Political science and theory Books

Book SynopsisPolitical issues people care about such as racism, climate change, and democracy take on new urgency and meaning in the light of technological developments such as AI. How can we talk about the politics of AI while moving beyond mere warnings and easy accusations? This is the first accessible introduction to the political challenges related to AI. Using political philosophy as a unique lens through which to explore key debates in the area, the book shows how various political issues are already impacted by emerging AI technologies: from justice and discrimination to democracy and surveillance. Revealing the inherently political nature of technology, it offers a rich conceptual toolbox that can guide efforts to deal with the challenges raised by what turns out to be not only artificial intelligence but also artificial power. This timely and original book will appeal to students and scholars in philosophy of technology and political philosophy, as well as tech developers, innovation leaders, policy makers, and anyone interested in the impact of technology on society.​Trade Review“The disciplines of AI ethics and political philosophy focus on many of the same issues, but only rarely do we see the rich history of the latter discipline being used to make sense of the politics of AI. Coeckelbergh provides a welcome exception with this important book.”Henrik Skaug Sætra, Østfold University College “Artificial intelligence is fundamentally political, and this book illuminates why. It spans the debates about inequality, democracy, power, and posthumanism, and shows the importance of social and political theory to understanding AI.”Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence“Coeckelbergh[‘s] […] real focus is on showing a few thousand years’ worth of philosophical thought will not automatically become obsolete through feats of digital engineering.”Scott McLemee, Inside Higher EdTable of ContentsAcknowledgements 1 Introduction 2 Freedom: Manipulation by AI and Robot Slavery3 Equality and Justice: Bias and Discrimination by AI4 Democracy: Echo Chambers and Machine Totalitarianism 5 Power: Surveillance and (Self-)disciplining by Data6 What about Non-Humans? Environmental Politics and Posthumanism 7 Conclusion: Political TechnologiesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisSince its introduction in 2009, Bitcoin has been widely promoted as a digital currency that will revolutionize everything from online commerce to the nation-state. Yet supporters of Bitcoin and its blockchain technology subscribe to a form of cyberlibertarianism that depends to a surprising extent on far-right political thought. The Politics of Bitcoin exposes how much of the economic and political thought on which this cryptocurrency is based emerges from ideas that travel the gamut, from Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises to Federal Reserve conspiracy theorists.Forerunners: Ideas First is a thought-in-process series of breakthrough digital publications. Written between fresh ideas and finished books, Forerunners draws on scholarly work initiated in notable blogs, social media, conference plenaries, journal articles, and the synergy of academic exchange. This is gray literature publishing: where intense thinking, change, and speculation take place in scholarship.Trade Review"Golumbia, in his small but important way, is helping wake us to the falsity of our perceived neutrality."—One Flew East"This book is a very readable and valuable monograph which combines sound historical research with insightful analysis. All concerned citizens should read this book, which is an essential resource for understanding the true stakes of current technological hyperbole."—Newsclick"Golumbia a le mérite de s’attaquer à des idées qui ne sont pas suffisamment remises en question dans les communautés de la cryptomonnaie et des technologies de chaînes concertées. J’en recommande fortement la lecture à quiconque s’interroge sur les impacts de ces technologies sur nos sociétés."—D’un bloc à l’autre

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Book SynopsisThe quest for social justice is a powerful crusade of our time, with an appeal to many different people, for many different reasons. But those who use the same words do not always present the same meanings. Clarifying those meanings is the first step toward finding out what we agree on and disagree on. From there, it is largely a question of what the facts are. Social Justice Fallacies reveals how many things that are thought to be true simply cannot stand up to documented facts, which are often the opposite of what is widely believed.However attractive the social justice vision, the crucial question is whether the social justice agenda will get us to the fulfillment of that vision. History shows that the social justice agenda has often led in the opposite direction, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. More things are involved besides simply mistakes. All human beings are fallible, and social justice advocates may not necessarily make any more mistakes than others. But crusaders with an utter certainty about their mission are often undeterred by obstacles, evidence or even fatal dangers. That is where much of the Western world is today. The question is whether we will continue on heedlessly, past the point of no return.

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Book SynopsisThe Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. Beginning as a small city-state in central Italy, Rome gradually expanded into a wider world filled with petty tyrants, barbarian chieftains, and despotic kings. Through the centuries, Rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world.In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic.Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, The Storm Before the Storm dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way.

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Book SynopsisThis volume provides the most economical and textually accurate version of Calhoun's Disquisition available today. As a treatise, the Disquisition is one of the greatest and most enduring works of American political thought, and a text of seminal importance to all students of American politics, history, philosophy, and law.

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Book SynopsisThe stunning story of Russia's slide back into a dictatorship,and how the West is now paying the price for allowing it to happen.The ascension of Vladimir Putin,a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB,to the presidency of Russia in 1999 was a strong signal that the country was headed away from democracy. Yet in the intervening years,as America and the world's other leading powers have continued to appease him,Putin has grown not only into a dictator but an internationalthreat. With his vast resources and nuclear arsenal, Putin is at the centre of a worldwide assault on political liberty and the modern world order.For Garry Kasparov, none of this is news. He has been a vocal critic of Putin for over a decade, even leading the pro-democracy opposition to him in the farcical 2008 presidential election. Yet years of seeing his Cassandra-like prophecies about Putin's intentions fulfilled have left Kasparov with a darker truth: Putin's Russia, like ISIS or Al Qaeda, defines itself in opposition to the free countries of the world.As Putin has grown ever more powerful, the threat he poses has grown from local to regional and finally to global. In this urgent book, Kasparov shows that the collapse of the Soviet Union was not an endpoint,only a change of seasons, as the Cold War melted into a new spring. But now, after years of complacency and poor judgment, winter is once again upon us.Argued with the force of Kasparov's world-class intelligence, conviction, and hopes for his home country, Winter Is Coming reveals Putin for what he is: an existential danger hiding in plain sight.

