Political science and theory Books

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 SynopsisA global history of free speech, from the ancient world to today.Hailed as the "first freedom," free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle, subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the retreat.In Free Speech, Jacob Mchangama traces the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of this idea. Through captivating stories of free speech's many defenders - from the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes and the ninth-century freethinker al-Razi, to Mary Wollstonecraft, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and modern-day digital activists - Mchangama demonstrates how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech is also a constant, and he explores how even its champions can be led down this path when the rise of new and contrarian voices challenge power and privilege of all kinds.Meticulously researched, deeply humane and provocative, Free Speech challenges us all to recognise how much we have gained from this principle - and how much we stand to lose without it.Trade ReviewJacob Mchangama's history of the world's strangest, best idea is the definitive account we have been waiting for. It teems with valuable insights, lively characters, and the author's passion for the cause he has done so much to advance. Mchangama brings to life the ancient struggles which established free speech and also the modern dangers which embattle it. Free Speech is that rare book which will impress scholars as much as it entertains readers, all while telling the world's most improbable success story -- Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of KnowledgeFreedom of speech has emerged as a major issue of this decade, but most of the discussion consists of outrages over speech or the repression of speech. Missing is the intellectual background: What does free speech really mean? What is its history? How has it played out in world events? Why should we defend it? Jacob Mchangama lays out this context with deep erudition, strong writing, and a light touch -- Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and the author of Enlightenment Now and RationalityThe best history of free speech ever written and the best defense of free speech ever made. Jacob Mchangama never loses sight of the trouble freedom causes but always keeps in mind that lack of freedom creates horrors -- P.J. O’RourkeIn Free Speech, Jacob Mchangama presents a compelling case for the unique, universal, enduring importance of free and equal speech for all people, regardless of their particular identities or ideologies. This fascinating account, of magisterial scope, demonstrates the constant liberating and equalizing force of free speech, throughout history and around the world. It also documents the constant censorial pressures, including many that reflect positive aims, and their inevitable suppression of full and equal human rights -- Nadine Strossen, Former National President, American Civil Liberties UnionA lot of people now claim that free speech is a danger to democracy or social inclusion. In this vital book, which is as entertaining as it is erudite, Jacob Mchangama shows why that is dead wrong. Drawing on both historical analysis and normative argument, he makes a compelling case for why anyone who cares about liberty or justice must defend free speech -- Yascha Mounk, author of The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure and associate professor at Johns Hopkins UniversityJacob Mchangama's panoramic exploration of the history of free speech offers a vivid, highly readable account of how today's most pitched battles over free speech reflect tensions and impulses that are as old as history itself. Mchangama persuasively dismantles the persistent claims, common to every era and technological evolution, that unprecedented new threats warrant expanded constraints on speech. This indispensable book is a must for both defenders of free speech and, even more so, for those entertaining the notion that free speech should or must be traded away in order to advance other public goods -- Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All (2020)Mchangama has written an insightful, nicely woven history that provides a coherent picture of how free speech has developed globally . . . With accessible and engaging writing, Mchangama's book is a highly recommended intellectual history -- Library Journal, Starred Review[Free Speech makes] a persuasive argument that free discourse is essential to democracy, breaking down systems of oppression, and challenging existing social hierarchies . . . Readers on both the right and the left seeking insights into modern day debates over free speech will welcome this evenhanded and wide ranging history -- Publishers WeeklyThis outstanding book gets it in one: free speech, as that right and privilege has been fought for and exercised as a key component of our always fragile democracies, is currently experiencing the greatest threat imaginable. To learn exactly how and why, and what we can do to eliminate or minimise this threat, everyone needs to read this deeply researched and powerfully written, truly global history covering everything from the face-to-face world of the ancient Greeks to our own, very different world of anonymous digital media -- Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, emeritus, University of CambridgeScholarly in its erudition, but also immensely readable . . . Free speech is not a fashionable value - often perceived in 2022 as an outright threat to modern notions of social justice. This superb book is a corrective to that intellectual and cultural wrong turn and, as such, deserves as wide a readership as possible -- Matt d’Ancona, Tortoise Media[Free Speech] is not only a broad and deep global history of free speech - from antiquity to the Reformation to our current social-media era - but an argument for its enduring power and necessity.The book shows just how old the current arguments over free speech are - and how often they have been made over the centuries -- Daniel Sharp, Areo MagazineFascinating and ultimately rewarding -- David Waywell, ReactionA soaring global account of free speech's origins and fortunes. Readers interested in the past and future of this embattled right should rush to purchase a copy . . . Among volumes dedicated to our 'first freedom,' it will not soon be surpassed -- National ReviewMchangama, a Danish lawyer, has been an important voice for liberty over the last decade . . . His book is an excellent guide for anyone who wants to know why free speech matters -- Reason[A] 500-page door-stopper, which combines a history of free speech with a persuasive case for its defence . . . [Mchangama] succeeds magnificently -- The SpectatorAn impressive book on a subject of vital importance -- Daniel Ben-Ami[Mchangama's] conclusions, presented in a crisp and confident march through Western history, are sobering -- The EconomistExcellent history of free speech here . . . principled, literate and deeply knowledgeable -- Ian Dunt, iNews

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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 Synopsis"First paperback edition, with a new preface and conclusion"--Title page verso.Trade Review“John Dunn’s book is much more than a history of democratic ideas…. [It is] among the most original and thought-provoking books on politics to have been published in England for many years, written in a spare, incisive English style which at its best is worthy of Hobbes.”—Jonathan Sumption, Spectator“A marvellously rich book.”—David Marquand, New Statesman“Stimulating and deft…. An impressive and interesting book.”—Andrew Roberts, Daily Telegraph“John Dunn has given us a rare thing: an intellectually aristocratic book written for a profoundly democratic age.”—Sunil Khilnani, Financial Times“Dunn wears his erudition lightly and writes clearly and freshly about some of politics’ most venerable questions…. Blows a gust of fresh air through the cobwebbed byways of political thought.”—John Gray, Independent

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Book SynopsisA timely and provocative account of the fall of New Labour, the rise of Corbyn, and what it means for the left in Britain.Lewis Goodall is one of the most exciting voices in British politics right now' Emily MaitlisHugely illuminating, thought-provoking and moving in its seriousness and optimism' Lord Andrew AdonisESSENTIAL READING DURING LABOUR'S LEADERSHIP CAMPAIGN.In the 21st Century the Labour Party has undergone the most extraordinary transformation in its history. After more than a decade of political dominance, the party lost two consecutive general elections and found its leadership usurped by the obscure far-left MP Jeremy Corbyn. As Britain voted to leave the EU, Labour seemed destined for long term irrelevance.In Left for Dead? journalist Lewis Goodall tells the full story of this political journey with unprecedented access to all its key players, from Blair to Corbyn. Weaving together personal memoir, exclusive interviews, juicy gossip and incisive critique, he travels fromTrade Review‘Lewis Goodall is one of the most exciting voices in British politics right now – and this book shows clearly why he is worth listening to. Profoundly, exquisitely funny, Left for Dead is that rare gem – acute political observation told through intensely personal story’ Emily Maitlis ‘Lewis Goodall’s brilliant book is part memoir, part portrait of Labour and the Britain he grew up in under Blair. It is the best work I have read of his generation, which thank God is replacing mine. Hugely illuminating, thought-provoking and moving in its seriousness and optimism’ Lord Andrew Adonis ‘I cannot recommend Lewis Goodall’s book enough. I’m loving every page. It’s not just politically powerful but far more emotional to read than I’d expected’ Matt Forde ‘A rip-roaring ride, sparky and sharp … Goodall explores Labour’s story with rigour’ Daily Telegraph ‘An excellent new book on Corbynism, and where it stands in Labour’s history’ Andrew Sparrow, Guardian ‘Lewis Goodall argues compellingly that the 2017 general election didn’t change British politics, it revealed profound shifts that had been taking place for years. Goodall challenges the most entrenched assumptions and reveals a Britain utterly changed. This is big picture journalism informed but up close and intimate detail. Goodall’s reporting is energetic, astute, eloquent. His voice rings with a decency and respect for others that is often missing in an increasingly polarised and bitter political discourse – and left me feeling, by the end, surprisingly hopeful about the future’ Allan Little ‘Impassioned and insightful, this is the best book on Labour to appear in years. Lewis Goodall combines the precision of an expert analyst with the raw emotion that comes from growing up in a family rooted in the Labour Party’s past traditions’ Professor Marc Stears, Director, Sydney Policy Lab, University of Sydney (Formerly chief speechwriter to Ed Miliband MP)

