; 3. 'O Effeminacy! Effeminacy!': Martial Power, Masculine Power, Liberal Peace; 4. The Police of Civilisation: War as Civilising Offensive; 5. Air Power as Police Power I; 6. Air Power as Police Power II; 7. Under the Sign of Security: Trauma, Terror, Resilience; Notes.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen it comes to talking about democracy in China, Chinese nationalists argue that it cannot solve China''s problems, while Chinese liberals remain unduly silenced. But China is facing a national identity crisis, compounded by Tibet and Taiwan, where significant proportions of both populations do not identify with the Chinese nation-state. Could democracy realistically address the problems in China''s national identity? Baogang He opens up a dialogue in which Chinese liberals can offer viable alternatives in defence of key democratic principles and governance. He upholds the search for a political space in which democratic governance in China can feasibly be developed.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJane Duncan is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Johannesburg.Trade ReviewJane Duncan, an activist with a long history monitoring the South Africa's intelligence services, has written one of the first critical accounts of the workings of spy agencies that conduct national security surveillance in the Southern African region to chart how security powers should be organized in an anti-capitalist society and how to get there. * Sean Jacobs, Associate Professor of International Affairs, The New School, USA *Jane Duncan has written a masterpiece, bristling with original insights regarding crucial developments in national security surveillance, especially in southern Africa. The book deserves worldwide attention because it outlines a future we will all may be facing, unless action is taken. This book provides an illuminating picture of the emerging trends. * Robert McChesney, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: National security surveillance and anti-capitalism: A theoretical discussion Chapter 2: Doing security differently?: National security surveillance in southern Africa Chapter 3: Lawful interception as imperialism Chapter 4: Mass surveillance and national security imperialism Chapter 5: The global trade in spyware Chapter 6: Police as spies: Securitization of protests and intelligence-led policing Chapter 7: Fortress South Africa: Securitizing identity and border management Conclusion Notes References Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 2011 Richard became the first playwright to win the Evening Standard Award for Best Play for two plays, The Heretic and One Man, Two Guvnors. The New York production of One Man, Two Guvnors was awarded the 2012 Outer Critics' Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play. His recent credits include Kiss Me (Hampstead), The Nap (Sheffield Crucible), Great Britain (National Theatre), Made in Dagenham: The Musical (Adelphi Theatre) and Pitcairn (Chichester Minerva Theatre/Shakespeare's Globe). Richard's other work includes Under the Whaleback (Royal Court. George Devine Award 2002), The Heretic (The Royal Court. Evening Standard Best New Play 2011), Honeymoon Suite (Pearson Play of the Year), Harvest (Critic's Circle Best New Play), The House of Games (from David Mamet's film), a new version of Moliere's The Hypochondriac, The Big Fellah (Out of Joint), England People Very Nice (National Theatre), The Mentalists (National Theatre), The English Game (Headlong), Up on Roof and Pub QTrade ReviewRichard Bean is a popular writer who has maintained his intellectual integrity while entertaining theatregoers. * British Theatre Guide *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book brings a dynamic approach to Turkish politics by showing how political struggles operate via narratives and how ideas, institutions and narratives interact.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPropaganda Prints reviews the history, cultural diversity and legacy of Art in the service of social and political change.Table of Contents1. The Ancient World i. The very beginning ii. Alexander iii. Pax Romana 2. The Middle Ages i The Dark Ages ii. The Norman Conquest iii. Onward Christian soldiers 3. The Early Modern Period i. The art of printing ii. The troublesome priest iii. A red and white rose iv. Renaissance v. The propaganda of the senses vi. Here comes the sun vii. The English Civil War viii. Into the light ix. The American Revolution x. The tree of liberty xi. The man on the white horse 4. The Machine Age i. The 19th century ii. The Fourth Estate iii. Rule Britannia iv. From sea to shining sea v. A new printing method vi. The golden age of posters vii. The modern movement viii. The First World War 5. The Early 20th Century i. The Mexican Revolution ii. The Russian Revolution iii. Between the wars iv. WPA v. The Spanish Civil War vi. The Nazis vii. The Second World War 6. The Modern World i. The Cold War ii. Post-war Britain iii. The Chinese Cultural Revolution iv. The Cuban Revolution v. Vietnam and the art of protest vi. Propaganda in the digital age