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Book Synopsis'One of the most perceptive and thought-provoking books …Essential reading for these turbulent times.' Amitav Ghosh, author of The Great Derangement 'Dougald Hine’s brilliant book demands we stare into that abyss and rethink our securest certainties about what is actually going on in the climate crisis. It’s lucidly unsettling and yet in the end empowering. There is something we can do, and it starts with where we look, how we see and what we choose to change.’ Brian Eno, Musician ‘[A] rich book, which like a poetic or religious text deserves multiple readings’ Richard Smith, British Medical Journal ‘I consider this book a must-read for all those activists feeling lost, desperate and perhaps subject to ‘press-on-itis'.’ Gail Bradbrook, cofounder, Extinction Rebellion Dougald Hine, world-renowned environmental thinker, has spent most of his life talking to people about climate change. And then one afternoon in the second year of the pandemic, he found he had nothing left to say. Why would someone who cares so deeply about ecological destruction want to stop talking about climate change now? At Work in the Ruins explores that question. ‘Climate change asks us questions that climate science cannot answer,’ Dougald says. Questions like, how did we end up in this mess? Is it just a piece of bad luck with atmospheric chemistry – or is it the result of a way of approaching the world that would always have brought us to such a pass? How we answer such questions also has consequences. Through our over-reliance on the single lens of science, Dougald writes that we are blinded to the nature of the crises around and ahead of us, leading to ‘solutions’ that can only make things worse. At Work in the Ruins is his reckoning with the strange years we have been living through and our long history of asking too much of science. He offers guidance by standing firmly forward and facing the depth of the trouble we are in, to ultimately, helps us find the work that is worth doing, even in the ruins.Trade Review'Drawing on decades of experience in climate journalism and activism, Dougald Hine’s At Work in the Ruins is one of the most perceptive and thought-provoking books yet written about the multiple intersecting crises that are now upending our once-familiar world. Of particular importance is Hine’s deeply respectful yet unsparing analysis of the strengths and limitations of science in reckoning with these crises. At Work in the Ruins is essential reading for these turbulent times.' Amitav Ghosh, author of The Great Derangement‘As it begins to dawn on us all that we won’t “stop” climate change or “solve” the climate crisis, we are left looking into something of an abyss. Dougald Hine’s brilliant book demands we stare into that abyss and rethink our securest certainties about what is actually going on in the climate crisis. It’s lucidly unsettling and yet in the end empowering. There is something we can do, and it starts with where we look, how we see and what we choose to change.’ Brian Eno, Musician'In this age of confusion and corruption, Dougald Hine has always had a great gift for asking the right questions. Here he makes a stab at some answers, too – and, more bravely, identifies the places where ‘answers’ are not available and that the real work is rebooting our entire way of seeing. There are far too many books about climate change around, but this book is about something more unsettling: what our response to climate change reveals about us – and what we can’t do about it, as well as what we can. You are certain to come away rethinking some of your own assumptions.' Paul Kingsnorth, author of Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist'Dougald Hine’s book At Work in the Ruins is a deep reflection on the foundations of the destructive path humanity has been pushed on, driven by colonialism, modernity and fossil fuel addiction, by its love for centralization, control, consumerism, certainty. By stopping to talk about climate change and the other problems we face, Dougald invites us to make deeper shifts by making a turn in our hearts and minds, seeking smaller paths, paths to be discovered and walked along by individuals and communities, paths of diversity and decentralization. And trust uncertainty.' Vandana Shiva, author of Terra Viva'I’ll get right to it: every time the world ends, it leaves a mark. Yes. Implicitly, the apocalypse is not new. There have been many before. But this mark I speak of...it is like a signature. A prophetic molecule of sorts. A sense of discomfort with the rush of the familiar. A taste for questions too slippery for the public imagination. A slant of the eye. An initiation that queers the flesh. Like fungal spores inseminating a zombie ant in the forest. A virus. Not to worry: Not everyone is so marked. But Dougald Hine clearly is. Dougald Hine is mad. And he has my full attention and trust. In this sonorous swoosh of earnest prose composed with the cadence of a fugitive journalist who has a news story that should end all other stories – as well as the unmistakable lilt of an elder who would have sat at the edge of my Nigerian village – Dougald ushers us into the Gordian knots of our strange times where ‘following the science’, ‘solving the climate challenge’ and ‘saving the world’ no longer hold much cartographical promise. Ironically, talking this way about a phenomenon that calls into question humanity’s claims to sovereignty is how the modern machine keeps reproducing the fires we want to extinguish. Pushing past popular tropes, Dougald helps us see that how we talk about and address this end-of-world crisis is the crisis. Something else is needed. Mutiny of some kind. An apostasy. Definitely more than a manifesto, a new solution or a new campaign. Let Dougald Hine’s masterful storytelling mark you; let his song of loss and longing, his call to fugitivity, dispossess you of your steady gait and poise. Perhaps then we, collectively infected, might together witness the incomprehensible.' Bayo Akomolafe, author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences'I’ve long felt Dougald Hine an elder to our environmental movements. In this timely book, he is asking us to pause and consider where we are now and how we got here – to think about the deeper causes of the polycrisis. I consider this book a must-read for all those activists feeling lost, desperate and perhaps subject to "press-on-itis". Let’s find our curiosity together, hold each other as we navigate the turbulence and face our lack of roadmap. For me, reading this book was like having a long and honest supper with an old friend around a warming fire. I finished it with a relieving sigh, feeling nourished, heart opened, humanity seen. Let our longings guide our actions. Thank you, Dougald.' Gail Bradbrook, cofounder Extinction Rebellion'I love reading Hine’s writing. Here is a work that began with a feeling that was sensed before it was thought. The result is a book of rare originality and depth – profound, far-reaching, mind-altering stuff.' Helen Jukes, author of A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings'There is great storytelling woven within Dougald’s timely and sometimes-disturbing book. Hine addresses the blessings and chaos of this moment without ever moving into relentless naysaying or vapid optimism, which makes it hugely refreshing. He seeks a third, truer position. A bigger one. At Work in the Ruins carries the weight of many years at the front line of thinking around climate emergency. This isn’t a weary, trotted-out mandate; it wonderingly tugs at what we think we know and points towards what we may not.' Martin Shaw, author of Courting the Wild Twin'Dougald Hine’s very personable book makes a persuasive and welcome case for a new view of science. He shows clearly how movements that live by science – in its current, institutionalized meaning – will also die by science. At Work in the Ruins speaks up for practical judgment, common sense and the wisdom of heart as guides on the ‘small and branching path’ that Hine contrasts with the big highway of surveillance and regulation by which scientized technocracy proposes to address climate change. The Covid years have revealed a stark choice, long foreseen by the prophetic thinkers, such as Ivan Illich, by whom Hine is inspired. I hope many will heed Hine’s invitation to friendship and intellectual modesty, and join him on the adventure of the small path.' David Cayley, author of Ivan Illich: An Intellectual Journey'If the hourglass has come to stand for the time of endings in which we find ourselves, Dougald Hine looks beyond it to recall the myriad encounters with thinkers and knowledges which have shaped his sense-making over the past two decades, and which shed light on our predicament. When our gaze returns to the hourglass, the reader might question its shape, the width of the opening, where the sand was taken from and who gets to turn it. What actually happens once the sand has drained? Or what happens if it doesn’t? What would happen if the glass cracked and the sand was allowed to spill out onto the table? Hine makes tentative maps with that spilt sand, tracing lines with his finger that are clear, compelling and cathartic; reverent to the unknown and unknowable.' Sarah Thomas, author of The Raven’s Nest'Here is a book that explores the public understanding of science around climate change, Covid and social movements. Asking if we demand too much of science, Hine points beyond the "dark hubris" of despair. With eloquence and honesty, he invites us to the hope of deeper mystery that life on Earth might yet unfold.' Alastair McIntosh, author of Soil and Soul and Riders on the Storm'We’ve tried browbeating people into saving the planet. It doesn’t work, both because most people don’t like to be told what to do and because it is pure folly to imagine that individual microchoices are sufficient to lift us out of this crisis. Why not try, instead, to invite people to think together with us in a spirit of honesty, not only about the crisis and possible ways out of it, but also about the deeper reasons why we cherish the world we have been told we must save? This is Dougald Hine’s approach, and it is timely indeed – a desperately needed change of register in contemporary environmental thinking.' Justin E.H. Smith, author of The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is'In this book, Dougald Hine invites us to repurpose the ruins of the modern structures of organisation and existence (within and around us) that have led us on the path of premature extinction. The end of the world as we know it is the end of a world that needs hospicing, and perhaps, through this hospicing, humanity can learn to be taught by the violence it has inflicted on itself and the rest of nature. It is pretentious to think we (humans) can ‘birth’ a new world; but since we are part of nature and not the centre of it, we can learn to trust the healing capacity of its metabolism to work through us, if we can decentre ourselves to allow it to happen.' Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, author of Hospicing Modernity'It’s hard to exaggerate the importance and sheer nerve of Hine’s prophetic call to face the facts. This is an elegant and acute examination of our personal and societal pathology, and a stirring but never polemical insistence that we must start the treatment. What’s wrong with us? Our storylessness, our pathetic clutching at polarities, and our ludicrous faith in progress rather than process. And the therapy? Stories that are worthy of us, because we’re huge and enduring – unlike politics or institutions or ideas. These are apocalyptic times. Hine reminds us that apocalypse means "unveiling" and prepares us for what we might see if we’ve still got eyes.' Charles Foster, author of Being a Human and Being a Beast"Without dismissing the importance of governments or science, Hine writes that an important first step is acknowledging that governments and science don't have ready solutions for all the problems people face. . . Looking ahead, he seeks options, not optimism, and works to advance the conversation around climate change and other global crises from a Western perspective, with the aim of encouraging dialogue beyond binary ideologies. VERDICT A thought-provoking suggestion for readers well versed in climate discourse." Library Journal‘[A] rich book, which like a poetic or religious text deserves multiple readings’ Richard Smith, British Medical Journal'(Hine's) powerful performance of this important message will make listeners question their unexamined assumptions about the planet's future and what they can do about it.' AudioFile Magazine

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER *WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER * Andy Borowitz, “one of the funniest people in America” (CBS Sunday Morning), brilliantly “chronicles our embrace of anti-intellectualism” (Walter Isaacson) in American politics, from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle, from George W. Bush to Sarah Palin, to its apotheosis in Donald J. Trump.Andy Borowitz has been called a “Swiftian satirist” (The Wall Street Journal) and “one of the country’s finest satirists” (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column “The Borowitz Report.” Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he delivers “a wittily alarming polemic that tracks the evolution of American politics from grounds for gravitas to festival of idiocy” (The New York Times). Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan’s first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades. Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn’t move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.Trade Review“A wittily alarming polemic that tracks the evolution of American politics from grounds for gravitas to festival of idiocy.” —The New York Times “How did we slide into the abyss of liking our politicians to be—or to act—dumb rather than smart? In this funny but serious book, Andy Borowitz chronicles our embrace of anti-intellectualism.” —Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker “This is one of these brilliant books that makes you laugh until you cry. Borowitz masterfully throws light (and shade) on the confederacy of dunces who have fumbled their way into power. His writing has never been smarter, sharper, or more necessary.” —Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book “Highly recommended. Can't remember the last time I read something so maddening that was also so hilarious. Also, it is diagnostically astute about the rise of ignorance in American politics.” —Kathryn Schulz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize “In his illuminating and hilarious book, Andy Borowitz not only skewers political stupidity, he identifies its three key phases. . . . Much as the great lampooners of late 18th-century London helped expose ruling class excesses, Borowitz’s withering mockery is a weapon against the creeping authoritarianism of early 21st-century America.” —Edward Luce, Financial Times “A devastatingly funny takedown of a veritable Mount Rushmore of incompetents . . . In the hallowed tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Ambrose Bierce, and other clear-eyed satirists, Borowitz skewers all manner of chronically befuddled, willfully ignorant dolts. . . . Ravaging this seemingly endless rogues’ gallery of buffoonery and corruption, Borowitz marshals mind-boggling, breathtaking evidence. . . . While there are countless laughs in the book, they have a rueful edge given that we are all affected by such widespread ignorance.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Readers may laugh, cry, or swear under their breath (sometimes all at once) with this scathing survey of the seemingly increasing ignorance of American politicians. Borowitz, a writer of page and screen and satirist for The New Yorker, humorously examines the ever-increasing, lowering-of-the-bar expectations of presidential candidates’ knowledge and beyond in this book that is perfect for fans of The Daily Show or John Lithgow’s ‘Dumpty’ series. . . . For readers who have ever looked at the political landscape and asked how or why, this is a book that will inform and infuriate.” —Library Journal (starred review) “A stinging indictment of how the Republican Party has, by design, devolved from at least somewhat reasonable or coherent discussions of politics and policy to full-on celebration of idiocy.” —Salon “Andy makes me laugh out loud, that’s a given. In this book he has also made me think out loud. Profiles in Ignorance is hilarious, original, scary, prescient and a wake-up call for us all. A must-read.” —Susie Essman, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm “Borowitz always hits the target. . . . The book is hilarious and scary . . . because it's TRUE!” —Larry Wilmore, Black on the Air “[Borowitz] sheds light on the cultural and economic trends that gave intellectualism a bad name and identifies the political operatives . . . who facilitated the rise of ignorance. Fans of The Borowitz Report will gobble this up.” —Publishers Weekly “Is it better to laugh or cry at America’s most profoundly stupid politicians? Why not both laugh and cry, as anyone will by reading this new book by Andy Borowitz. He is one of our sharpest satirists, as evidenced by his column The Borowitz Report, but he’s wisely made this book nonfiction, skewering the dumbest of the dumb.” —Air Mail “Hilarious and wildly entertaining.”—Indiana Capital Chronicle “Worth every penny . . . Profiles in Ignorance is funny because it's true—and nutty. . . . Borowitz uses his skills to skewer and expose politicians. . . . An equal-opportunity historian, he pulls back the curtain on Democrats as well as Republicans.”—Worcester Magazine “Borowitz details a staggering array of obliviousness, lending his penetrating gibes to the estimable tradition of political mockery championed by Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, and H. L. Mencken.” —Los Angeles Review of Books Praise for Andy Borowitz: “We need a new emoji to signal the uniquely brilliant humor of Andy Borowitz: savage but gentle, hilarious but sad, thought-provoking but never hard to figure out, ironic but without cheap sarcasm, snarky but never cruel. He’s a national treasure!” —Laurence Tribe, coauthor of To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment “A witty diagnosis of the political troubles of the US.” —Jewish News “I expected a laugh. . . . How much better to also find a cogent explanation for our current political climate. . . . Borowitz takes us on a well-researched journey of the past 40+ years of American politics, leaving no president un-examined, and he does so with humor and curiosity.” —Presbyterian Outlook, Book of the Month “Literally had me laughing out loud. . . . Profiles in Ignorance is a treasure trove of quotes by elected officials and would-be elected officials who not only enjoy the taste of shoe leather but demonstrate that they either slept through high school civics and American history, or don’t care enough to even learn the basic facts that any person taking the examination to become an American citizen must learn.” —Cool Cleveland “Both humorous and frightening as it explains how we got to where we are today in the national political scene.” —Boston.com, Favorite Reads of 2022