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Book Synopsis"An electric story filled with gripping personalities, compelling backstage histories, and a clear message for the divided America of today: the forces that fear change can win for a time, but in America the future always gets the last word.Trade Review"Rock Me On The Water documents the high-octane storybook world of Los Angeles in 1974 with masterful intimacy and fearless cultural analysis. His well-rendered portraits of Jackson Browne, Linda Rondstadt, Joni Mitchell, David Geffen and other luminaries of the time are sublime. This is an extremely kinetic historical document, and a testament to Brownstein's lasting importance as both a fact-driven journalist and elegant prose-stylist. A must read!" — Douglas Brinkley, author of American Moonshot “Brownstein’s kaleidoscopic account of a historic generational transformation that took place in American culture, American politics, and American life in the crucible of modern Los Angeles during the magical year of 1974. It encapsulates in compelling detail the moment when young people and young ideas were moving in on an older generation, based on the strength of new-found creativity and idealism. It documents the triumphs and failures of that new generation with vividness, humor, and, most of all, deep understanding. Running through every page is the author’s deep love for his adopted home. A beautiful ride through an unforgettable time." — Jon Landau “One of the sharpest analysts of American politics, Ron Brownstein in Rock Me on the Water offers a fresh, vivid and insightful look at how politics and popular culture intertwined to reshape American life at a moment of profound generational transition — LA in the early 1970s. It's an electric story filled with gripping personalities, compelling backstage histories, and a clear message for the divided America of today: the forces that fear change can win for a time, but in America the future always gets the last word. A lyrical recreation of a magical moment.” — Jake Tapper “Engrossing. . . . What Brownstein has done is expertly knit the scenes together, giving the reader a plus-one invite to the heady world of Hollywood parties, jam sessions and pitch meetings, as well as a pointed demonstration of how culture can be made and unmade.” — New York Times “Ron Brownstein has written a truly terrific book! I moved to LA in Jan. 1974 when this story opens but it is about so much more than a city. It is insider scoops of pop culture leading us out of Nixon, as it will lead us out of Trump. I should be working but can’t stop reading.” — John W. Dean, CNN contributor and former Nixon White House Counsel “My friend and CNN colleague Ron Brownstein has written a terrific book. Rock Me on The Water tells the amazing story of 1974 and how it changed the U.S. If you’re old enough to have lived through 1974, it will bring back memories. If you’re too young, you will learn a lot.” — Wolf Blitzer, anchor of The Situation Room, CNN "Sweeping cultural history. . . . Enriched by interviews with the period’s luminaries, including Warren Beatty and Linda Ronstadt, this astute and wide-ranging account shows how L.A. led the U.S. into an era when the 1960s counterculture became mainstream." — Publishers Weekly "An endlessly engaging cultural history that will resonate with anyone alive in 1974." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Brownstein knits together the threads of history to show that, for the first time in 1974, politics and entertainment were not separate things, that the line between the two was blurred almost to the point of irrelevance. An insightful, expertly written book." — Booklist “Excellent.” — Politico “More than just summarizing or reviewing what such films and shows were about, the author dives deep into how they were created, financed, promoted and received. His many interviews with actors, writers, directors and executives of that era lend such renderings veracity and energy.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “I’m absolutely loving Rock Me on the Water, Ron Brownstein’s riveting new book about L.A., circa ‘74, when the City of Angels was the hub of an extraordinary revolution in film, music, culture and politics. Really a fun read. Highly recommended!!” — David Axelrod, Senior Political Commentator, CNN “This is a terrific book about a pivot-point in US cultural history, which led to reshaping our political landscape. Ron Brownstein is a dadgum genius. Highly recommend this book.” — Paul Begala, CNN contributor and former counselor to President Clinton “One of the very best on 1974 — a hinge of cultural history for American TV, movies & music. All in his new book Rock Me on The Water.” — Major Garrett, Chief Washington Correspondent, CBS News “In his brilliant cultural history, Rock Me on the Water, Brownstein drops enough names to fill the once-massive Los Angeles phone book (remember those?), elicits memorable moments from several entertainment industries, and recalls political machinations across decades.” — Los Angeles Review of Books “Brownstein paints Los Angeles in 1974 as a kind of patchouli-scented version of Florence during the Renaissance, bursting with creative energy in television, movies and music. From Joni Mitchell to Archie Bunker, a year of cultural ferment is presented here in all its richness.” — New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice “Brownstein, a veteran reporter and now a senior editor at the Atlantic, makes all this cultural history memorable by telling much of his story through profiles of figures like Jack Nicholson, Norman Lear, George Lucas, Ms. Ronstadt and Mr. Browne, and the Eagles’ Don Henley and Glenn Frey.” — Wall Street Journal “Timely and relevant.” — She Reads “Convincing. . . . The book truly sparks to life.” — PopMatters “Brownstein’s chronological retelling of the intersections of art, politics and pop culture in a stormy year in American history is both nostalgic and entertaining.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisMachiavelli’s highly influential treatise on political power 'It is far safer to be feared than loved...' The Prince shocked Europe on publication with its advocacy of ruthless tactics for gaining absolute power and its abandonment of conventional morality.Trade ReviewIf one were to assign a single edition of Machiavelli's works, this most certainly would be it -- John. P. McCormick, Professor of Political Science, University of ChicagoEveryone should have a copy of Machiavelli's The Prince, whose original purpose may have been to counsel Renaissance rulers in the art of statecraft but is still applicable to and, indeed, acted on by modern politicians and power-brokers * Guardian *A 16th Century handbook of wily political thinking that tells you how to get the upper hand in every conceivable situation * Mail on Sunday *How amazing, that anyone's ideas should be controversial after five centuries. Machiavelli expressed a certain attitude to power - it's a good thing, and the problem is how to get and keep it - so well that he has never become out dated * Guardian *One of most influential books ever * Mirror *

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Book SynopsisJean-Jacques Rousseau (Author) Peter Constantine's honors include the PEN Translation Prize, the National Translation Award, the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translation Prize, and Greece's Translators of Literature Prize. He translated Machiavelli's The Prince for Vintage Classics.Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712. He was a writer and political theorist of the Enlightenment. In 1750 he published his first important work 'A Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts' (1750) where he argued that man had become corrupted by society and civilisation. In 1755, he published 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality' and in 'The Social Contract' (1762) he argued, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains". This political treatise earned him exile from his home city of Geneva and arguably inspired the French Revolution (his ashes were transferred to the Pantheon in Paris in 1794). He also wrote 'Èmile', a treatise on education and 'The New Eloise' (1761Trade ReviewNot only a radical thinker but also one of Europe's most popular novelists * Guardian *The 18th century's crankiest sentimental genius * Washington Post *Rousseau...is one of those paradoxical geniuses who tend to inspire all-forgiving love or intense dislike * Independent *

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Book SynopsisBrendan Simms''s formidable, game-changing history of EuropeIn this marvelously ambitious and exciting book, Brendan Simms tells the story of Europe''s constantly shifting geopolitics and the peculiar circumstances that have made it both so impossible to dominate, but also so dynamic and ferocious. It is the story of a group of highly competitive and mutually suspicious dynasties, but also of a continent uniquely prone to interference from ''semi-detached'' elements, such as Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Britain and (just as centrally to Simms''s argument) the United States.Trade ReviewBrendan Simms is a historian of unusual range and ability ... this book is driven by two great master-ideas, and there is hardly a page in it where their presence is not felt ... the reader always has the exhilarating sense of moving swiftly onwards, in a kind of turbocharged Rolls-Royce of historical argumentation ... truly powerful and original -- Noel Malcolm * Telegraph *Ought to sit on the desk of every politician, pundit and policy wonk ... [Simms] marshals the great events ... with a breath-stopping assurance. Panoramic, multi-faceted ... sweeping, well-paced narrative ... awesome command. This is top-down European history, diplomatic and political, seen from the soaring eagle's eye. But what an eagle; and what an eye -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *Europe is a superb, sure-footed analysis of how this center of world civilization, technology, and warfare evolved since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. It is unabashedly political history, and the better for being so. Simms's acumen and sharp opinions are a joy to read. This book will be appreciated both by the general reader, and by history teachers everywhere -- Paul KennedyBrendan Simms's new history [is] especially timely. He has, in effect, dropped a big stone into the European pond and stood back to watch the ripples spread ... Compelling and provocative ... This is sweeping history, told with verve and panache, and it is all the more refreshing for that * Economist *This is a brilliant and beautifully written history. From the Holy Roman Empire to the Euro, Brendan Simms shows that one of the constant preoccupations of Europeans has always been the geography, the power and the needs of Germany. Europe is a work of extraordinary scholarship delivered with the lightest of touches. It will be essential, absorbing reading for anyone trying to understand both the past and the present of one of the most productive and most dangerous continents on earth -- William ShawcrossA stimulating, impressive history that starts with the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and extends to the present day ... perspicacious and flexible ... an excellent read and its insights into the grand themes of European history are penetrating and lucidly argued -- Tony Barber * Financial Times *Unrepentantly old-fashioned, lively and erudite ... The book is centrally concerned, rightly, with Germany, which Simms knows at first hand. Its great strength is that you are always reminded that European countries did not grow autonomously ... Europe is very ambitious in scope ... The references are prodigious, multilingual and extremely useful ... Simms knows what he is talking about -- Norman Stone * New Statesman *How do you write a history of Europe ... without making it seem like a list of dates? The answer of Brendan Simms in his new book is both simple and brilliantly successful: take a strong thesis and argue it through from start to finish ... Simms has the breadth of knowledge and clarity of vision to make his case compelling. His book is also immensely entertaining as well as instructive. There are few pages not enlivened by sharp insight, telling vignette or memorable turn of phrase. In short, this is a great book and everyone interested in European history will want to read it -- Tim Blanning * BBC History Magazine *There is nothing in the recent literature to match it ... Not only has Simms bitten off a huge chunk of history, he has mastered it with style and an awe-inspiring command of the literature ... [a] Herculean feat of synthesis -- Josef Joffe * Prospect *Exciting ... In [Simms's] survey of European power politics through six centuries and more, he dissects the economic, social, administrative and religious aspects of the "domestic" life of the states involved ... Simms's eye for the telling detail is shown ... [his] majestic prose flows impressively ... lucid and perceptive * Times Higher Education *[An] encyclopaedic, ambitious and fluent history of Europe ... [like] a great game of chess, except that as well as black and white pieces there are green, blue, orange and purple ones all moving around a multidimensional board. Place names swirl, battles are won and lost, and the pieces are reordered ... Inevitably readers will be drawn to Simms's fascinating picture of the origins of the European Union ... thoughtful and stimulating -- David Abulafia * Standpoint *A tour de force ... With phenomenal surefootedness, [Simms] picks out the patterns in what might otherwise appear a trackless waste of victories, defeats, treaties and coalitions, extracting from them provocative lessons for Europe's present and future. Big ideas animate the book ... This fascinating book deserves a wide readership. Even those who do not share Simms's fears and hopes for the European Union will be enthralled by the brilliance of his analysis and the dizzying breadth of his vision -- Christopher Clark * Mail on Sunday *Prodigious ... in its pages whole empires rise and fall ... Europe draws the reader forward with its grand epic of shifting alliances, clashing armies and ambitious statecraft. Mr. Simms ... is a skilled writer with a rare gift for compressed analysis. His focus on the military and diplomatic arc of European history lends his book a strong narrative line and thematic coherence -- Jeffrey Collins * Wall Street Journal *European history comes in many guises, but Brendan Simms's strategic and geopolitical approach provides a strong and lucid framework within which everything else fits into place. His emphasis on the centrality of Germany offsets more western-orientated accounts while also giving due prominence to Eastern Europe. Covering the whole of the modern period, this book is more than an excellent introduction; it's a major interpretational achievement -- Norman DaviesWorld history is German history, and German history is world history. This is the powerful case made by this gifted historian of Europe, whose expansive erudition revives the proud tradition of the history of geopolitics, and whose immanent moral sensibility reminds us that human choices made in Berlin (and London) today about the future of Europe might be decisive for the future of the world -- Timothy Snyder (author of Bloodlands)A tremendous feat ... Simms's pages teem with some of the greatest characters in European history -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Remarkably, such a large and complex book ... offers a very straightforward argument and thesis ... The more familiar the story, the more arresting is Simms's repositioning of it ... This isn't simply academic history but an account of how we came to be, albeit ambivalently and conflictedly, involved in a continental narrative that is still unfolding * Sunday Herald *