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chronology Abortion Capital Punishment Disability Rights Drug Policy Education Policy Environmental Justice Freedom of Speech Government Surveillance Gun Control Health Care Housing Policy Immigration Information Privacy and Internet Freedom LGBTQ Rights Marriage Equality Police and Criminal Justice Reform Religious Liberty School Choice Voting Rights Women’s Rights Bibliography Index About the Author and Contributors

Read more less

Book SynopsisCan human rights be truly universal, without becoming a subtle form of Western imperialism or restricting the rights of women, minorities, LGBT people and other culturally disadvantaged peoples? This book critically addresses these core issues through an interdisciplinary analysis of key case studies and particularly challenging issues.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. A defensible universalism; 2. Culture and Transcending Relativism; 3. A Right to Cultural Identity; 4. The rights of women - patriarchy, harm and empowerment; 5. The rights of national and ethnic minorities; 6. The Rights of Indigenous Peoples; 7. Religion and Human Rights; 8. Working on a dream?; References; Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe story of Egyptian identity from the beginning of the 20th century is one constructed by statesmen, intellectuals and Islamic thinkers. This book argues that the current fragmentation of Egypt's political scene reflects the increasing social division in a country where 'the people' are demanding a redefinition of their national identity.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book reveals, for the first time, a hitherto unexplored dimension of Britain s engagement with the post-war Middle East: the counter-subversive policies and measures conducted by the British Intelligence and Security Services and he Information Research Department (IRD) of the Foreign Office, Britain s secret propaganda apparatus.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSecurity has become the pre-eminent organising principle of modern life, inextricably bound up with capital accumulation and Empire. This is the first sociological treatise on the security-industrial complex, offering a general theory of security based on a critical engagement with the works of Marx and Foucault.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThrough both theoretical contributions and empirically-orientated analyses, this book provides insights into how theories and practices of multicultural citizenship and migrant integration are adapting and might adapt to the new, more dynamic but also more fluid patterns of international migration and mobility.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book reveals, for the first time, a hitherto unexplored dimension of Britain's engagement with the post-war Middle East: the counter-subversive policies and measures conducted by the British Intelligence and Security Services and he Information Research Department (IRD) of the Foreign Office, Britain's secret propaganda apparatus.Trade Review'The Twilight of the British Empire is an outstanding piece of historical research, reflecting Hashimoto’s diligence and prowess as a scholar ... [It] has enduring relevance for more recent history, not least with the dangers of major powers viewing the complexities of regional politics through their own ideological lenses (as was often the case, for example, during the Cold War and in the post-2001 War on Terror). The Twilight of the British Empire demonstrates the ethical and political pitfalls of aligning with police states. Further, it underlines the danger of overlooking the fact that certain political beliefs, which may be anathema to Western societies, are often seen elsewhere as a means of liberation from corrupt and despotic regimes.' - Geraint Hughes, King’s College London, and R. Gerald Hughes, Aberystwyth University, Intelligence and National Security.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book tells the story of how a proxy-communications war ignited and hijacked the Arab uprisings and how individuals on the ground, on air and online worked to shape history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book tells the story of how a proxy-communications war ignited and hijacked the Arab uprisings and how individuals on the ground, on air and online worked to shape history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisXi Van Fleet lived through the horrors of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as a schoolgirl. Forced to the countryside with other young Chinese for re-education after high school, she later escaped communism and found freedom and new a life in America. But more than 30 years later, Xi disturbingly sees signs of the same Cultural Marxism that ravaged her birth country of China threatening to destroy the America she now calls home.?This is her dire warning to the United States.Xi compellingly tells the story of two Cultural Revolutions: one driven by Mao and the Chinese Communist Party during her childhood and the one unfolding in today's America from the progressive left. With captivating personal stories and extensive historic research, Xi reveals the stunning similarities of these two revolutions. This fascinating book shows readers that both revolutions:* Use Marxist tactics of division, indoctrination, deception, coercion, cancelation, subversion and violence.* Aim to destroy the foundation of the traditional culture to replace it with Marxist ideologies.