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Book SynopsisA powerful account, by Israeli peace activist Miko Peled, of his transformation from a young man who'd grown up in the heart of Israel's elite and served proudly in its military into a fearless advocate of nonviolent struggle and equal rights for all Palestinians and Israelis. His journey is mirrored in many ways the transformation his father, a much-decorated Israeli general, had undergone three decades earlier. Alice Walker contributed a foreword to the first edition in which she wrote, "There are few books on the Israel/Palestine issue that seem as hopeful to me as this one." In the new Epilogue he takes readers to South Africa, East Asia, several European countries, and the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel itself. Trade Review"A fascinating story that provides much food for thought."--Uri Avnery, Former Member of Knesset and veteran peace activist

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Book SynopsisAt a time when political, environmental and social gloom can seem overpowering, this remarkable book offers a lucid, affirmative and well-argued case for hope. This exquisite work traces a history of activism and social change over the past five decades - from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the worldwide marches against the war in Iraq. Hope in the Dark is a paean to optimism in the uncertainty of the twenty-first century. Tracing the footsteps of the last century's thinkers - including Woolf, Gandhi, Borges, Benjamin and Havel - Solnit conjures a timeless vision of cause and effect that will light our way through the dark, and lead us to profound and effective political engagement.Trade ReviewA short, elegant, passionate polemic on the history and future of progressive political engagement -- Robert MacfarlaneTime and again Solnit comes running towards you with a bunch of hopes she has found and picked in the undergrowth of the times we are living in. And you remember that hope is not a guarantee for tomorrow but a detonator of energy for action today -- John BergerAn intensely personal account, a meditation on activism and hope * * Guardian * *[Solnit] writes with poetic succinctness . . . Her capable way of converting the activism of the past into a blueprint to inspire political engagement in the future is as relevant today as when first published * * Sunday Mail * *Fascinating, inspiring and beautifully written -- George MonbiotLike Simon Schama, Solnit is a cultural historian in the desert-mystic mode, trailing ideas like swarms of butterflies * * Harper's * *Hope in the Dark is great. The powerful in this world seem to want to frighten us into following their orders unquestioningly and this book offers us the key to liberation - and that key is hope -- Tony BennThis is a book to be cherished, something to keep close at hand for those dark moments when you wonder whether the world really is a better place than it was 50 years ago * * Independent on Sunday * *A jewel of a book. Solnit reveals where we were, where we are, and the step-by-step advances that have been made in human rights, as we stubbornly stumble out of the darkness -- Studs TerkelHer passionate defence of direct action is a refreshingly corrective, while, crucially, her celebration of people power is proactive rather than complacent * * Metro * *In this extraordinary book, Rebecca Solnit's prose grows poetic wings that enable her to soar to a visionary height. The good news that she brings back is that our struggles-with persistence and courage-are indeed the seeds of kindness -- Mike DavisA slim, potent book penned in the wake of the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq; a book that has grown only more relevant and poignant in the decade since -- Maria PopovaRebecca Solnit is a national literary treasure: a passionate, close-to-the-ground reporter with the soul and voice of a philosopher-poet. And, unlike so many who write about the great injustices of this world, she is an optimist, whose faith is deeply grounded in a knowledge of history. This is a book to give you not just hope but zest for the battles ahead -- Adam HoschschildHope In the Dark changed my life. During a period of pervasive cynicism and political despair, the first edition of this book provided me with a model for activist engagement that I have held dear ever since. Today, as movements for climate, racial, and economic justice sweep the globe, its message is more relevant than ever -- Astra TaylorNo writer has better understood the mix of fear and possibility, peril and exuberance that's marked this new millennium. Rebecca Solnit writes as independently as Orwell; she's a great muralist, a Diego Rivera of words. Literary and progressive America is in a Solnit moment, which given her endless talent should last a very long time -- Bill McKibben

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Book SynopsisWhen you see your nation’s flag fluttering in the breeze, what do you feel?For thousands of years flags have represented our hopes and dreams. We wave them. Burn them. March under their colours. And still, in the 21st century, we die for them. Flags fly at the UN, on the Arab street, from front porches in Texas. They represent the politics of high power as well as the politics of the mob.From the renewed sense of nationalism in China, to troubled identities in Europe and the USA, to the terrifying rise of Islamic State, the world is a confusing place right now and we need to understand the symbols, old and new, that people are rallying round.In nine chapters (covering the USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, international flags and flags of terror), Tim Marshall draws on more than twenty-five years of global reporting experience to reveal the histories, the power and the politics of the symbols that unite us – and divide us.Trade Review"Full of sharp analysis and a very entertaining read" --Andrew Neil; "A fascinating tour of the world's ensigns, their histories and meanings ... a sobering lesson in just how silly we human beings can be" --Daily Mail; "Timely ... explores how the threads of history and legend are woven into the fabric of a country's banner" - Times Literary Supplement; "This might be the comprehensive flag volume we've all been waiting for - a slick yet detailed and well-researched journey through some of the world's most infamous and interesting flags ... Marshall guides us through this myriad of stories admirably" - Geographical magazine; "Insightful and entertaining ... a truly fascinating book that feels all the more considered and urgent in today's world of Brexit, Trump, China and ISIS"--Dan Lewis, Wanderlust magazine; "Marshall points out that we often forget the aggressive symbolism of established flags ... [they] are a quick, visual way of communicating loyalties, power and ideas"--Robbie Millen, The Times; "An engagingly written, veritable page-turner. Whether the topic is ethnic identity, Japanese imperialism, Panamanian shipping law or the defeat of Nazism, flags speak volumes about our human condition" -- Lawrence Joffe, Jewish Chronicle; "In today's globalised and media savvy environment, the role of state and non-state symbols has become more important and in many cases more dangerous and evocative. This witty book brings to our attention this power, alongside the reality that we must not underestimate or misunderstand how the flags of our world came to be. A must read for anyone wishing to grasp the meanings behind today's international affairs." --Human Security CentreTable of ContentsCONTENTS; Introduction 1; 1 The Stars and the Stripes 9; 2 The Union and the Jack 33; 3 The Cross and the Crusades 57; 4 Colours of Arabia 95; 5 Flags of Fear 121; 6 East of Eden 143; 7 Flags of Freedom 173; 8 Flags of Revolution 195; 9 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 223; Bibliography 253; Acknowledgements 258; Index 259