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Book Synopsis''One has often wondered whether upon the whole earth there is anything so unintelligent, so unapt to perceive how the world is really going, as an ordinary young Englishman of our upper class.''Poet, education reformer, social theorist and passionate critic of Victorian England, Matthew Arnold condemned an industrial society in ''bondage to machinery'' and argued instead that the wonder and joy of culture - in particular the ''sweetness and light'' of classical civilization - were essential to human life. The other pieces here, on literary criticism, schools, France, journalism and democracy, form a powerful call to arms from a writer who believed that the English needed to be taught not what to think, but how to think. Edited with an introduction by P. J. Keating.

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Book Synopsis''Brilliant, bold and beautifully told ... A profound piece of political thinking'' Ben Judah, author of This Is LondonIn this original and timely book, Bruno Maçães argues that the best word for the emerging global order is ''Eurasian'', and shows why we need to begin thinking on a super-continental scale. While China and Russia have been quicker to recognise the increasing strategic significance of Eurasia, even Europeans are realizing that their political project is intimately linked to the rest of the supercontinent - and as Maçães shows, they will be stronger for it. Weaving together history, diplomacy and vivid reports from his six-month overland journey across Eurasia from Baku to Samarkand, Vladivostock to Beijing, Maçães provides a fascinating portrait of this shifting geopolitical landscape. As he demonstrates, we can already see the coming Eurasianism in China''s bold infrastructure project reopening the historic Silk Road, in the succTrade ReviewPart history, part travel-guide, and part political treatise, Macaes makes sense of our fracturing world in ways very few others could. That he does so with such style is nothing short of impressive -- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of the Eurasia GroupA masterpiece. A book which combines practical experience, theoretical depth, classical literature and travel. Beautifully written. Major thumbs up. Could become a seminal work in IR -- Alexander Stubb, Vice-president, European Investment Bank, Former Prime Minister of FinlandBruno Maçães announces a new order for the 21st century -- Peter Thiel, entrepreneur, investor, and bestselling author of 'Zero to One'One of the strengths of The Dawn of Eurasia is that the author has chosen to leave the Davos comfort zone and to travel widely in remote areas. As a result, he mixes his academic analysis with skilful reportage drawn from his travels. This makes the book both more entertaining and more convincing. As well as being a shrewd geopolitical analyst, Maçães is a gifted travel writer, with a sharp eye and a dry wit ... The concept of Eurasia is re-emerging from the history books to become a central concern of contemporary politics. Maçães is one of the first authors to explore the significance of this development and he is a consistently interesting guide -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times *Sharp, unprejudiced and witty * NRC *Filled with observations and insights gathered while travelling across Eurasia, Bruno Maçaes' account sets out why we are at the start of a new era in global affairs. An informative and perceptive guide, Maçaes introduces regions, peoples and countries that few pay attention to. In the changing world of the 21st century, understanding Eurasia is more important than ever. This book helps prepare for the world of tomorrow, today -- Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of 'The Silk Roads: A New History of the World'Bruno Macaes deftly navigates beyond the traditional dichotomy of the prevalent global balance of powers and, with the skill of a seasoned pundit, offers the exciting possibilities of a world readjusting to a new geopolitical architecture. An absorbing read. -- Shashi Tharoor, author of 'Inglorious Empire'Brilliant, bold and beautifully told, The Dawn of Eurasia reveals world geopolitics like an unputdownable thriller. Seen from Brussels, Beijing, and everywhere from Istanbul to Almaty and in between, this is the extraordinary journey teeming with Russian spies, Chinese thinkers, Turkish radicals and Iranian artists. This is a profound piece of political thinking as comfortable with Russian and Chinese ideas, as it is with exposing the limits of our own -- Ben Judah, author of 'This Is London: Life and Death in the World City'Technically this doesn't come out until January, but it is my pick for "best of the year.' It is one book that has changed how I frame 2017 and beyond' -- Tyler Cowen, NYT bestselling author of 'The Great Stagnation'Subtle, brilliant essayistic points about the future of world politics leap off the pages of this utterly original travelogue. There are few better people to listen to than Bruno Maçães regarding our current historical juncture -- Robert D. Kaplan, author of 'The Revenge of Geography' and 'The Return of Marco Polo's World'Bruno Maçães develops the great tradition of Portuguese travelers and adventurers by opening new countries and continents to the world, which was Europe. Maçães does that by a combination of a wealth of juicy first hand experiences from his travels through most of Euroasia, and with an elegant analysis of historical and cultural factors, making him an original geopolitical philosopher. I agree with the idea that a new geopolitical and geoeconomic entity is in process of formation and could become the foundation of the future world order. We in Russia (and China) call it Greater Eurasian partnership and it, of course, includes the western tip of the continent - Europe. The book is a great fun to read, too -- Sergey A Karaganov, Dean of the School of World Economy and International Affairs of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in MoscowMaçães skilfully guides his readers beyond the dangerous and increasing parochialism that dominates each country's news, demonstrating a serious grasp of grander strategies and deeper shifts ... Maçães is a knowledgeable, widely read and widely travelled guide -- Douglas Murray * The Times *

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Book Synopsis''This is one of those rare books that have something really important to say. Anatol Lieven is telling his fellow realists that at this moment the world''s great powers are far more threatened by climate change than they are by each other'' Ivan Krastev, author of The Light That FailedIn the past two centuries we have experienced wave after wave of overwhelming change. Entire continents have been resettled; there are billions more of us; the jobs done by countless people would be unrecognizable to their predecessors; scientific change has transformed us all in confusing, terrible and miraculous ways.Anatol Lieven''s major new book provides the frame that has long been needed to understand how we should react to climate change. This is a vast challenge, but we have often in the past had to deal with such challenges: the industrial revolution, major wars and mass migration have seen mobilizations of human energy on the greatest scale. Just as previous geTrade ReviewProvocative, original and thought-provoking ... Lieven argues convincingly that there is no inevitable link between nationalism and climate denialism. -- Pilita Clark * Financial Times *Striking ... The climate crisis is a test of our character. And Lieven does not like what it reveals. His book offers a blueprint for an epochal social and political transformation. -- Adam Tooze * New Statesman *Lieven believes we must start again - or, rather, return to older foundations in the face of this primal threat to our planet's future. We need, he argues, a new nationalism ... We should heed Lieven's call to action. -- Mark Malloch-Brown * Literary Review *Lieven maps out a response to the environmental crisis that draws on both the radical social democracy of Bernie Sanders' Green New Deal and the burgeoning "eco-nationalism" of Europe's reactionary populists ... There's no denying the prescience of Lieven's analysis ... Lieven offers a sobering account of the climate crisis, how dramatically it is going to reshape human life, and how quickly that transformation is likely to take effect. -- Jamie Maxwell * The Herald *Convincing ... Lieven weaves his first-hand knowledge and experience into a compelling narrative ... He makes a strong case for urgent action, especially by powerful states. -- Maria Ivanova * Nature *This is one of those rare books that have something really important to say. Anatol Lieven, one of the most original and independent-minded foreign policy thinkers, is telling his fellow realists that at this moment the world's great powers are far more threatened by climate change than they are by each other. -- Ivan Krastev, author of The Light That FailedPassivity in the face of climate change is the fatalism of our age. Anatol Lieven's book offers a bracing riposte to those who believe only world government can solve global warming. Lieven makes a brilliant case that the nation state has to be the chief vehicle to confront humanity's surpassing crisis. Lieven is utterly persuasive about this challenge - above all the importance of our not allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good. If you read one book on global warming, this should be it. -- Edward Luce, author of The Retreat of Western LiberalismThus far, the global response to climate change emphasises talk rather than effective action. Lieven fills this strategic void by insisting that enlightened civic nationalism alone can stem this threat. Only the nation state can constrain corporate capitalism from further harming the environment. Only the nation state can motivate citizens to make the sacrifices needed to curb the mounting damage. This is a bold, original, gutsy, and absolutely essential book. -- Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The Age of IllusionsThis book is a clarion call for a renewed civic nationalism focused on the preservation of the environment and the arresting of climate change as vital aspects of a shared national and international good-one that true patriots of any country ought to place at the front and center of their political agenda. Lieven makes a compelling case for contesting the intolerant and anti-scientific far right's would-be monopoly on the language, imagery, and emotions of nationalism. -- Aviel Roshwald, Professor of History, Georgetown UniversityClimate activists have yet to devise a successful political strategy for dramatically reducing the pace of warming. In his brilliant new book, Lieven argues that 'civic nationalism,' combining loyalty to the nation and public sacrifice, is the only strategy with a chance at success. While not everyone may agree with his conclusions, it is impossible to escape the hard logic of his reasoning. -- Michael Klare, author of All Hell Breaking Loose