* Weaponize youth, using them as their means to an end.* Share the same goal of achieving absolute power at the expense of the people.* Lead to the same ending: loss of freedom and totalitarian rule.Readers will be captivated by the riveting personal story of a Chinese immigrant to the United States who overcame fear and reluctance to get involved in the movement to save America. Her political activism begins with a school board speech in 2021 against Critical Race Theory in Loudoun County, Virginia that unexpectedly goes viral and ignites national media attention. Xi now devotes her life to educating the American public on the shocking parallels between these two revolutions.Because only when Americans understand what is really happening will they rise up and resist the communist takeover of America.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2015 An epic, multigenerational story of courage and sacrifice set in a tropical dictatorship, The Rebel of Rangoon captures a gripping moment of possibility in Burma (Myanmar)Once the shining promise of Southeast Asia, Burma in May 2009 ranks among the world's most repressive and impoverished nations. Its ruling military junta seems to be at the height of its powers. But despite decades of constant brutality,and with their leader, the Nobel Peace Prize-laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, languishing under house arrest,a shadowy fellowship of oddballs and misfits, young dreamers and wizened elders, bonded by the urge to say no to the system, refuses to relent. In the byways of Rangoon and through the pathways of Internet cafes, Nway, a maverick daredevil Nigel, his ally and sometime rival and Grandpa, the movement's senior strategist who has just emerged from nineteen years in prison, prepare to fight a battle fifty years in the making.When Burma was still sealed to foreign journalists, Delphine Schrank spent four years underground reporting among dissidents as they struggled to free their country. From prison cells and safe houses, The Rebel of Rangoon follows the inner life of Nway and his comrades to describe that journey, revealing in the process how a movement of dissidents came into being, how it almost died, and how it pushed its government to crack apart and begin an irreversible process of political reform. The result is a profoundly human exploration of daring and defiance and the power and meaning of freedom.Trade Review"A dogged journalist penetrates the deeply secretive dissident underground in Burma's police state in this compelling look into a traumatized society in flux...Schrank displays an elegant style and determined journalist's diligence. A remarkable chronicle of a multigenerational struggle in Burma bringing about important change." --Kirkus, Starred Review "This deeply researched book peels back a corner of the hidden world of Burmese dissidents who work for the cause championed by Aung San Suu Kyi, the leading figure in Burma's decades-long struggle for democracy. Schrank, the Washington Post's former Burma correspondent, delves deeply into the world of an activist she calls Nway, who ascends the ranks of Burma's dissident party, the National League for Democracy, as a young man... Her admiration for the people involved in the worthy struggle remains clear throughout." --Publishers Weekly "Delphine Schrank has written an extraordinary book. It is the chronicle of an individual, and through him a chronicle of the experience of Burmese resistance to oppression in our time. Schrank is a brave and dedicated journalist who has witnessed first hand the experience she narrates, and who has an uncanny ability to convey this experience via language both simple and powerful. At the same time, her book is laced with the kind of serious political analysis characteristic of the best political science. Finally, it is also a brilliant account of a more universal experience of insubordination-refusal of subordination-and empowerment that brings to mind Albert Camus's The Rebel. The Rebel of Rangoon is a terrific book that must be read to be believed. Read it." --Jeffrey C. Isaac, James H. Rudy Professor of Political Science Indiana University, Bloomington "The Rebel of Rangoon is the remarkable odyssey of unseen heroes in the struggle to build democracy out of Burma's shadows and darkness. Delphine Schrank writes with passion and sensitivity about the quest for liberty in a time of tyranny. The story is inspiring yet agonizing; the characters unforgettable; the dream noble-and yet so painfully incomplete." --David E. Hoffman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy "Remarkable...What Ms Schrank has written, however, is not a conventional journalist's lament about an appalling regime. It reads like a novel... a massive and meticulous feat of reporting." --The Economist "This story of passion and sacrifice in the country also known as Burma is a fine companion piece to the politicking now in full swing there, on the threshold of what many hope will be the freest election for more than half a century. Schrank's tale of the opposition underground during the decades of dictatorship is an insight into the forces shaping this Southeast Asian state - and, indeed, into others making the tough transition from authoritarian rule." --Financial Times "Gripping...When so much attention devoted to Myanmar is concentrated at the geopolitical level, it is refreshing to have a book that zeroes in on the grassroots...Schrank captures the white-knuckle immediacy of life in the shadows...Her tale could be called cinematic if it wasn't so disturbingly real, and contemporary, in its portrayal of what happens if you get caught...Superb and timely." --The Guardian "A very human look into the inhumanities of a regime that has made a habit of shooting student protesters and jailing human-rights advocates." --Wall Street Journal "An intrepid exploration... In chronicling the political coming-of-age of Nway and his comrades against the backdrop of NLD party politics, The Rebel of Rangoon serves as a timely primer on the party's often-heroic struggles through the years to the current transitional period... Schrank makes a valuable contribution to the literature of pro-democratic resistance in Burma." --Washington Post "An evocative reminder of how much has been achieved over five tumultuous years, and how far Myanmar has to go." --New York Review of Books "Stunning... A forensically detailed story of [NLD activists'] often subterranean struggle to avoid arrest, survive interrogation, keep their networks and cells active, and keep alive a dream for a more open and just society... In all its gritty detail, The Rebel of Rangoon is an inner-narrative of activist lives and the undulating challenges of underground organization; at a time when even the act of discussing politics and real events was deemed subversive by a paranoid military structure, and often punished with long prison terms." --The Irrawaddy "Schrank's passionate and moving narrative is written in a poetic style that from the outset elicits genuine emotion. With verve and lyricism the author tells the little-known story of the political upheaval of Burma and the struggle of a group of resisters who fought fiercely for democracy in their small, often overlooked country. This is not only an emphatically poignant chronicling of history but a truly illuminating analysis of a human struggle. The politically aware will be engrossed by the depth of detail and personal challenges described in the book, while history enthusiasts will be gripped by the meticulous attention paid to the events that led to the political crisis. This enlightening work has the potential to impact the canon of contemporary political science. It is readable, enjoyable, and destined to become a staple for anyone wishing to learn more about Asian history or the world at large." --Library Journal, Starred Review "Through the lives of Nway and his compatriots, Schrank conveys the long history of the fight for democracy in Burma and the enormous cost to individuals asking who to trust, who to lie to, and how to maintain sanity and relationships in a nation at odds with itself and its government. A very close-up look at a nation caught in its history and the current geopolitical tensions in Asia." --Booklist

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAdolf Hitler, writing in Mein Kampf, was scathing in his condemnation of German propaganda in World War I, declaring that Germany failed to recognise that the mobilization of public opinion was a weapon of the first order. This, despite the fact that propaganda had been regarded by the German leadership, arguably for the first time, as an intrinsic part of the war effort. In this book, David Welch fully examines German society - politics, propaganda, public opinion and total war - in the Great War. Drawing on a wide range of sources - posters, newspapers, journals, film, Parliamentary debates, police and military reports and private papers - he argues that the moral collapse of Germany was due less to the failure to disseminate propaganda than to the inability of the military authorities and the Kaiser to reinforce this propaganda, and to acknowledge the importance of public opinion in forging an effective link between leadership and the people.Trade Review"This is the most important book about German information policy, including censorship, 1914-18, ever written. David Welch has written a brilliant book about the uses of propaganda by Germany in World War I to instruct, uplift and control domestic opinion in a time of total war." David Culbert, Professor of History, Louisiana State University, USA. "..throws fresh light not only on the propaganda history of the Great War, but also on why the German people were able and willing to sustain their support for their government's war effort. David Welch has made yet another significant contribution to the history of the Twentieth Century - the people's century, the century of total war and of the communications revolution." Philip M. Taylor (1954-2010), Professor of International Communications, University of Leeds, UK ."..its contribution to the growing historiography of the First World War and its social, cultural and intellectual impact is clear. This book will appeal to general readers in European history as well as specialists in German history or the First World War and is now among the important works dealing with the origins of propaganda as a factor in modern politics." Vejas Liulevicius, "Journal of Modern History"."..[an] extraordinarily wide-ranging, intelligent and authoritative study...an outstanding piece of historical scholarship. Throughout the book, Welch sustains a complex and subtle analysis that provides his readers with an entirely new understanding of both the devastating German experience of the First World War on the home front and the ill-considered domestic policies that were, to such a large extent, responsible for their experience." Nicholas Reeves, "Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television"Table of ContentsPreface to the paperback edition Introduction Days of Decision: Germany on the Eve of War The Mobilization of the Masses War Aims The Crucible of War Dissenting Voices: Pacifism, Feminist Ferment and the Women’s Movement War Aims Again Civilians ‘Fall-In’ Defeat and revolution Conclusion: ‘The Sins of Omission’