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Book SynopsisWhen you see your nation's flag fluttering in the breeze, what do you feel?; For thousands of years flags have represented our hopes and dreams. We wave them. Burn them. March under their colours. And still, in the 21st century, we die for them. Flags fly at the UN, on the Arab street, from front porches in Texas. They represent the politics of high power as well as the politics of the mob.; From the renewed sense of nationalism in China, to troubled identities in Europe and the USA, to the terrifying rise of Islamic State, the world is a confusing place right now and we need to understand the symbols, old and new, that people are rallying round.; In nine chapters (covering the USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, international flags and flags of terror), Tim Marshall draws on more than twenty-five years of global reporting experience to reveal the histories, the power and the politics of the symbols that unite us - and divide us.Trade Review"Full of sharp analysis and a very entertaining read" --Andrew Neil; "A fascinating tour of the world's ensigns, their histories and meanings … a sobering lesson in just how silly we human beings can be" --Daily Mail; “Timely … explores how the threads of history and legend are woven into the fabric of a country’s banner” – Times Literary Supplement; “Entertaining … bristling with historical trivia and commentary on current events … these fluttering symbols of collective identity continue to both unite groups and divide the world” – The New Yorker; “This might be the comprehensive flag volume we’ve all been waiting for – a slick yet detailed and well-researched journey through some of the world’s most infamous and interesting flags … Marshall guides us through this myriad of stories admirably” – Geographical magazine; "Insightful and entertaining ... a truly fascinating book that feels all the more considered and urgent in today's world of Brexit, Trump, China and ISIS"--Dan Lewis, Wanderlust magazine; "Marshall points out that we often forget the aggressive symbolism of established flags ... [they] are a quick, visual way of communicating loyalties, power and ideas"--Robbie Millen, The Times; "An engagingly written, veritable page-turner. Whether the topic is ethnic identity, Japanese imperialism, Panamanian shipping law or the defeat of Nazism, flags speak volumes about our human condition" -- Lawrence Joffe, Jewish Chronicle; "In today's globalised and media savvy environment, the role of state and non-state symbols has become more important and in many cases more dangerous and evocative. This witty book brings to our attention this power, alongside the reality that we must not underestimate or misunderstand how the flags of our world came to be. A must read for anyone wishing to grasp the meanings behind today's international affairs." --Human Security Centre; “[A] brisk, entertaining read … an informative survey of these highly visible symbols of national or international pride” – Publishers Weekly; “An excellent book with deep meaning” -- evilcyclist.wordpress.com; “Energetic … fascinating … contains some interesting surprises. It is worth grasping that these rectangles of silk can move individuals and communities to remarkable efforts, for good or ill” – Tribune magazine; “A fast paced, often witty look at the stories behind the flags … I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is not just interested in flags but in the modern world and how we identify with our countries. I always find it difficult to recommend non-fiction to book groups, but if a group was brave enough to take it on, then I think they would be rewarded.” – Nudge-book.com

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Book SynopsisNew from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography; We feel more divided than ever.; This riveting analysis tells you why.; Walls are going up. Nationalism and identity politics are on the rise once more. Thousands of miles of fences and barriers have been erected in the past ten years, and they are redefining our political landscape. ; There are many reasons why we erect walls, because we are divided in many ways: wealth, race, religion, politics. In Europe the ruptures of the past decade threaten not only European unity, but in some countries liberal democracy itself. In China, the Party's need to contain the divisions wrought by capitalism will define the nation's future. In the USA the rationale for the Mexican border wall taps into the fear that the USA will no longer be a white majority country in the course of this century.; Understanding what has divided us, past and present, is essential to understanding much of what's going on in the world today. Covering China; the USA; Israel and Palestine; the Middle East; the Indian Subcontinent; Africa; Europe and the UK, bestselling author Tim Marshall presents a gripping and unflinching analysis of the fault lines that will shape our world for years to come.Trade Review**** “Informative and timely … a readable primer on the world’s biggest problems” – Daily Express; `A timely and exhilarating clamber over the walls of history' - Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads; "Striking words ... Tim Marshall performs the daunting, yet highly pertinent, task of trying to make sense of one of the biggest issues of our times: in a world that is increasingly globalised, a backlash apparently grows ever stronger. By taking a global view, Divided successfully brings some much-needed perspective" - Northern SlantTable of ContentsCONTENTS; Introduction 1; 1 China 7; 2 USA 35; 3 Israel and Palestine 67; 4 The Middle East 95; 5 The Indian Subcontinent 119; 6 Africa 151; 7 Europe 179; 8 UK 213; Conclusion 243; Bibliography 253; Acknowledgements 258; Index 259

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER; New from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography; Which side of the fence are you on?; Every story has two sides, and so does every wall. We're in a new era of tribalism and the barricades are going up.; Money, race, religion, politics: these are the things that divide us. Trump's wall says as much about America's divided past as it does its future. The Great Firewall of China separates `us' from `them'. In Europe, the explosive combination of politics and migration threatens liberal democracy itself.; Covering China; the USA; Israel and Palestine; the Middle East; the Indian Subcontinent; Africa; Europe and the UK, in this gripping read bestselling author Tim Marshall delves into our past and our present to reveal the fault lines that will shape our world for years to come.Trade Review***** "Informative and timely ... a readable primer on the world's biggest problems" -- Daily Express; "A timely and exhilarating clamber over the walls of history" -- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads; "Accomplished, well researched and pacey ... for anyone who wants to look beyond the headlines and explore the context of some of the biggest challenges facing the world today, it is a fascinating and fast read" -- City AM; "Accessible and timely ... ultimately, Marshall's lesson is one that we should all heed: differences can be overcome" -- Prospect; "A very knowledgeable, timely book and a good primer on current problems in a longer-term context" -- Irish News; "Perceptive ... Marshall examines the walls - physical, religious, ethnic, psychological - that fence people off or, at times, pen them in... He has written frankly about the world. We deny this at our own peril" -- The National; "Striking words ... Tim Marshall performs the daunting, yet highly pertinent, task of trying to make sense of one of the biggest issues of our times: in a world that is increasingly globalised, a backlash apparently grows ever stronger. By taking a global view, Divided successfully brings some much-needed perspective" - --Northern SlantTable of ContentsCONTENTS; Introduction 1; 1 The Great Firewall: China 9; 2 Build that Wall!: USA 41; 3 Facts on the Ground: Israel and Palestine 77; 4 Lines in the Sand: The Middle East 109; 5 A Magnet for Migrants: The Indian Subcontinent 135; 6 State of the Nations: Africa 171; 7 Ever Closer Union?: Europe 201; 8 The Groans of the Britons: UK 24; Conclusion: The Spaces in Between 275; Bibliography 289; Acknowledgements 297; Index 299

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Book SynopsisWhat are the imagined communities that compel men to kill or to die for an idea of a nation? This notion of nationhood had its origins in the founding of the Americas, but was then adopted and transformed by populist movements in nineteenth-century Europe. It became the rallying cry for anti-Imperialism as well as the abiding explanation for colonialism. In this scintillating, groundbreaking work of intellectual history Anderson explores how ideas are formed and reformulated at every level, from high politics to popular culture, and the way that they can make people do extraordinary things. In the twenty-first century, these debates on the nature of the nation state are even more urgent. As new nations rise, vying for influence, and old empires decline, we must understand who we are as a community in the face of history, and change.Trade ReviewSparkling, readable, densely packed. * Guardian *Anderson's knowledge of a vast range of relevant historical literature is most impressive; his presentation of the gist of it is both masterly and lucid. * New Statesman *A brilliant little book. * Neal Ascherson, The Observer *

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Book SynopsisSelected as one of '100 Notable African Books of 2022' in Brittle Paper A leading African political philosopher’s searing intellectual and moral critique of today’s decolonisation movement. Decolonisation has lost its way. Originally a struggle to escape the West’s direct political and economic control, it has become a catch-all idea, often for performing ‘morality’ or ‘authenticity’; it suffocates African thought and denies African agency. Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò fiercely rejects the indiscriminate application of ‘decolonisation’ to everything from literature, language and philosophy to sociology, psychology and medicine. He argues that the decolonisation industry, obsessed with cataloguing wrongs, is seriously harming scholarship on and in Africa. He finds ‘decolonisation’ of culture intellectually unsound and wholly unrealistic, conflating modernity with coloniality, and groundlessly advocating an open-ended undoing of global society’s foundations. Worst of all, today’s movement attacks its own cause: ‘decolonisers’ themselves are disregarding, infantilising and imposing values on contemporary African thinkers. This powerful, much-needed intervention questions whether today’s ‘decolonisation’ truly serves African empowerment. Táíwò’s is a bold challenge to respect African intellectuals as innovative adaptors, appropriators and synthesisers of ideas they have always seen as universally relevant.Trade Review'It doesn’t happen very often, but now and again one comes across a book that is really transformative. An author who simply changes the narrative and argues so persuasively there is really little more to be said on the subject. Olufemi Taiwo’s Against Decolonisation is one such author and this is one such book.' -- Martin Plaut, journalist and former Africa editor for BBC World Service News

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Book Synopsis'A gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption' Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die 'A timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster' Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny Ours is the age of the strongman. Countries from Russia to India, Turkey to America are ruled by men who combine populist appeal with authoritarian policy. They have reshaped their countries around them, creating cults of personality which earn the loyalty of millions. And they do so by drawing on a playbook of behaviour established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler. So why - despite the evidence of history - do strongmen still hold such appeal for us? Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat draws on analysis of everything from gender to corruption and propaganda to explain who these political figures are - and how they manipulate our own history, fears and desires in search of power at any cost. Strongmen is a fierce and perceptive history, and a vital step in understanding how to combat the forces which seek to derail democracy and seize our rights.Trade ReviewWith a steady gaze and an eye for the telling detail, Ruth Ben-Ghiat delivers a timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster - and some valuable hints about how it can be resisted, and the virtues we will need to rebuild democracy -- Timothy Snyder, author of On TyrannyRuth Ben-Ghiat is an indispensable resource on authoritarianism, past and present. Everyone who cares about American democracy should read this book -- Sarah Kendzior, author of Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of AmericaBen-Ghiat's portrayal of fascist era tyrants, murderous Cold War dictators, and would-be tyrants in our own day gives us a gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption. History, Ben-Ghiat shows, offers clear lessons not only about how these regimes are built, but also how they must be opposed, and how they inevitably end -- Daniel Ziblatt, co-author How Democracies DieSimultaneously intimate and sweeping in scope, STRONGMEN brings us in close to dictators and would-be dictators across decades and continents. We are left with a disturbing look in the mirror. Throughout, Ben-Ghiat's clear prose rings with a rhythm and cadence that today's nonfiction too often lacks -- Sarah Chayes, author of On Corruption in America: And What Is at Stake and Thieves of StateDeep insight and a vigorous style ... a brilliant contribution to the political psychology of democracy -- Joy Connolly, President of the American Council of Learned SocietiesPraise for Ruth Ben-Ghiat: [A] surpassingly brilliant public intellectual... -- Virginia Heffernan on Slate Trumpcast

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Book SynopsisGeorge Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. Inside the Whale, the eighth in the Orwell’s Essays series, discusses Henry Miller’s controversial Tropic of Cancer, and considers the driving power behind the great books of the 1930s. Comparing Miller with other literary giants, Orwell lambasts the notion that all literature is good, forcing the reader to think for themselves, with his final words ringing in their ears: ‘five thousand novels are published in England every year and four thousand nine hundred of them are tripe.’