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Book Synopsis''Naomi Klein''s work has always moved and guided me. She is the great chronicler of our age of climate emergency, an inspirer of generations'' - Greta Thunberg For more than twenty years Naomi Klein''s books have defined our era, chronicling the exploitation of people and the planet and demanding justice. On Fire gathers for the first time more than a decade of her impassioned writing from the frontline of climate breakdown, and pairs it with new material on the staggeringly high stakes of what we choose to do next. Here is Klein at her most prophetic and philosophical, investigating the climate crisis not only as a profound political challenge but also as a spiritual and imaginative one. Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of ''perpetual now,'' to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of ''climate barbarism,'' this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink. With dispaTrade ReviewNaomi Klein's work has always moved and guided me. She is the great chronicler of our age of climate emergency, an inspirer of generations -- Greta ThunbergThe greatest theorist of climate change. -- Amitav GhoshNaomi Klein applies her fine, fierce and meticulous mind to the greatest, most urgent questions of our times. . . . I count her among the most inspirational political thinkers in the world today. -- Arundhati RoyNaomi is like a great doctor - she can diagnose problems nobody else sees. -- Alfonso CuarónNaomi Klein is a precious gift: every time I read her words, my heart leaps from sadness and anger to action. She takes us deep, down to the roots of what is wrong - and then up, up to a height from which we can see what must be done. Everything we love is at stake now: these writings are our best and brightest hope. -- Emma ThompsonA critically important thought-leader in these perilous times, a necessary voice as a courageous movement of movements rises from the ashes. -- Michelle Alexander, author of THE NEW JIM CROWAn invigorating message of climate hope through social transformation. Bring on the revolution. -- Fred Pearce * New Scientist *In On Fire, the longstanding critic of corporate globalisation argues for a much more comprehensive economic reboot ... a long-lensed critique about humanity's relationship to nature. -- Jonathan Ford * Financial Times *A hopeful vision of the future ... In these extraordinary times it should appeal to a new set of readers looking for extreme solutions to match the extremity of the crisis. This is Klein doing what she does best: 'not being polite and not playing by the rules'. -- Harriet Constable * Geographical Magazine *A powerful and righteous blast against defeatism. -- Andrew Lynch * Business Post *

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Book Synopsis''This is a book for the future: it gives us exactly the tools we need to dismantle racial injustice in our society'' Baroness Doreen Lawrence ''A powerful, salient and gracefully written study of the corrosive dynamics of race in Britain from a trusted voice on the subject. We can all benefit from reading it'' Diana EvansMiles, a successful lawyer, is mistaken for the waiter at a networking event. Femi is on the verge of breakdown having been consistently overlooked for promotion at her university. Nigel''s emails, repeatedly expressing concern about his employer''s forthcoming slavery exhibition, are ignored. Carol knows she can''t let herself relax at the work Christmas party...This is racism. It is not about the overt acts of random people at the fringes of society. It''s about the everyday. It''s the loaded silence, the throwaway remark, the casual comment or a ''joke'' in the workplace.It''s everything.The Racial CodeTrade ReviewA powerful, salient and gracefully written study of the corrosive dynamics of race in Britain from a trusted voice on the subject. We can all benefit from reading it -- Diana EvansStartlingly effective as a primer for anyone interested in racial equity at work . . . Because it reads, in part, like a short story collection, it sets a new bar for our notions of what a workplace or business book can be -- Isabel Berwick * Financial Times *This book has done more to help me understand the microaggressions that people of colour routinely face than any other. Nicola Rollock, one of the UK's foremost experts on racial justice, immerses us in the everyday lived experience of racism -- Caroline Sanderson * Editor’s Choice, Bookseller *A must-read book for anyone who wants to examine their own assumptions and dig deep into what it means to be, as Rollock puts it, "racialised as white". . . The addition of Rollock's own experiences and the short-story format of her case studies are what makes this book so different and valuable for anyone willing to challenge themselves and advance diversity and inclusion for all * Financial Times *A forensic and no-nonsense unpacking of everyday racism and the often invisible 'racial rulebook' that dictates all of our lives. Rollock offers a simultaneously insightful yet accessible take on what the next steps in racial justice look like -- regardless of where you are on your anti-racism journey, this book offers something truly eye-opening in every chapter -- Yomi AdegokeUsing Nicola Rollock's own salient insight into Black British reality, The Racial Code unreservedly explores the Black experience through a series of vivid tales from modern life. Sharp and engrossing on every turn of the page -- David LammyNicola Rollock brings together rigorous scholarship, personal experience, and immense empathy in this informative and insightful manual for surviving racism in contemporary Britain. Accessibly written and presented without sacrificing intellectual acuity, The Racial Code is an illuminating, painful but ultimately hopeful read that informs and inspires in equal measure. I wish I had the essential guidance and tools included in this book when I first arrived in Britain - I would have avoided much pain! -- Sunny SinghAn essential guide for any institution committed to improving the experiences of their workforce. This is a book for the future: it gives us exactly the tools we need to dismantle racial injustice in our society -- Baroness Doreen Lawrence

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Book SynopsisInterest in citizenship has never been higher. But what does it mean to be a citizen of a modern, complex community? Why is citizenship important? Can we create citizenship, and can we test for it? In this fascinating Very Short Introduction, Richard Bellamy explores the answers to these questions and more in a clear and accessible way. He approaches the subject from a political perspective, to address the complexities behind the major topical issues. Discussing the main models of citizenship, exploring how ideas of citizenship have changed through time from ancient Greece to the present, and examining notions of rights and democracy, he reveals the irreducibly political nature of citizenship today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewCitizenship is a vast subject for a short introduction, but Richard Bellamy has risen to the challenge with aplomb. * Mark Garnett, TLS *[Bellamy] advances a distinct and provocative view of citizenship. * Mark Garnett, TLS *One can only hope that well-argued...tracts like this will remind govenments and voters that citizenship involves duties as well as rights. * Mark Garnett, TLS *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. What is citizenship, and why does it matter? ; 2. Theories of citizenship and their history ; 3. Membership and belonging ; 4. Rights and the right to have rights ; 5. Democracy and participation ; References and Further Reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis new selection of Gandhi's writings taken from his books, articles, letters and interviews sets out his views on religion, politics, society, non-violence and civil disobedience. Judith M. Brown's excellent introduction and notes examines his philosophy and the political context in which he wrote.Table of ContentsGANDHI, HIS MISSION, AND THE INFLUENCES ON HIM; AUTHENTIC HUMAN LIFE AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL; TRANSFORMING SOCIETIES; INDIA UNDER BRITISH RULE: MAKING A NEW NATION; NON-VIOLENCE AS POLITICAL ACTION

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Book SynopsisWith unparalleled empirical material, this is the most comprehensive introduction to comparative politics written by the leading experts in the field who bring together a diverse and informed international perspective on comparative politics. Six new authors join the team for the sixth edition, bringing fresh ideas and insights to the comparative analysis the book provides. The new edition has been brought fully up to date with coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia''s invasion of Ukraine, and challenges to the global international order. A new chapter on the Nation-State and multicultural citizenship focuses on identity, community, ethnicity, migration, and regions. In addition to this, a new chapter 11, ''Direct Democracy'', provides cutting-edge analysis of referendums, citizen assemblies, and other forms of democratic innovations. Additional analysis of gender equality, poverty, and climate change is provided from a global perspective in the new chapter 22, which examines the impact of public policies. And finally, a new chapter 25, ''Promoting and Protecting Democracy'', draws on the latest developments, such as global shifts towards authoritarian regimes and autocracy, and international relations perspectives, to present a clear overview of democracy promotion. An unrivalled amount of empirical material in the text illustrates the key similarities and differences across political systems. The wealth of empirical data also encourages students to go beyond the ''what'' of comparison to the ''how''. Combining cutting edge treatment of theories and truly global geographical coverage, this exciting textbook is essential reading for all comparative politics students. The sixth edition includes a wealth of embedded digital resources, which are accessible through the enhanced e-book. These include: - Multiple-choice questions for every section, designed to reinforce students'' understanding of key points through frequent and cumulative revision, and to assist with independent self-study- Interactive graphs with live-updating data, which allow readers to manipulate and customise their own charts, to help reinforce understanding of empirical data in the context of each chapter- A library of web links to relevant databases, blogs, debates, and videos, to help explore research interests and take learning further- Answers to end of chapter questions, which contain useful hints and tips to help tackle the knowledge-based, critical thinking, and applied questions - Videos of news reports, speeches, analysis, and key events to help bring theories and concepts to life- A bank of comparative tables and country profiles, which illustrate ideas and concepts, but can also be used in students'' own research and analysis, giving readers a real sense of how comparative politics works in practice.- An interactive flashcard glossary to test students'' knowledge and understanding of each chapter''s key termsTeaching resources for adopting lecturers include:- Seminar activities that lecturers can use to engage their students, based on the content of each chapter- A bank of questions for lecturers to use to test students'' understanding of key concepts covered in the chaptersTrade ReviewThis comprehensive introduction to comparative politics by top scholars in the field strikes the right balance between theory and the description of actual politics on the ground. There is no doubt that it is a first-class textbook for undergraduate studies. * Dr Carles Boix, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, USA *An excellent book that engages with the essential concepts of comparative politics. It provides an excellent theoretical basis coupled with a wide range of examples. * Assistant Professor Anna McKeever, Department of Education and Social Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, UK. *This is a first-class textbook on comparative politics, which introduces the key topics in the field in an accessible way, thereby connecting political science "classics", recent research, and actual politics. * Assistant Professor Koen Damhuis, Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, Netherlands. *Table of Contents0: Daniele Caramani: Introduction to Comparative Politics Section I: Theories and Methods 1: Bo Rothstein: The Relevance of Comparative Politics 2: B. Guy Peters: Approaches in Comparative Politic 3: Paul Pennings: Comparative Research Methods Section II: The Historical Context 4: Atsuko Ichijo: The Nation-State and Multicultural Citizenship 5: Aníbal Pérez-Liñán: Democracies 6: Natasha Lindstaedt: Authoritarian Regimes Section III: Structures and Institutions 7: Amie Kreppel: Legislatures 8: Wolfgang C Müller: Governments and Cabinets 9: Alec Stone Sweet: Constitutions, Rights, and Judicial Power 10: Nicole Curato: Democratic Innovations 11: Orit Kedar: Elections and Representation 12: iesbet Hooghe, Gary Marks, and Arjan H. Schakel: Multilevel Governance Section IV: Actors and Processes 13: Richard S. Katz: Political Parties 14: Daniele Caramani: Party Systems 15: Roland Erne: Interest Groups 16: Dieter Rucht: Social Movements 17: Christian Welzel and Ronald Inglehart: Political Culture 18: Herbert Kitschelt and Philipp Rehm: Political Participation 19: Frank Esser and Barbara Pfetsch: Political Communication Section V: Public Policies 20: Christoph Knill and Jale Tosun: Policy Making 21: Kees van Kersbergen and Philip Manow: The Welfare State 22: Jane Gingrich: The Impact of Public Policies Section VI: Beyond the Nation-State 23: Simon Hix: The EU as a New Political System 24: Georg Sørensen: Globalization and the Nation-State 25: Julia Leininger and Solveig Richter: Promoting and Protecting Democracy