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Waseem Mahmood's brother broke a confidence and filed a story in the world's highest circulating tabloid, the News of the World, Mahmood feared he'd never work in broadcast media again. History intervened with the events of 9/11, the attack on Afghanistan, and the Taliban's fall. Headed by Mahmood, a group of journalists responded by producing a Kabul-based radio program to disseminate much-needed and, for the first time, uncensored information. What they end up providing is hope for a devastated land and a voice for a people long smothered by oppression. Told with searing honesty, this is a story of struggle, cruelty, and courage populated by ordinary people who risk their lives for freedom.Trade Review"Was an important start in bringing fast and uncensored information to the war-stricken people of Afghanistan" – Hamid Karzai, former president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, on the radio station, "A fast-paced mix of humour and heartbreak. The reader is assaulted with the sights, sounds and above all the smells of downtown Kabul in the months that followed the US invasion" --Andy Home, author, Siberian Dreams

Read more less

Book SynopsisSince the 1970s, there have been three challenges to traditional, homogeneous 'national' identities across the Western world: political and socioeconomic inequality; neoliberal globalisation; and more diverse, multicultural societies. As in the US and elsewhere in Western Europe, the decline of an old, masculinised national identity has now begun to open a new, dark era for Britain. Since the 'war on terror' was added to the mix, 'others' in Britain have been brutally demonised. Muslims, routinely presented as the source of society's ills, are subjected to both symbolic and actual violence. Deep- seated and structurally racialised norms amplify the isolation and alienation impeding Muslim integration. Both these 'left-behind' Muslims and white-British groups who perceive themselves as the true nation are under pressure from ongoing geopolitical concerns in the Muslim world, as well as widening divisions at home. Tahir Abbas argues that, in this context, the symbiotic intersections between Islamophobia and radicalisation intensify and expand. His book is a warning of the world that results: a rise in hate crime, the institutionalisation of Islamophobia, and the normalisation of war and conflict.Trade Review‘[Abbas’s] carefully documented book includes an analysis of different kinds of Islamophobia, as well as a qualified defence of multiculturalist policies.’ -- Times Literary Supplement‘Islamophobia and Radicalisation: A Vicious Cycle is a comprehensive and well-documented text, which sets high standards for future scholars working on Muslims and the rise of anti- Muslim hatred in societies with white majority cultures. [The book] is data dense and meticulously researched … and, often, challenging with its multifaceted and intellectually provocative scrutiny of the relationship between Islamophobia and radicalisation.’ -- Postcolonial Studies'An important contribution … [this book is] a useful resource to deepen discussion on the intersections of race, religion, culture and gender in the study of Islamophobia and radicalisation more broadly.’ -- Journal of Intercultural Studies‘["Islamophobia and Radicalisation"] is an excellent and timely book.’ -- Ethnic and Racial Studies'This book offers thorough insights into the concept of Islamophobia and the radicalisation of some Muslims in Europe and the UK. It is an antidote to crude stereotyping of all Muslims, and explores the fears of whole populations in the modern world.' -- Sally Tomlinson, Honorary Fellow, University of Oxford, and author of 'Education and Race from Empire to Brexit''Tahir Abbas's study has the singular merit of demonstrating that Islamophobia and radicalisation are mirror images of each other, where Islamophobia--produced by historical discrimination and socio-economic marginalisation--rather than Islam has been the driving force.' -- George Joffé, Research Associate, London Middle East Institute, SOAS University of London'Abbas has brilliantly provided a timely and incisive analysis that examines the symbiotic relationship between Islamophobia and radicalisation within the historical, political, and cultural contours shaping contemporary geo-politics. This is required reading for our fraught political times.' -- Jasmin Zine, Professor of Sociology and Muslim Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

Read more less