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Book SynopsisIn a single volume, the seminal writings of the world's leading philosopher, linguist and critic, and author of the bestselling Who Rules the World‘The general population doesn't know what's happening, and it doesn't even know that it doesn't know’ Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky's writings on politics and language have established him as one of the most original and wide-ranging political and social critics of our time, and as perhaps the leading dissident voice in the United States.The Essential Chomsky brings together selections from his most important writings, from his groundbreaking critique of B.F. Skinner to his bestselling works Hegemony or Survival and Failed States, concerning subjects ranging from critiques of corporate media and U.S. interventionism to intellectual freedom and the political economy of human rights. Featuring a collection of twenty-five pieces of writing spanning six decades, this is an unparalleled and comprehensive overview of Chomsky's thought.‘Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive’ New York TimesTrade ReviewChomsky ranks with Marx, Shakespeare, and the Bible as one of the ten most quoted sources in the humanities-and is the only writer among them still alive. * Guardian *Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive. * New York Times *Noam Chomsky is one of the most significant challengers of unjust power and delusions; he goes against every assumption about American altruism and humanitarianism. -- Edward SaidNot to have read [Chomsky] is to court genuine ignorance. * Nation *A rebel without a pause. -- Bono

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Book SynopsisHow can we comprehend the socio-political processes that give rise to extreme violence, ethnic cleansing or genocide? A major breakthrough in comparative analysis, Purify and Destroy demonstrates that it is indeed possible to compare the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Hercegovina while respecting the specificities of each. Based on the essential distinction between massacre and genocide, Purify and Destroy identifies the main steps of a general process of destruction, rational and irrational, born of what Semelin terms 'delusional rationality', responding to fears, resentments and utopias, and re-modelling the social body by eliminating 'the enemy'. The main stages that can lead to a genocidal process, with ordinary people becoming perpetrators, are also identified.Trade Review'This book is a major accomplishment in the study of genocide. Semelin explores the deep cause, specific triggers, political and international context, dynamics of implementation, nature of killing, and political uses of genocide as a modern phenomenon.' * Omer Bartov, Brown University, and author of Mirrors of Destruction: War, Genocide, and Modern Identity *'[An] outstanding contribution to the field of genocide studies.' * International Affairs *'[A] must-read for those who want to seriously engage the problem of genocide and massacre in rigorous and systematic fashion.' * Political Science Quarterly *'This important study is well worth the effort.' * Holocaust and Genocide Studies *Table of ContentsForeward by Stanley Hoffmann Acknowledgements introduction: Understand? I. The Imaginary Constructs of Social Destructiveness Unpromising Avenues The power of imaginary constructs From the identity narrative to the figure of Traitor From the quest for purity to the figure of the Other in excess From the security dilemma to the destruction of the enemy II. From Inflammatory Discourse to Sacrificial Violence The intellectual springboard Reaching political legitimacy From the religious to the sacrificial Societies torn between adhesion, consent and resistance III. International Context, War and the Media A structure of political opportunities Spilling into war Telling the world: a last resort? IV. The Dynamics of Mass Murder The decision-making process and the deision-makers The organisation of mass murder and the actors involved From collective indifference to popular participation Morphologies of extreme violence V. The Vertigo of Impunity Crossing the threshold into violence The tipping mechanism The dual learning process of massacre The killers' profiles: revisiting 'the banality of evil' Sexual violence and other atrocities VI. The Political Uses of Massacre and Genocide Instrumentalisations of a word that is impossible to define? Distancing genocide studies from the frame of law Destroying to subjugate Destroying to eradicate Destroying to revolt Conclusion: The 'Never Again" Refrain Crisis prevention: arguments and illusions An ethics of responsibility 'The revenge of passions' Appendices A. Investigating a massacre B. Comparing massacres Bibliography Notes Name Index Subject Index

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Book SynopsisTHE MILLION COPY INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'If power is your ultimate goal, this is the book you need' The Times Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distils three thousand years of the history of power into forty-eight well-explicated laws. As attention-grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws require prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), some stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and some the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real-life situations. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissenger, P T Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded - or been victimised by - power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing or defending against ultimate control.

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Book SynopsisDuring the Cold War, writers and artists were faced with a huge challenge. In the Soviet world, they were expected to turn out works that glorified militancy, struggle and relentless optimism. In the West, freedom of expression was vaunted as liberal democracy's most cherished possession. But such freedom could carry a cost. This book documents the extraordinary energy of a secret campaign in which some of the most vocal exponents of intellectual freedom in the West became instruments - whether they knew it or not, whether they liked it or not - of America's secret service.

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Book SynopsisWith the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, warnings about a 'new Cold War' proliferated. In fact, argues Gilbert Achcar in this timely new study, the Cold War has been ongoing since the turn of the century. Racing to solidify its position in the 1990s as the last remaining superpower, the US alienated Russia and China, pushing them closer and rebooting the 'old' Cold War with disastrous implications. Vladimir Putin's consequent rise and imperialist reinvention, along with Xi Jinping's own ascendancy and increasingly autocratic tendencies, would, respectively, culminate in the murderous invasion of Ukraine and mounting tensions over Taiwan and trade. Was all this inevitable? Will these three world powers' permanent readiness to war write the story of the twenty-first century? What comes after Ukraine? What might the contours of a more peaceful world look like? These questions and many others are addressed in this essential book by one of the most astute and seasoned analysts of international relations.

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Book SynopsisThis book argues against the establishment of a demographically representative social elite, and for economic justice for everyone.

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Book SynopsisGeorge Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In The Prevention of Literature, the third in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell considers the freedom of thought and expression. He discusses the effect of the ownership of the press on the accuracy of reports of events, and takes aim at political language, which ‘consists almost entirely of prefabricated phrases bolted together.’ The Prevention of Literature is a stirring cry for freedom from censorship, which Orwell says must start with the writer themselves: ‘To write in plain vigorous language one has to think fearlessly.’Trade Review'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' Irish TimesTable of ContentsWhy I Write, Note on the Text, Notes, A Brief Biographical Sketch of George Orwell