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface Introduction: From the Pipeline to the Polity Chapter 1 The Who, When, What, and Where of Submissions and Publications Chapter 2 The Who, When, What, and Where of Teaching Chapter 3 The Institutional Context: Universities, Departments, and Families Chapter 4 Advice Networks and Coauthorship Chapter 5 Disposed to Publish or Teach? Exploring the Role of Personality Chapter 6 The Publication Pipeline Chapter 7 The Tweeting Polity: Mediated Public Engagement and Academic Research Chapter 8 It Takes a Polity to Raise a Publication: Peer Reviewing and Academic Citizenship Conclusion Appendix A Appendix B References

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringAnchored in the principles of free-market economics, neoliberalism emerged in the 1990s as the world''s most dominant economic paradigm. It has been associated with various political leaders from Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Bill Clinton, to Tony Blair, Barack Obama, and Manmohan Singh. Neoliberalism even penetrated deeply into communist China''s powerful economic system. However, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and the related European Sovereign Debt Crisis triggered a decade of economic volatility and insecurity that boosted the fortunes of the 1 per cent while saddling the 99 per cent with stagnant wages and precarious work. As a result of this Great Recession, neoliberalism fortunes have waned considerably. This downward trend further accelerated with the recent surge of national populism around the world that brought to power outspoken critics of neoliberalism like Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro, and Narendra Modi. Is neoliberalism doomed or will it regain its former glory? And what are the major types of neoliberalism, and how did they evolve over the decades? Responding to these crucial questions, this Very Short introduction explores the considerable variations of neoliberalism around the world, and discusses the origins, evolution, and core ideas of neoliberalism. This new edition brings the story of neoliberalism up to date, and asks whether new versions of neoliberalism might succeed in drowning out the rising tide of national populism and its nostalgic longing for a return to territorial sovereignty and national greatness.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations 1: What's 'neo' about liberalism? 2: Three waves of neoliberalism 3: Neoliberalism in the Asia-Pacific Region 4: Neoliberalism in Latin America and Africa 5: Neoliberalism challenged References and Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisSamantha Barbas presents a long-overdue biography of the legendary civil liberties lawyer—a vital and contrary figure who both defended Ulysses and fawned over J. Edgar Hoover.Trade Review"A fascinating and thoroughly researched biography of an important twentieth-century figure whose tragic flaws denied him a place of honor in the roster of great civil liberties lawyers despite his remarkable accomplishments. . . . Barbas’s engrossing and lucid examination of the rise and fall of Morris Ernst comes at an opportune time." * Los Angeles Review of Books *“A lively and illuminating portrait of one of the major figures in the history of American civil liberties. Barbas captures Ernst in all his glory and complexity, revealing how a man who was once the country’s leading liberal lawyer became a red-baiter and Hoover ally. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, The Rise and Fall of Morris Ernst is biography and legal history at its finest.” * Thomas Healy, author of The Great Dissent: How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind—and Changed the History of Free Speech in America *“Does Morris Ernst need a biography? Yes, definitely. His is a fascinating story of a major civil libertarian who pioneered the expansion of freedom in American life then blew it all through obsessive anti-Communism. Barbas writes beautifully, and this lively, lucid book is a pleasure to read. More than that, her biography is especially significant today since so many of the issues Ernst fought against are still urgently relevant in American political discourse.” * Ellen Schrecker, author of The Lost Promise: American Universities in the 1960s *“How could one man have been both a leading defender of the First Amendment and an avid fan of J. Edgar Hoover? Barbas’s fascinating biography answers that question by telling the remarkable story of one of the nation’s most influential, and complicated, civil liberties lawyers.” * David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union *“Ernst was a singular warrior for the freedom of expression, ultimately undone by his paradoxical embrace of Hoover and McCarthy. Barbas’s biography is a sharp, fast-paced account of a twentieth-century civil libertarian who fought for causes that are still vital today.” * Nadine Strossen, author of HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship *"The ACLU’s general counsel for decades, Morris Ernst was renowned for his audacious fights against artistic censorship in the US. He successfully defended Ulysses against obscenity charges,litigated groundbreaking reproductive rights cases, and supported the widespread expansion of protections for sexual expression, union organizing, and public speech. Yet Ernst was also a man of stark contradictions, waging a personal battle against Communism, defending an autocrat, and aligning himself with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s inflammatory crusades. Barbas concludes that Ernst both transformed free speech in America and inflicted damage to the cause of civil liberties." * Law & Social Inquiry *"Barbas’s book, which has a much broader scope than the Ulysses litigation, is a timely and important reminder that individual action can make a difference." * James Joyce Quarterly *"Barbas’s qualifications as a law professor and First Amendment scholar serve readers well, particularly when she discusses how Ernst eschewed precedents in the courtroom and focused, instead, on making forceful legal arguments that often were grounded in contemporary community standards. Through flowing prose and carefully selected evidence from a wide range of sources, Barbas brings Ernst’s life and sometimes-contradictory career into clear focus." * The Journal of American History *"Samantha Barbas’s The Rise and Fall of Morris Ernst, Free Speech Renegade is a crisp, lively biography of New York City lawyer Morris Leopold Ernst. Barbas presents a valuable account of the life and career of the long-neglected Ernst (1888–1976)." * American Historical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Early Years 2 Williams 3 New York 4 Greenbaum, Wolff, and Ernst 5 Adventures 6 Free Speech Lawyer 7 To the Pure 8 The Sex Side of Life 9 Sex Wins in America 10 Troubled Times 11 Freedom for the Thought That We Hate 12 Ulysses 13 The Importance of Being Ernst 14 Defending the New Deal 15 The Champion of Freedom 16 The National Lawyers Guild 17 Ernst vs. Hague 18 Controversy in the ACLU 19 The Turning Tide 20 Ernst at His Worst 21 Desperate Moves 22 Utopia 1976 Acknowledgments Notes

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Book SynopsisWhy do human beings fight one another?In this exhilarating and bracing book, we learn the common logic driving vainglorious monarchs, dictators, mobs, pilots, football hooligans, ancient peoples and fanatics.Distilling decades of economics, political science, psychology and real-world interventions, and through his time studying Columbia, Chicago, Liberia and Northern Ireland, Christopher Blattman lifts the lid on the underlying forces governing war and peace.Why did Russia attack Ukraine? Will China invade Taiwan and launch WWIII? And what can any of us do about it?''Captivating and intelligent'' Tim Harford''Wise, intriguing, imaginative'' Rory Stewart''Nothing could be more relevant today than war and peace . . . an outstanding and original book on this topic'' Martin Wolf, Financial Times''Important, readable, radical'' David Miliband''A great storyteller with important insights for us all'' Richard Thaler, co-author of Nudge''Essential for understanding the world we live in today'' James A. Robinson, co-author of Why Nations FailTrade ReviewBlattman has produced a valuable guide, supported by engaging anecdotes, to what makes people turn to violence - and why, mercifully, they are usually too sensible to do so * Economist *Wise, intriguing, imaginative -- Rory Stewart, author of The Places In BetweenA great storyteller with important insights for us all -- Richard Thaler, co-author of NudgeCaptivating and intelligent -- Tim Harford, author of The Undercover EconomistAvoiding the useless dichotomies that either claim violence is an inseparable part of human nature or declare that humanity has all but conquered its proclivity to war, Blattman explains how human communities make use of many different strategies to resolve conflicts, and why these efforts sometimes stumble -- Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations FailIf you've been a foreign correspondent for any length of time you end up wondering what has pushed so many of the societies you cover into conflict and what can be done to prevent a repeat. Why We Fight answers many of those questions . . . Contrary to expectations, it's an optimistic book . . . outbreaks of violence are the aberration, not the norm, and small, incremental measures can have a disproportionate impact when it comes to avoiding strife. Tinkering trumps transformation -- Michela Wrong * Spectator Books of the Year *Important, readable, radical -- David Miliband, President and CEO, International Rescue CommitteeEssential for understanding the world we live in today -- James A. Robinson, co-author of Why Nations FailBrings together the passion of the activist and the cool head of the economist to offer practical solutions to one of humanity's most intractable problems -- Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules – for NowTimely, powerful, hopeful -- Paul Collier, author of The Bottom BillionBlattman deftly translates knotty ideas from game theory and social choice theory for a lay audience, weaving in colorful anecdotes from his own life and travels * Foreign Affairs *

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Book SynopsisA historical study of Chile's twin experiments with cybernetics and socialism, and what they tell us about the relationship of technology and politics.In Cybernetic Revolutionaries, Eden Medina tells the history of two intersecting utopian visions, one political and one technological. The first was Chile's experiment with peaceful socialist change under Salvador Allende; the second was the simultaneous attempt to build a computer system that would manage Chile's economy. Neither vision was fully realized—Allende's government ended with a violent military coup; the system, known as Project Cybersyn, was never completely implemented—but they hold lessons for today about the relationship between technology and politics.Drawing on extensive archival material and interviews, Medina examines the cybernetic system envisioned by the Chilean government—which was to feature holistic system design, decentralized management, human-computer interaction, a n

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Book SynopsisOffers an analysis of worldwide democratic institutions. Examining thirty-six democracies during period from 1945 to 2010, the author arrives at important - and unexpected - conclusions about what type of democracy works best.Trade Review"Magnificent... The best-researched book on democracy in the world today." (Malcolm Mackerras, American Review of Politics) "I can't think of another scholar as well qualified as Lijphart to write a book of this kind. He has an amazing grasp of the relevant literature, and he's compiled an unmatched collection of data." (Robert A. Dahl, Yale University) "This sound comparative research... will continue to be a standard in graduate and undergraduate courses in comparative politics." (Choice)"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Superb."---David Brooks, New York Times"A searching examination of the decline of democratic ideals in the face of inequality—racial, political, and economic. It is also striking on many counts, including its fluency in several branches of the social sciences beyond economics. The author resists easy characterization. There's something to ponder on every page. A sometimes-daunting but essential addition to the discussion of inequality and its remedies." * Kirkus Reviews *"The book contains many surprises documented with scholarly research and statistical analyses. The fact that Rothwell is principal economist at Gallup and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution makes his approach and conclusions even more valuable—even if I don’t always agree with him. I am not sure he will succeed selling the value of free markets to the left or, for that matter, to the right, but his book is well worth reading if one wants to think seriously about equality and inequality."---Pierre Lemieux, EconLib"This book is necessary, interesting, and at times surprising." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisA revolutionary rebuttal of the family under capitalismTrade Review'The family as we know it is a limitation to emancipation and imagination. 'Family Abolition' invites us to think about how community and care could be organized otherwise. It draws together the lessons from centuries of struggle to free the needs of life from the necessities imposed by state and capital.' -- McKenzie Wark, author of 'The Beach Beneath the Streets''An accessibly written distillation of two centuries worth of reproductive class struggle; a revived vision of revolutionary 'beloved community' for an age of climate catastrophe and permanent pandemics. Spread this book around, and start communizing care!' -- Sophie Lewis, author of ‘Abolish the Family’'Bringing impressive erudition to a vast subject, O’Brien takes a debate to new frontiers. From Oaxaca to Minneapolis, Family Abolition shows 'insurgent reproduction' preparing a world of 'red love'.' -- Peter Drucker, author of 'Warped: Gay Normality and Queer Anticapitalism''A bracing account of the crisis of the family and an important history of struggles to transcend it. O’Brien is a sensitive and astute guide to the material realities and the impossible ideal of the family--that site of dependency and love, intimacy and violence, coercion and care. This is an essential guide to the critique of the family form and a radical vision of care beyond it.' -- Katrina Forrester, Associate Professor of Social Sciences, Harvard University'M. E. O'Brien has gifted us a stunningly urgent and timely book that not only sustains our "freedom dreaming", but also, our concrete efforts at enacting a world where the concept and mechanism of family does not have to be complicated by coercion, domination, and the privatization that creates untenable labor conditions. Through an exhilaratingly accessible narrative, O'Brien moves effortlessly between history, current sociopolitical specificities, and future possibilities to show that communized care is not a far-off fantasy, but rather, a vibrant necessity for current day life-making.' -- Lara Sheehi, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, George Washington University'An important work of queer theory which examines family abolition from a generative - not punitive - mindset, asking how can we create a future where we all receive the essential care that is currently doled out only to some of us by the crapshoot lottery of birth?' -- Hugh Ryan, author of 'When Brooklyn Was Queer''Incisively traces the warps and strictures of our embattled history and culture, unleashing a searing yet hopeful paean towards a different set of possibilities. A precious book for anyone trying to understand our current crises and how to transform ourselves and our communities towards justice and wholeness for all.' -- Hannah Baer, author of 'Trans Girl Suicide Museum''Compact but expansive, 'Family Abolition' is an incisive work of history, theory, and imagination. O'Brien locates family abolition as an insurgent tradition deep within revolutionary movements around the world. It is an inspired call to action and a call to community: Come, let us abolish the family--together.' -- Dan Berger, author of 'Stayed on Freedom: The Long History of Black Power Through One Family's Journey''An immensely useful book that will help us not just understand the violence of gender and family relations, but also take action to establish new methods of caring for one another and building survivable social relations... A tool for transformation, skillfully drawing on insurgent histories and contemporary struggles to increase our capacity to build new ways of being together.' -- Dean Spade, author of 'Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)''A vision for the future that draws on insights from both the history of the workers' and black liberation movements, and contemporary struggles worldwide. Both meticulous in its historical account of insurrectionary moments (that unsettled our assumptions about how to care for one another). And daring in providing a strategy for replacing private households with "beloved community", founded around Red Love. Highly recommended to anyone committed to both care and revolt, or bored of household chores.' -- Jules Gleeson, writer, comedian, historian, co-editor of 'Transgender Marxism''An incisive case for the transformative power of collective freeing ourselves from the invasion of kinship and care by capitalist social relations, state-mandated gender and sexuality, and racist hierarchies.' -- Jules Gill-Peterson, author of 'Histories of the Transgender Child''Shedding light on carceral, fascist logics that rule the institution of the nuclear family, this is a profound excavation of the family abolition debates of the 20th century. O'Brien's approach is urgently necessary in our political moment.' -- Rosie Stockton, Gender Studies, University of California‘A timely and accessible analysis of family abolition through the Marxist tradition … Family Abolition pushes us to think beyond the solutions of the present by growing the different revolutionary organizations of care already at work in our mass revolts and uprisings. While there remain many questions regarding the details of how to get from here to there, this book makes dreaming of a world we can all live in seem tantalizingly close and possible’ -- ‘Spectre’'Clarifying and original ... dares to imagine unthinkable possibilities ... a magnificent book' -- ‘Blindfield Journal’'Sharp and timely ... Family Abolition offers a compelling provocation to think about the possibilities of human freedom in a post-family world, and how we might achieve them' -- 'Boston Review''O'Brien is one of the most important intellectuals working today. She also happens to be a great, clear writer, which is a whole different skill. Family Abolition takes one of Marxism's scariest concepts and unfolds it step by step, without relying on jargon or bluster or the reader's previous knowledge. By the end, you'll wonder what everyone was so afraid of. A great gift for parents and husbands.' -- Malcolm Harris, 'Esquire'Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Oaxaca Commune Part I: The Impossible Family 1. Private Households 2. Family Terrors 3. Lines of Flight Part II: A History of Family Abolition 4. Industrialization and the Bourgeois Family 5. The Family Politics of Slavery and Genocide 6. Sexual Transgression and Capitalist Development 7. The Family Form of the Workers' Movement 8. Rebellions of the Red Decade 9. Crisis of the Family Part III: Toward the Commune 10. New Alliances, New Kinship 11. Communist Social Reproduction 12. Around the People's Kitchen 13. Communes to Come

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Book SynopsisBruno Latour s long term project is to compare the felicity and infelicity conditions of the different values dearest to the heart of those who have never been modern . According to him, this is the only way to develop an anthropology of the Moderns.Trade Review"In a book both informative and transformative, Latour may well have succeeded in his aim to ‘reboot the teeniest hint of a beginning of a religious sentiment’" Southern Semiotic Review "Rejoicing is a kind of meditation: Latour has composed, in Yeats’ phrase, a dialogue of self and soul.” Chicago Tribune "In this honest , profound yet accessible book, a distinguished French scholar and public intellectual carries on an agonized dialog with himself as he faces the obstacles to religious faith today - and then points toward a resolution. As I read, I felt he had climbed into my soul." John O’Malley, Georgetown University "Rejoicing constitutes a creative, thought-provoking and impressive blend of, and reflection upon, learning and traditions." Rebecca Catto, Coventry University

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Book SynopsisThis inter-disciplinary volume explores the benefits of historical understanding in leading disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, including economics, politics, international relations, sociology, philosophy, law, literature and anthropology, and shows how the relevance of historical approaches has changed and shifted over time.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Law and history, history and law Michael Lobban; 2. History, law, and the rediscovery of social theory Samuel Moyn; 3. The uses of history in the study of international politics Jennifer Pitts; 4. International relations theory and modern international order: the case of refugees Mira Siegelberg; 5. The Delphi syndrome: using history in the social sciences Stathis Kalyvas and Daniel Fedorowycz; 6. Power in narrative and narratives of power in historical sociology Hazem Kandil; 7. History and normativity in political theory: the case of Rawls Richard Bourke; 8. Political philosophy and the uses of history Quentin Skinner; 9. The relationship between philosophy and its history Susan James; 10. When reason does not see you: feminism at the intersection of history and philosophy Hannah Dawson; 11. On (lost and found) analytical history in political science Ira Katznelson; 12. Making history: poetry and prosopopoeia Cathy Shrank; 13. Reloading the British Romantic canon: the historical editing of literary texts Pamela Clemit; 14. Economics and history: analysing serfdom Sheilagh Ogilvie; 15. The return of depression economics: Paul Krugman and the 21st-century crisis of American democracy Adam Tooze; 16. Anthropology and the turn to history Joel Isaac.