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * “Do we need still another Watergate book? The answer turns out to be yes—this one.” —The Washington Post * “Dazzling.” —The New York Times Book Review From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky, comes the first definitive narrative history of Watergate—“the best and fullest account of the crisis, one unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)—exploring the full scope of the scandal through the politicians, investigators, journalists, and informants who made it the most influential political event of the modern era.In the early hours of June 17, 1972, a security guard named Frank Wills enters six words into the log book of the Watergate office complex that will change the course of history: 1:47 AM Found tape on doors; call police. The subsequent arrests of five men seeking to bug and burgle the Democratic National Committee offices—three of them Cuban exiles, two of them former intelligence operatives—quickly unravels a web of scandal that ultimately ends a presidency and forever alters views of moral authority and leadership. Watergate, as the event is called, becomes a shorthand for corruption, deceit, and unanswered questions. Now, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Garrett M. Graff explores the full scope of this unprecedented moment from start to finish, in the first comprehensive, single-volume account in decades. The story begins in 1971, with the publication of thousands of military and government documents known as the Pentagon Papers, which reveal dishonesty about the decades-long American presence in Vietnam and spark public outrage. Furious that the leak might expose his administration’s own duplicity during a crucial reelection season, President Richard M. Nixon gathers his closest advisors and gives them implicit instructions: Win by any means necessary. Within a few months, an unsteady line of political dominoes are positioned, from the creation of a series of covert operations code-named GEMSTONE to campaign-trail dirty tricks, possible hostage situations, and questionable fundraising efforts—much of it caught on the White House’s own taping system. One by one they fall, until the thwarted June burglary attracts the attention of intrepid journalists, congressional investigators, and embattled intelligence officers, one of whom will spend decades concealing his identity behind the alias “Deep Throat.” As each faction slowly begins to uncover the truth, a conspiracy deeper and more corrupt than anyone thought possible emerges, and the nation is thrown into a state of crisis as its government—and its leader—unravels. Using newly public documents, transcripts, and revelations, Graff recounts every twist with remarkable detail and page-turning drama, bringing readers into the backrooms of Washington, chaotic daily newsrooms, crowded Senate hearings, and even the Oval Office itself during one of the darkest chapters in American history. Grippingly told and meticulously researched, Watergate is the defining account of the moment that has haunted our nation’s past—and still holds the power to shape its present and future.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR WATERGATE: A NEW HISTORY “Do we need still another Watergate book? The answer turns out to be yes — this one: Garrett M. Graff’s Watergate: A New History. It is a remarkably rich narrative with compelling characters, who range from criminal and flawed to tragic and heroic. As someone who played a small role in the drama while I was editing many of The Washington Post’s Watergate stories, I found that Graff convincingly populates and re-creates an extraordinary time in the history of the country and this city. ... fast-paced ... filled with apt sketches of its many characters, major and minor, from all the president’s men, and some of their spouses, to journalists, investigators, lawyers and members of Congress. It vividly re-creates all the key events, from Nixon’s overreaction to the revelation of the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War in June 1971 to his resignation in August 1974.... engaging, informative and thought-provoking, more than earning its place on bookshelves alongside the old histories.” —Len Downie, Jr., The Washington Post “Dazzling. . . A lively writer, Graff explores the dramatic scope of the Watergate saga through its participants — politicians, investigators, journalists, whistle-blowers and, at center stage, Nixon himself.” —Douglas Brinkley, The New York Times Book Review “Award-winning author Graff aims to give readers the full scope of Watergate — a much bigger, more bizarre story than even remembered — telling the full story from start to finish in this ambitious book.” —New York Post “A definitive, exhaustive account of the scandal. . . a fascinating, horrifying examination of the Nixon presidency up close—enough to scare the record straight.” —AirMail “A meticulously researched, expansive history of the Watergate scandal from start to finish, from the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 to the reverberations that echo through present day.” —Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY “A brisk, riveting, compulsively readable, comprehensive, up-to-date narrative of the entire tangled affair, and it's hard to imagine it better told. . . . Now the best and fullest account of the Watergate crisis, one unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Monumental. . . effortlessly clarifies the strands of one of the most complex episodes in modern history. . . A masterful, epic look at a story that is still barely believable.” —The Daily Mail “This meticulously researched and documented book should now become the definitive source for those who wish to dive into the cesspool of deceit, intrigue and criminal behavior that were associated with the seemingly innocuous break-in and the cover-up. ... [Graff] makes a valiant attempt to connect all the disparate threads from the confusing tapestry of multiple investigations, muffled tapes and self-serving memoirs available. His organization of the book makes the 700-plus pages flow seamlessly as the investigators reach their inevitable conclusions. In summary, this book should be required reading for any citizen with the faintest interest in how the sausage-factory of Washington politics functions and how our country has managed to arrive at today’s dysfunctional impasse.” —J. Kemper Campbell, Lincoln Journal-Star “Lively, wide-ranging, detailed.” —Erica J. Smith, The Virginian Pilot “Garrett Graff aptly calls Watergate a 'Gordian knot of scandal.' This comprehensive, searching, yet elegant book untangles it more completely than any attempt so far. I learned a lot!” —Rick Perlstein, bestselling author of Nixonland and Reaganland “Watergate is one of the great tragic double-edged swords of modern American history: its crimes were swiftly exposed, the criminals punished, the rule of law restored––and it profoundly, permanently undermined American citizens' trust in their government. Garrett Graff's fresh chronicle of that inflection point is lucid, enlightening and indispensable.” —Kurt Andersen, author of Evil Geniuses and writer-host of Nixon at War “I thought I knew all the Watergate stories. I was wrong. Graff did a herculean job going through so much existing Watergate material to pull together a compelling new story and make it all fresh again. Think you know the entire story from beginning to end? Not until you’ve read this.” —Howard Mortman, C-SPAN communications director and author of When Rabbis Bless Congress “Expertly researched and assembled, this is a valuable introduction to one of history’s greatest political scandals. . . . Graff skillfully interweaves the perspectives of journalists and law enforcement officials investigating the Watergate break-in with the Nixon team’s attempts to “use the organs of government to cover up their own rogue operation,” and incisively analyzes how the congressional inquiry into the scandal resulted in Democrats and Republicans coming together to uphold the Constitution and limit the powers of the president.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisThese essays reflect the works of the authors over a period of 50 years since their first visit to India in 1956. They re-emphasize the importance of area studies challenging American parochialism in the social sciences. They challenge the use of statistics to identify universal patterns that underlie economic and political systems. 9/11 reinforced the authors' methods and modes of inquiry. It challenged America's parochialism. It reminded America that it was a part of a diverseworld and that they did not have the means to grasp its complexities.Table of ContentsPREFACE; ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ; PART I: PROCESSES OF STATE FORMATION ; INTRODUCTION ; 1. THE SUBCONTINENTAL EMPIRE AND THE REGIONAL KINGDOM IN INDIAN STATE FORMATION (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 2. STATE FORMATION IN ASIA: PROLEGOMENON TO A COMPARATIVE STUDY (SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 3. STATE FORMATION IN INDIA: BUILDING AND WASTING ASSETS (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 4. RELIGION, STATES, AND TRANSNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY (SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 5. FRAMING THE INQUIRY: HISTORICIZING THE MODERN STATE (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND J.K. JACOBSEN) ; PART II: PROCESSES OF INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE ; INTRODUCTION ; 6. GENERALS AND POLITICIANS IN INDIA (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 7. THE CENTRIST FUTURE OF INDIAN POLITICS (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 8. JUDICIAL REVIEW VERSUS PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY: THE STRUGGLE OVER STATENESS IN INDIA (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 9. RETHINKING SECULARISM: GENESIS AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE TEXTBOOK CONTROVERSY, 197779 (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 10. DEMAND GROUPS AND PLURALIST REPRESENTATION IN INDIA (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 11. THE ICONIZATION OF CHANDRABABU: SHARING SOVEREIGNTY IN INDIAS FEDERAL MARKET ECONOMY (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 12. REDOING THE CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN: FROM AN INTERVENTIONIST TO THE REGULATORY STATE (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH) ; 13. NEW DIMENSIONS OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY (LLOYD I. RUDOLPH AND SUSANNE HOEBER RUDOLPH); ; INDEX

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Book SynopsisInvestigative journalist Lee Smith's The Plot Against the President tells the story of how Congressman Devin Nunes uncovered the operation to bring down the commander-in-chief. While popular opinion holds that Russia subverted democratic processes during the 2016 elections, the real damage was done not by Moscow or any other foreign actor. Rather, this was a slow-moving coup engineered by a coterie of the American elite, the "deep state," targeting not only the president, but also the rest of the country. The plot officially began July 31, 2016 with the counterintelligence investigation that the FBI opened to probe Russian infiltration of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. But the bureau never followed any Russians. In fact, it was an operation to sabotage Trump, the candidate, then president-elect, and finally the presidency. The conspirators included political operatives, law enforcement and intelligence officials, and the press.The plot was uncovered by Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his investigative team. They understood that the target of the operation wasn't just Trump, but rather the institutions that sustain our republic. A country where operatives use the intelligence and security services to protect their privileges by spying on Americans, coordinating with the press, and using extra-constitutional means to undermine an election then undo a presidency is more like the third world than the republic envisioned by the founding fathers. Without Nunes and his team, the plot against the president -- and against the country -- never would have been revealed. Told from the perspective of Nunes and his crack investigators -- men and women who banded together to do the right thing at a crucial moment for our democracy -- the story of the biggest political scandal in a generation reads like a great detective novel, feels like a classic cowboy movie. The congressman from the cattle capital of California really did fight corruption in Washington. Devin Nunes took on the "deep state."

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Book SynopsisPolitical theory covers within its fold certain related fields as political thought, political philosophy and political ideology. These are like sister parts of a particular discipline whose comprehensive study looks both perplexing and refreshing. A cynic may take it as a maze of overlapping contradictions and confusion, while its serious student may find it a lot of refreshing information about social and political phenomena. The reason behind it is that social and political issues change with the passage of time in respect of their nature and ramifications, and the theorists take different views and adopt different approaches to understand and explain what they call social and political reality. It depends on the broadness of their vision and the depth of their investigation from the standpoint of normativism, or empiricism, or a curious blending of both. While the greatness of the contribution of the Western thinkers and theorists to the stock of political theory and socio-political philosophy cannot be refuted, it cannot be taken as their exclusive domain if one acquires knowledge about such contributions of the great thinkers and theorists of the East. The book will meet the needs of the students preparing for the All India and State Civil Examinations. It will also prove a valuable textbook for postgraduate students of political science and socio-political philosophy.