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Book SynopsisHow does international context influence state policies toward religious minorities? Using parliamentary proceedings, court decisions, newspaper archives, and interviews, this book is the first systematic study that employs international context in the study of state policies toward religion, and that compares Turkey and France with regard to religious minorities. Comparing Christians in Turkey and Muslims in France, this book argues that policy change toward minorities becomes possible when strong domestic actors find a suitable international context that can help them execute their policy agendas. The Turkish Islamists used the European Union to transform the Turkish politics that brought a reformist moment for Christians in the 2000s. The Far Right in France utilized the rise of Islamophobia in Europe to adopt restrictive policies toward Muslims. Ramazan Kilinç argues that the presence of an international context that can favor particular groups over others, shifts the domestic balaTrade Review'Through a comparative analysis of state policies toward Christian minorities in Turkey and Muslim minorities in France, Ramazan Kılınç effectively demonstrates how international norms and context can interact with domestic actors to shape state policies toward religious minorities. This is a notable work of research and scholarship. It is theoretically sophisticated and provides a new model to understand complex and often changing domestic state policies toward religious minorities.' J. Christopher Soper, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Pepperdine University, California'This timely and innovative book is a critical resource for anyone seeking to understand state policies towards religious minorities. Kılınç convincingly shows that domestic actors take advantage of changing international contexts to press for their preferred state policies towards religious minorities. The careful comparative analyses of French policies towards Muslims, and Turkish policies towards Christians, with extensions to additional cases, make this work essential reading in religion and politics. Alien Citizens is also a significant contribution to our understanding of the causal role of international factors in national politics.' Carolyn M. Warner, Vail Pittman Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science, University of Nevada, Reno'In this empirically rich and theoretically ingenious book, Ramazan Kılınç brings the perspectives of International Relations in the analysis of state-religion relations. Alien Citizens examines state policies toward Christians in Turkey and Muslims in France by distinctively explaining how international conditions have shaped these policies.' Ahmet T. Kuru, author of Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison'What makes this book compelling and refreshing is its emphasis on the interaction between international and domestic policy arenas through an examination of seemingly opposing policies in two very different contexts.' H. Shambayati, ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Rethinking state policies toward religious minorities; Part I. Historical Institutions: 2. Secularism and Christians in Turkey; 3. Secularism and Muslims in France; Part II. International Context: 4. The European Union and Christians in Turkey; 5. Islamophobia and Muslims in France; Part III. Domestic Actors and Policy Change: 6. Kemalists, conservatives, and Christians in Turkey; 7. Radical right, liberals, and Muslims in France; Conclusion; 8. Testing the argument beyond the scope of the study; 9: Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisWhen refugees flee war and persecution, protection and assistance are usually provided by United Nations organisations and their NGO implementing partners. In camps and cities, the dominant humanitarian model remains premised upon a provider-beneficiary relationship. In parallel to this model, however, is a largely neglected story: refugees themselves frequently mobilise to create organisations or networks as alternative providers of social protection. Based on fieldwork in refugee camps and cities in Uganda and Kenya, this book examines how refugee-led organisations emerge, the forms they take, and their interactions with international institutions. Developing an original theoretical framework based on the concept of ''the global governed'', the book shows how power and hierarchy mediate the seemingly benign notion of protection. Drawing upon ideas from anthropology and international relations, it offers an alternative vision for more participatory global governance, of relevance to oTrade Review'The Global Governed? is a detailed examination of the (underappreciated) role of refugee-led organisations at the local level. Theoretically grounded and empirically rich, the book portrays a wide range of social protection activities undertaken by refugees for refugees. Adopting a bottom-up approach, it shows both the possibility of, and barriers to, participation of refugees in global governance.' T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Professor at the New School, New York, Director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility'The Global Governed? draws on the best tradition of Oxford University's Refugee Studies Centre and its founder, Barbara Harrell-Bond, by starting from the premise that refugees, no matter how destitute and vulnerable, are always actively trying to help themselves. They do not sit back and wait for assistance or for someone else to protect them, but work together to get what they need. By focusing on refugee community organisations, the authors shine a light into the relationships of power that often work against such self-help. They recognise the complexity of different forms of refugee community organising. This book provides a welcome contribution to understanding the political economy of refugee contexts, but is also relevant to policymakers and aid providers seeking to support refugee populations and to localise approaches to humanitarian and development assistance.' Laura Hammond, Professor in the Department of Development Studies, SOAS University of London'Pincock, Betts, and Easton-Calabria (all, Univ. of Oxford, UK) have combined their expertise and fieldwork to produce this excellent comparison of four major refugee sites in East Africa-Kampala and Nakivale in Uganda, and Nairobi and Kakuma in Kenya … Because of the tight four-site comparison, this would be an excellent text for discussion in upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on refugees, or on humanitarian action in general.' D. W. Haines, ChoiceTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. Theoretical framework; 3. Kampala; 4. Nakivale; 5. Nairobi; 6. Kakuma; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisAn introduction to the most important issues facing an increasingly globalized world with this thoroughly updated and revised sixth edition. Global Issues is an accessible, wide-ranging introduction to the major environmental and development issues confronting the modern world. Spanning disciplines such as political science, economics, sociology, ecology, international relations, and development studies, this popular textbook enables students to develop a broad perspective on the relationships between nations, society, corporations, and the environment in various contexts. Exploring issues surrounding wealth, poverty, inequality, climate change, natural resources, pollution, technology, and others, the text illustrates the importance of global solutions to the issues facing increasingly interdependent nations around the world. This sixth edition has been extensively revised to ensure contemporary relevance, featuring updated case studies and compelling reTable of ContentsList of Plates xiii List of Figures, Maps, and Tables xv Acknowledgements xix Introduction 1 The Creation of Global Issues 1 1 What is Development? 3 Developing Toward What? 3 Twentieth‐Century Approach: Development as Economic Growth 4 Twenty‐First‐Century Approach: Developing towards Sustainability 6 Wave of Hope: The Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) 7 Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030) 8 Development Assistance and Foreign Aid 10 Culture and Development 14 Conclusion 16 Notes 18 Further Reading 19 2 Wealth and Poverty 21 Can We Eradicate Poverty? 23 Mainstreaming Sustainable Development 27 A Pessimistic View: The Persistence of Poverty 29 Systematic Approaches 33 A Market Approach 33 The State as Economic Actor 36 A Blended Approach 40 Trade and Global Economic Interdependence 41 Global Interdependence 43 Positive aspects 43 Negative aspects 44 Geography and Wealth, Geography and Poverty 45 Conclusions 46 Notes 48 Further Reading 52 3 Population 55 The Changing Population of the World 56 Shifting Demographics: Rural to Urban 61 Causes of the Population Explosion 67 Demographic transitions: population and development 68 How Population Growth Affects Development 74 Rapid growth 74 Slow growth 76 An aging population and low birth rates 76 How Development Affects Population Growth 79 Factors lowering birth rates 80 International Conferences on Population 82 Governmental Population Policies 84 Managing growth 84 Mexico 86 India 88 China 88 Promoting growth 89 The Future 92 The growth of the world’s population 92 The carrying capacity of the Earth 92 “Optimum” size of the Earth’s population 94 Population‐related challenges in our future 96 Conclusions 98 Notes 99 Further Reading 105 4 Food 108 How Many Are Hungry? 109 World Food Production 110 Arable land 111 Climate 112 How Development Affects Food 113 United States: Industrial Agriculture and Farm Consolidation 114 Brazil: Becoming a Food Exporter by Expanding the Agricultural Frontier 116 Contents ix China: Limited Land to Grow, Many Mouths to Feed 116 Feeding a Growing Population 118 The “Green” Revolution 119 Fertilizers 120 Pesticides 121 Energy 121 Irrigation 122 Biotechnology 122 Fishing and aquaculture 125 Traditional/sustainable/organic agriculture 126 Causes of World Hunger 128 How Food Affects Development 132 The type of food 134 What’s your Footprint? 138 Food Waste and Food Loss 139 The Future 140 Governmental Food Policies 141 Future Food Supplies 143 Conclusions 145 Notes 146 Further Reading 156 5 Energy 158 The Relationship between Energy Use and Development 159 Nonrenewable Energy Sources 161 Oil 162 Global Oil Supplies and Price Shocks 163 Coal 165 Natural Gas 166 The Energy Transition 167 Renewable Energy Sources 169 Solar Power 169 Wind 171 Hydroelectric Power 172 Wood, Agricultural/Forestry Residues, and Animal Dung 173 Geothermal Energy 174 Hydrogen‐Powered Fuel Cells 175 Energy and Development: Critical Challenges and Opportunities 176 National Approaches to Energy and Development 177 China 179 The United States 180 Western Europe 183 Japan 184 The Decoupling of Energy Consumption and Economic Growth 185 Conservation/Energy Efficiency 186 x Contents Nuclear Power: A Case Study 188 The potential and the peril 188 The choice 192 Withdraw support for nuclear power 192 Continue to support nuclear power 194 Conclusions 195 Notes 196 Further Reading 201 6 Climate Change 203 An Unprecedented Global Challenge 204 How Increased Temperatures Impact the Earth 206 Regional impacts 206 Africa 207 Asia 207 Low‐lying islands 207 Europe 207 Latin America 207 North America 207 Polar regions 207 Types of impacts 209 Monster storms 209 Extreme heat 210 Infectious diseases 210 Agriculture 210 Melting ice 212 Sea level rise 212 Disruption of natural ecosystems 213 How Bad Will It Get? 213 Planet at a crossroads: high stakes choices 215 Air pollution 215 Uncertainties 216 Abrupt climate change 216 Slower Atlantic currents 216 Clouds 216 Other positive and negative feedbacks 216 Global Agreement for a Global Problem 217 What More Can Be Done? 218 Conclusion 221 Notes 221 Further Reading 223 7 The Environment: Natural Resources 225 The Awakening 225 Water 228 Contents xi Land 229 Minerals 229 Deforestation 230 Governing the Commons 235 The Extinction of Species 236 Responsible Use 240 Resource efficiency 240 Recycling 241 Substitution 243 Reducing needs 243 Conclusion 244 Notes 244 Recommended Readings 248 8 The Environment: Pollution 249 Air Pollution 250 Acid rain 254 Ozone depletion 258 Climate change (global warming) 260 Water Pollution 261 The Workplace and the Home 263 Cancer 263 Chemicals 264 Pesticides 265 Managing Waste 267 Solid wastes 267 Toxic wastes 269 Governmental and industrial responses to the waste problem 270 Environmental Politics 271 Conclusion 274 Notes 275 Further Reading 282 9 Technology 283 Benefits of Technology 284 Unanticipated Consequences of the Use of Technology 285 DDT 287 Factory farms 288 Inappropriate Uses of Technology 289 Limits to the “Technological Fix” 294 War 296 The Threat of Nuclear Weapons: A Case Study 298 The threat 298 New dangers 301 Nuclear proliferation 301 The cleanup 303 The threat of nuclear terrorism 303 xii Contents Conclusions 304 Notes 305 Further Reading 308 10 Alternative Futures 310 Development Pathways: Evaluating Our Current Situation 311 Current Outlook: Business as Usual 312 Collapse and Sustainable Development 314 Choices 318 Improve production 318 Reduce demand 319 Governance: Deciding How to Act on the Choices We Make 320 Conclusion 324 Notes 326 Further Reading 330 Appendix 1: Studying and Teaching Global Issues 332 Appendix 2: Relevant Videos 340 Glossary 349 Index 355