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Book Synopsis*FEATURED IN BILL GATES''S 2019 SUMMER READING RECOMMENDATIONS* ''This is a beautifully written and important book. Read it'' Martin Wolf, Financial TimesFrom world-renowned economist Paul Collier, a candid diagnosis of the failures of capitalism and a pragmatic and realistic vision for how we can repair itDeep new rifts are tearing apart the fabric of Britain and other Western societies: thriving cities versus the provinces, the highly skilled elite versus the less educated, wealthy versus developing countries. As these divides deepen, we have lost the sense of ethical obligation to others that was crucial to the rise of post-war social democracy. So far these rifts have been answered only by the revivalist ideologies of populism and socialism, leading to the seismic upheavals of Trump, Brexit and the return of the far right in Germany. We have heard many critiques of capitalism but no one has laid out a realistic way to fix it, until now. In a passionate and polemical book, celebrated economist Paul Collier outlines brilliantly original and ethical ways of healing these rifts - economic, social and cultural - with the cool head of pragmatism, rather than the fervour of ideological revivalism. He reveals how he has personally lived across these three divides, moving from working-class Sheffield to hyper-competitive Oxford, and working between Britain and Africa, and acknowledges some of the failings of his profession. Drawing on his own solutions as well as ideas from some of the world''s most distinguished social scientists, he shows us how to save capitalism from itself - and free ourselves from the intellectual baggage of the 20th century.These times are in desperate need of Paul Collier''s insights. The Future of Capitalism restores common sense to our views of morality, as it also describes their critical role in what makes families, organizations, and nations work. It is the most revolutionary work of social science since Keynes. Let''s hope it will also be the most influential - George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001 In this bold work of intellectual trespass, Paul Collier, a distinguished economist, ventures onto the terrain of ethics to explain what''s gone wrong with capitalism, and how to fix it. To heal the divide between metropolitan elites and the left-behind, he argues, we need to rediscover an ethic of belonging, patriotism, and reciprocity. Offering inventive solutions to our current impasse, Collier shows how economics at its best is inseparable from moral and political philosophy'' - Michael Sandel, author of What Money Can''t Buy and JusticeFor thirty years, the centre left of politics has been searching for a narrative that makes sense of the market economy. This book provides it - John Kay, Fellow of St John''s College, Oxford and the author of Obliquity and Other People''s Money For well-to-do metropolitans, capitalism is the gift that goes on giving. For others, capitalism is not working. Paul Collier deploys passion, pragmatism and good economics in equal measure to chart an alternative to the divisions tearing apart so many western countries. -Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of EnglandTrade ReviewCollier is one of the UK's most distinguished economists. In this important book, he analyses what has gone wrong with contemporary capitalism, focusing on the growing divide between the educated and the less educated and between booming metropolis and the declining provinces. Rejecting the illusions of the ideologues and the populists, he puts forward pragmatic, provocative and perceptive ways to deliver widely shared prosperity, by restoring an ethical basis to our national politics, companies and families. -- Martin Wolf, The Best Books of 2018 * Financial Times *I'm a big fan of Paul Collier. When I saw that The Future of Capitalism was about the polarization we're seeing in the U.S., Europe, and other places, I was eager to see what he had to say. I'm glad I did. The Future of Capitalism is an ambitious and thought-provoking book. . . . I think he is right more often than not. Ultimately, I agree with him that 'capitalism needs to be managed, not defeated.' -- Bill Gates, Summer Reading Recommendations 2019These times are in desperate need of Paul Collier's insights. The Future of Capitalism restores common sense to our views of morality, as it also describes their critical role in what makes families, organizations, and nations work. It is the most revolutionary work of social science since Keynes. Let's hope it will also be the most influential -- George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001For me the most gripping [2018 book on capitalism] was Paul Collier's The Future of Capitalism: a deep exploration of the ethical institutions underlying our market society -- and an impassioned argument about how to restore them. -- Jesse Norman * The New Statesman *Collier has set for himself [the task] to re-establish the ethical character of social democracy. This is an important book for anyone concerned at the state of modern politics and our liberal democracies. -- Jon Cruddas MPThis book is not an easy read but it is an important one - the revenge of the clever provincial biting the metropolitan hand that has fed him so generously. -- David Goodhart * Evening Standard *In this bold work of intellectual trespass, Paul Collier, a distinguished economist, ventures onto the terrain of ethics to explain what's gone wrong with capitalism, and how to fix it. To heal the divide between metropolitan elites and the left-behind, he argues, we need to rediscover an ethic of belonging, patriotism, and reciprocity. Offering inventive solutions to our current impasse, Collier shows how economics at its best is inseparable from moral and political philosophy' -- Michael Sandel, author of What Money Can’t Buy and JusticeFor thirty years, the centre left of politics has been searching for a narrative that makes sense of the market economy. This book provides it -- John Kay, Fellow of St John's College, Oxford and the author of Obliquity and Other People's MoneyFor well-to-do metropolitans, capitalism is the gift that goes on giving. For others, capitalism is not working. Paul Collier deploys passion, pragmatism and good economics in equal measure to chart an alternative to the divisions tearing apart so many western countries. -- Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of England

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Book SynopsisWhat constitutes Global Political Economy? In whose interest is GPE constructed, and by whom? How can injustices in GPE best be redressed? These are some of the key questions addressed in the 7th edition of this highly regarded highly regarded textbook.As an ever-evolving field subject to constant changes and developments, the new edition provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject written by leading experts in the field. Edited by Dr Erin Hannah,the 7th edition surveys major contemporary issues and debates in GPE while being attuned to the silences, marginalizations, and exclusions that predominate the field. By integrating a wide range of theoretical approaches, rich empirical material, non-western viewpoints and diversity of contributors, the 7th edition provides enhanced coverage of the central axes of inequality in GPE and centers topics such as colonialism, race, gender, North-South divides and everyday life.

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Book Synopsis'Presentist democracy is without a people and without nation. Rather than regimes of borders and migration, its borders are sexism and racism, homo- and transphobia, colonialism and extractivism.'In the midst of the crises and threats to liberal democracy, Isabell Lorey develops a democracy in the present tense; one which breaks open political certainties and linear concepts of progress and growth. Her queer feminist political theory formulates a fundamental critique of masculinist concepts of the people, representation, institutions, and the multitude. In doing so, she unfolds an original concept of a presentist democracy based on care and interrelatedness, on the irreducibility of responsibilities-one which cannot be conceived of without social movements' past struggles and current practices.Trade ReviewThis book is an assembly - a collection of voices from Germany and Spain, Italy, England, France and every country - a colourful and strong intersection of proposals in search for a (transnational and non-identitarian) democracy of the multitude and of difference, of truth and the joy of life. -- Antonio Negri, co-author of EmpireWeaving and unweaving the political philosophy of Rousseau, Derrida, Benjamin, Foucault and Negri, Isabell Lorey assembles a constellation of debates around keywords: democracy, time, sovereignty, commune. She does so in order to systematize the discontinuous struggles that inhabit these words, the possible futures that their meanings open up, and to place them at the disposal of a queer-feminist theory that locates the strike as one of its inspirational practices. Thus an "infinitive present" opens up as a time of becoming, defined by the encounter of bodies, which expands the present through processes of indeterminate differentiation. By highlighting the non-democratic foundations of democracy one by one, the definition of a "Presentist Democracy" emerges. This is woven out of care and debt: collective care and the debts of assuming relations of interdependence. This book is a tool for continuing to nourish the desire to change everything -- Verónica GagoWith great clarity and precision, Isabell Lorey offers a series of readings of major political thinkers to delineate the mobile constellation of democratic potentials in our time. Revisiting basic concepts such as the people, the law, and sovereignty, Lorey derives an account of democracy in the present. Less a utopian manifesto than an experimentation with the means and time of politics, this work shows us in persuasive terms how enduring and persistent experimentation constitutes our present struggle. -- Judith ButlerIn careful and imaginative consideration of the brutal tensions of a liberal democratic ideal poised between imminent collapse and infinite adaptability, Isabell Lorey conceives an alternative in the present tense, broadening and deepening the now with fierce urgency. Democracy in the Political Present is feminist political theory of and for our time. -- Fred MotenInsightfully weaving together the best of European political philosophy (from Rousseau to Negri, from Benjamin to Foucault), queer-feminist thinking about care and debt, and the practices of radical democracy that occupy the streets and the squares in recurring waves, Isabell Lorey convokes a democracy in present tense that is up to the challenges of these turbulent times. Not to be missed. -- Marta Malo, member of Precarias a la derivaEngaging ... [Lorey] offers an elaborate sketch of a form of political organisation that has hitherto been neglected as well as a scathing critique of the representationalist paradigm that needs to be taken into account whenever inclusion is spoken of too frivolously. -- Julius Schwarzwälder * LSE Review of Books *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Democracy in present tense Ch 1 Rousseau: Assembly instead of representation Ch 2 Derrida: Democracy-to-come Ch 3 Benjamin: Leaps of Now-Time Ch 4 Foucault: infinite presence Ch 5 Negri: Democracy and constituting power Ch 6 Presentist Democracy: Practices of care and queer debts

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Book SynopsisA TIMES POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEARA LONGMAN/HISTORY TODAY BOOK OF THE YEARThe award-winning history of the British Welfare State now fully revised and updated for the 21st Century.A masterpiece' Sunday TimesGiant Want. Giant Disease. Giant Ignorance. Giant Squalor. Giant Idleness.These were the Five Giants that loomed over the post-war reconstruction of Britain. The battle against them was fought by five gargantuan programmes that made up the core of the Welfare State: social security, health, education, housing and a policy of full employment.This book brilliantly captures the high hopes of the period in which the Welfare State was created and the cranky zeal of its inventor, William Beveridge, telling the story of how his vision inspired an entire country. The pages of this modern classic hum with the energies and passions of activists, dreamers and ordinary Britons, and seethe with personal vendettas, forced compromises, awkward contradictions, and the noisy rows of the succeeding seventy years. The Five Giants is a testament to a concept of government that is intertwined with so many of our personal histories, and a stark reminder of what we might stand to lose.Trade Review‘Why make a book that was first published in 1995 one of the political books of the year? Because this third edition of the classic history of the welfare state adds 16 years to the previous account. Anyone who hasn’t read Five Giants will want to start at the beginning, particularly for the excellent account of the founding of the NHS. But those with previous editions will find, for instance, the explanation of how the Lansley health reforms went wrong riveting’ Danny Finkelstein, The Times ‘For years now, old copies of The Five Giants have been changing hands in Westminster for dizzying sums – and for a simple reason. Other books just offer fragments of the story of British government, only this gives you the full picture. I lend my copy to new recruits at The Spectator not as history but as a guide to what they will encounter – and how the same problems keep surfacing again and again. The facts and the figures, the jokes and one-liners, the power and the personality – The Five Giants has it all. It's possible to understand modern Britain without reading this book, but it's just a lot harder (and a lot less fun)’ Fraser Nelson, Spectator ‘Nicholas Timmins has done something extraordinary: he has made a masterpiece of contemporary history even better. Updated, extended and more relevant than ever, this book is quite simply indispensable’ Matthew d'Ancona ‘A tour de force – thoroughly researched and vividly written’ Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisTransformational leadership occurs when one or more persons engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. This book is a study of leadership and considers the seminal work in the field of leadership studies. It offers an introduction on 'transformational leadership'.Trade Review“A landmark historian.” — Jon Meacham, Newsweek “One of the most influential leadership authorities, James MacGregor Burns advanced the concept of ‘transformational leadership,’ whereby leaders have the ability and obligation to share an overarching vision with their followers.” — Boston Globe “Leadership remains a classic in the field. Burns has spent a lifetime studying presidential leadership.” — Margaret Warner, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer “Leadership had a major impact. ... Burns’s definition of leadership continues to dominate the field. ” — Harvard Business Review “Touches on every aspect of politics that is pertinent to leadership . . . Burns distinguishes true leadership from mere power-holding and domination . . . Valuable . . . Offers suggestions for fostering true leadership.” — New York Times Book Review “James MacGregor Burns’s seminal book on power” — New York Times “Pulitzer prize-winner James MacGregor Burns introduced the concept of transformational leadership in his book Leadership. For him, it characterized the great leaders of history.” — Management Today

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Book Synopsis'The capacity to affect and to be affected'. This simple definition opens a world of questions - by indicating an openness to the world. To affect and to be affected is to be in encounter, and to be in encounter is to have already ventured forth.Trade ReviewBrian Massumi wants to write a serious play of life by emphasizing the many different roles of affect. In these interviews, he sets out that project in compelling detail, adding yet more evidence that the enactive mapping of affect pays some remarkable conceptual dividends.Nigel Thrift, University of Warwick "A politics of affect – what might that mean, given that we are completely immersed in affects? Spinoza and Deleuze have pressed us too forcefully into that particular sea. Massumi teaches us carefully how to swim in it. Not only a politics but also a practice of affect – a form of life."Antonio NegriTable of ContentsPreface 1. Navigating Movements Mary Zournazi 2. Of Microperception and Micropolitics Joel McKim 3. Ideology and Escape Yubraj Aryal 4. Affective Attunement in the Field Of Catastrophe Erin Manning, Jonas Fritsch and Bodil Marie Stavning Thomsen 5. Immediation Erin Manning, Christoph Brunner 6. What a Body Can Do Arno Boehler In Lieu of a Conclusion

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Book SynopsisIn this #1 New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a revelatory examination of race in AmericaProtests against racial injustice and white supremacy have galvanized millions around the world. The stakes for transformative conversations about race could not be higher. Still, the task ahead seems daunting, and it's hard to know where to start. How do you tell your boss her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law hang up on you when you had questions about police reform? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend?In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race, and about how racism infects every aspect of American life."Simply put: Ijeoma Oluo is a necessary voice and intellectual for these times, and any time, truth be told." ?Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair

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Book SynopsisNeoliberalism isn't working. Austerity is forcing millions into poverty and many more into precarious work, while the left remains trapped in stagnant political practices that offer no respite.Inventing the Future is a bold new manifesto for life after capitalism. Against the confused understanding of our high-tech world by both the right and the left, this book claims that the emancipatory and future-oriented possibilities of our society can be reclaimed. Instead of running from a complex future, Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams demand a postcapitalist economy capable of advancing standards, liberating humanity from work and developing technologies that expand our freedoms.This new edition includes a new chapter where they respond to their various critics.Trade ReviewA powerful book: it not only shows us how the postcapitalist world of rapidly improving technology could make us free, but it also shows us how we can organise to get there. This is a must-read. * Paul Mason, author of Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future *Inventing the Future is exactly what we need right now. With immense patience and care, it sets out a clear and compelling vision of a postcapitalist society. Equally importantly, it lays out a plausible programme which can take us from 24/7 capitalist immiseration to a world free of work. -- Mark Fisher, author of Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?Neoliberalism and austerity seem to reign supreme - the idea of a society not run for profit seems impossible. Or does it? The fascinating Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams argues for a radical transformation of society. -- Owen Jones * New Statesman *Inventing the Future is unapologetically a manifesto, and a much-overdue clarion call to a seriously disorganized metropolitan left to get its shit together, to start thinking - and arguing - seriously about what is to be done.It is hard to deny the persuasiveness with which the book puts forward the positive contents of a new and vigorous populism; in demanding full automation and universal basic income from the world system, they also demand the return of utopian thinking and serious organization from the left. * Los Angeles Review of Books *Srnicek and Williams demonstrate how a sustainable economic future is less a question of means than of imagination. The postcapitalist world they envision is utterly attainable, if we can remember that we have been inventing the economy all along. -- Douglas Rushkoff, author of Present Shock: When Everything Happens NowNick Srnicek and Alex Williams' project dares to propose a different way of thinking and acting. Given the fizzling of the Occupy moment, a radical rethinking of the anarchic approach is badly needed but just not happening. This book could do a lot of work in getting that rethink going. -- Doug Henwood, author of Wall StreetA conceptual launch pad for a new socialist imagination. -- Mike Davis, author of Planet of SlumsThe most important book of 2015. -- Aaron Bastani, co-founder of Novara MediaThey argue that, in the future, the workplace won't exist in anything like the form we have now, and in any case it will have very few permanent workers. Assuming this position, they ask: What would be the social vision appropriate to a jobless future? * n+1 *Inventing the Future may be the shrewdest, sanest pipe dream of a book published since the recession. -- Nathan Heller * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisFrom a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic comes an impassioned critique of the West's retreat from reason.The Death of Truth is destined to become the defining treatise of our age' David GrannThe first great book of the Trump administration essential reading' Rolling StoneWe live in a time when the very idea of objective truth is mocked and discounted by the US President. Discredited conspiracy theories and ideologies have resurfaced, proven science is once more up for debate, and Russian propaganda floods our screens. The wisdom of the crowd has usurped research and expertise, and we are each left clinging to the beliefs that best confirm our biases.How did truth become an endangered species? This decline began decades ago, and in The Death of Truth, former New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani takes a penetrating look at the cultural forces that contributed to this gathering storm. In social media and literature, television, academia, and political campaigns, Kakutani identifies the trends originating on both the right and the left that have combined to elevate subjectivity over factuality, science, and common values. And she returns us to the words of the great critics of authoritarianism, writers like George Orwell and Hannah Arendt, whose work is newly and eerily relevant.With remarkable erudition and insight, Kakutani offers a provocative diagnosis of our current condition and presents a path forward for our truth-challenged times.Trade Review‘Kakutani has written the first great book of the Trump administration. The Death of Truth is a fiery polemic against the president and should go down as essential reading. In nine exquisitely crafted broadsides, the Pulitzer winner calls upon her vast knowledge of literature, philosophy and politics to serve up a damning state of the union’ Rolling Stone ‘The Death of Truth is destined to become the defining treatise of our age. Not only does it brilliantly and incisively diagnose the roots of our decaying social and political order; it also shows why we must rescue the truth before it is buried under a regime of lies. Everyone should read this book’ David Grann ‘This book is essential reading today’ Walter Isaacson ‘Kakutani’s slender, fiery new book could have been written only by someone who reads more, and retains more, than most mere mortals’ TIME ‘Without the truth we will be neither prosperous nor virtuous nor free. This book begins the self-defence of American culture’ Timothy Snyder ‘This is the book I would have written – but only if I had had a brilliant grasp of literature, politics, and history, and the ability to weave them together in a uniquely original way. The Death of Truth goes indelibly to the dark, dark heart of what is ailing our democracy as no recent book has done’ Graydon Carter ‘Kakutani's The Death of Truth is politically urgent and intellectually dazzling. She deftly goes behind the daily headlines to reveal the larger forces threatening democracy at home in America, and elsewhere around the globe. The result is a brilliant and fascinating call-to-arms that anyone who cares about democracy ought to read immediately’ Jane Mayer ‘An elegant polemic against Trump, tyranny and lies’ The Times An intellectually dazzling read’ Entertainment Weekly ‘Riveting, righteous and relevant’ Irish Times

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Book SynopsisNational Indie BestsellerThe trailblazing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her own words. Her most essential writings on gender equality and women's rights, reproductive health care, and voting and civil rights, now available in a short, accessible volume as part of the new Penguin Liberty series.A Penguin ClassicWith the Penguin Liberty series by Penguin Classics, we look to the U.S. Constitution’s text and values, as well as to American history and some of the country’s most important thinkers, to discover the best explanations of our constitutional ideals of liberty. Through these curated anthologies of historical, political, and legal classic texts, Penguin Liberty offers everyday citizens the chance to hear the strongest defenses of these ideals, engage in constitutional interpretation, and gain new (or renewed) appreciation for the values that have long inspired the nation. Questions of liberty affect both our daily lives and

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Book SynopsisTo discover who rules, follow the gold. This is the argument of this book, a history of modern American politics. It presents revised versions of essays in which the author advanced and tested his theory.

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Book SynopsisDiscuss the Islamic Scriptures that form the basis for its political language, looks at the changes in modern Islamic politics, and analyzes the transformation of political terms.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFans of Rosi Braidotti's unique approach to feminism and philosophy will appreciate having her recent essays collected in one volume. Her call to 'construct social horizons of hope and sustainable futures' offers a reassuring 'politics of affirmation' for these troubled and troubling times. -- Joan W. Scott, professor of social science, Institute for Advanced Study For all of those seeking a positive turn building on the powerful critique that so influenced the academy in recent decades, Rosi Braidotti offers an understanding of philosophy-of thinking-that she views as crucial to creative production. At a time when intellectual discourse is becoming increasingly disciplinary, Braidotti opens a path for broad discussion and debate. -- Elizabeth Weed, director, Pembroke Center, Brown UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1 1. Transposing Differences 2. Meta(l)morphoses: Women, Aliens, and Machines 3. Animals and Other Anomalies 4. The Cosmic Buzz of Insects 2 5. Matter-Realist Feminism 6. Intensive Genre and the Demise of Gender 7. Postsecular Paradoxes 3 8. Complexity Against Methodological Nationalism 9. Nomadic European Citizenship 4 10. Powers of Affirmation 11. Sustainable Ethics and the Body in Pain 12. Forensic Futures 5 13. A Secular Prayer Notes Bibliography Index

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