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Book SynopsisAn engaging introduction to the core concepts, theories, actors and issues in global politics. Featuring a combination of chapters authored by leading scholars, researchers and practitioners from around the world, this textbook takes into account the historical development of international relations and the web of dynamics that forms the subject, resulting in a clear analysis of the field from a variety of perspectives. Chapters cover topics including race, colonialism, gender, sexuality, digital globalization, the environment and security studies and are supported by a range of case studies, key boxes and illustrative material to aid students in their practical application of theoretical ideas. The book is also complimented by a bespoke curated website, featuring a regularly updated collection of interactive learning material and hosted on E-International Relations, the world's leading open access IR website. Portraying the most compelling issues of our time, and presenting the Trade ReviewAn immensely user-friendly introduction to International Relations, replete with diagrams, maps, illustrations and helpful summaries of the material covered. Such care for a student text has not been taken for a very long time. * Stephen Chan OBE, Professor of World Politics, SOAS University of London, UK *Foundations of International Relations delivers a comprehensive explanation of International Relations that includes a thorough introduction to critical theories and non-western viewpoints alongside established IR theories and narratives. The approachability of the text and relevant case studies will leave students with the tools needed to understand and analyse international events. * Jessica Neafie, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan *The core strength of this textbook is the clarity it brings to explaining the many concepts and theories that make up International Relations – it introduces students to the nuance and complexity of the field in an exciting and accessible way. An excellent educational resource. * Zoë Jay, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of Tasmania, Australia *This introduction to International Relation is one of the most original and interesting to come to the market in a long while. Moving away from a purely European perspective, students will gain an understanding of traditional ideas about International Organisation, whilst also appreciating how issues such as COVID and food security are truly international in scope. * Anthony F Lang, Professor of International Political Theory, University of St Andrews, UK *Stephen McGlinchey has brought together a fantastic collection of authors who together present a wide-ranging, critical and accessible introduction to International Relations. Supported by helpful case studies, key insights and key term features, the book will enable its readers to navigate the complexities of global politics. * Peter Sutch, Professor of Political and International Theory, Cardiff University, UK *Foundations of International Relations is a wonderfully rich, yet highly accessible, introduction to International Relations, both as a subject and as a discipline. Students are brought on an engaging intellectual journey through a range of contending perspectives and issues, whilst being encouraged to think critically throughout. They will find it challenging and rewarding in equal measure. * Stephen Hill, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh, UK *This innovative and well-written textbook takes students on an exciting historical, theoretical, geographical and thematic journey of International Relations. It is truly attentive to the multiplicity of (state and non-state) actors in global politics, as well as non-Western approaches. The book presents an impressive and well-thought pedagogical outline leaving students critically engaged and encouraged to apply their new knowledge of IR to specific, concrete cases. I highly recommend this unique book to both beginner and more advanced students. * Andréas Litsegård, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Development Research, University of Gothenburg, Sweden *Table of ContentsGETTING STARTED 1. Introduction to International Relations - Stephen McGlinchey PART ONE: HISTORY AND THEORY 2. International Relations and the Global System - Stephen McGlinchey 3. Discovery, Conquest and Colonialism - Robbie Shilliam 4. Towards a Global International Relations - Sahil Mathur and Amitav Acharya 5. Levels of Analysis - Carmen Gebhard 6. Traditional and Middle Ground Theories - Stephen McGlinchey and Dana Gold 7. Critical Theories - Stephen McGlinchey, Rosie Walters and Dana Gold PART TWO: GLOBAL STRUCTURES 8. International Organisations - Shazelina Z. Abidin 9. Global Civil Society - Raffaele Marchetti 10. International Political Economy - Günter Walzenbach 11. International Law - Knut Traisbach 12. Religion and Culture - John A. Rees 13. Gender and Sexuality - Rosie Walters PART THREE: GLOBAL ISSUES 14. International Security - Natalie Jester 15. Transnational Terrorism - Katherine E. Brown 16. Migration - Anitta Kynsilehto 17. Poverty and Wealth - James Arvanitakis and David J. Hornsby 18. Global Health - Mukesh Kapila 19. Environment and Climate - Raul Pacheco-Vega 20. Connectivity and Exploitation in the Digital Age - Clare Stevens and Andreas Haggman REFLECTING ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 21. Crossings and Candles - Peter Vale

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Book SynopsisSandro Mezzadra and Brett Neilson investigate how capital reshapes its relation with politics, showing how contemporary capitalism operates through the extraction of mineral resources, data, and cultures; the logistical organization of relations between people, property, and objects; and the penetration of financialization into all realms of economic life.Trade Review"The Politics of Operations is a challenging, highly ambitious work. . . . Ultimately, the reorientation that Mezzadra and Neilson are proposing is a subtle one, indebted to a rich archive of political ideas. But they rework and recombine those ideas into a book that is shrewdly reasoned, superbly written, and thick with insight into the contemporary moment." -- Martin Danyluk * Society and Space *"Sandro Mezzadra and Brett Neilson outline a novel perspective on the startling disjunctive synthesis of homogenization and heterogenization processes that characterize the global expansion of capitalist economy. Their second collaborative, book-length study offers a compelling account of the economic, political, and social relations to which these movements respond." -- Nicolas Schneider * Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 1. The Space and Time of Capitalist Crisis and Transition 17 2. Operations of Capital 55 3. Capital, State, Empire 94 4. Extraction, Logistics, Finance 133 5. Vistas of Struggle 168 6. The State of Capitalist Globalization 209 References 253 Index 287

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Book SynopsisRecently there has been an extraordinary international revival of interest in Hannah Arendt. She was extremely perceptive about the dark tendencies in contemporary life that continue to plague us. She developed a concept of politics and public freedom that serves as a critical standard for judging what is wrong with politics today. Richard J. Bernstein argues that Arendt should be read today because her penetrating insights help us to think about both the darkness of our times and the sources of illumination. He explores her thinking about statelessness and refugees; the right to have rights; her critique of Zionism; the meaning of the banality of evil; the complex relations between truth, lying, power, and violence; the tradition of the revolutionary spirit; and the urgent need for each of us to assume responsibility for our political lives. This short and very readable book will be of great interest to anyone who wants to understand the forces that are shaping our world today.Trade Review"This is a short and wonderful book. Bernstein enables us to see that Arendt's life's work, which was to bear and to discern the meaning of the burdens of her times, has become our task today."Jerome Kohn, Trustee of the Hannah Arendt Bluecher Literary TrustTable of Contents Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Statelessness and Refugees The Right to Have Rights Loyal Opposition: Arendt’s Critique of Zionism Racism and Segregation The Banality of Evil Truth, Politics and Lying Plurality, Politics, and Public Freedom The American Revolution and the Revolutionary Spirit Personal and Political Responsibility Works Cited

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Book SynopsisMany of us wonder what we could possibly do to end oppression, exploitation, and injustice. People have studied revolutions and protest movements for centuries, but few have focused on prefigurative politics, the idea of 'building the new society within the shell of the old'. Fed up with capitalism? Get organised and build the institutions of the future in radical unions and local communities. Tired of politicians stalling on climate change? Set up an alternative energy collective. Ready to smash racism and the patriarchy? Root them out in all areas of our lives, not just in 'high politics'. This is the first book dedicated to prefigurative politics, explaining its history and examining the various debates surrounding it. How can collective decision-making be inclusive? In what ways are movements intersectional? Can prefigurative organisations scale up? It is a must-read for students of radical politics, anarchism, and social movements, as well as activists and concerned citizens everywhere.Trade Review�Prefigurative Politics is essential reading for anyone who is serious about building a new world in the shell of the old. Concise, clear, and powerful, Raekstad and Gradin�s work illuminates histories of prefiguration and charts a course forward.�Mark Bray, Dartmouth College, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook �The left often struggles with an internal contradiction between (a) implementing strategies and tactics to undo its opponents, and (b) advocating for an alternative social structure. Raekstad and Gradin embrace this contradiction and consider how best to mutually reinforce both components of a broad left strategy. Here is productive strategic thinking among advocates of basic social change.�Richard D. Wolff, University of Massachusetts, Amherst �A wonderful and timely contribution to the growing literature on (socialist) activist strategy. Both authors draw extensively on their own experiences with activism and their academic research... Everyone interested in left-activism or simply longing for a better future should read Prefigurative Politics.�Marx and Philosophy Review of BooksTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 What Prefigurative Politics Is and Is Not Chapter 3 Praxis and Social Change Chapter 4 Decision-Making in Large-Scale Organisations Chapter 5 The Personal is Political Chapter 6 Prefigurative Politics and the State Chapter 7 Radical Prefigurativism, Not Liberal Individualism Chapter 8 Conclusion: Now. Here. You. Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIs politics necessarily violent? Does the justifiability of violence depend on whether it is perpetrated to defend or upend the existing order – or perhaps on the way in which it is conducted? Is violence simply direct physical harm, or can it also be structural, symbolic, or epistemic? In this book, Elizabeth Frazer and Kimberley Hutchings explore how political theorists, from Niccolo Machiavelli to Elaine Scarry, have addressed these issues. They engage with both defenders and critics of violence in politics, analysing their diverse justificatory and rhetorical strategies in order to draw out the enduring themes of these debates. They show how political theorists have tended to evade the central difficulties raised by violence by either reducing it to a neutral tool or identifying it with something quite distinct, such as justice or virtue. They argue that, because violence is necessarily wrapped up with hierarchical and exclusive structures and imaginaries, legitimising it in terms of the ends that it serves, or how it is perpetrated, no longer makes sense. This book will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars in areas ranging from the ethics of terror and war to radical and revolutionary political thought.Trade Review‘This excellent book offers a very careful, systematic and immensely readable introduction and analysis of the intersection between violence and politics, from Machiavelli to the present day.' Vittorio Bufacchi, University College Cork, Ireland"[T]here is no comparable text in the English language that approximates the breadth of coverage that the authors achieve."The Review of PoliticsTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Reflections on Politics and ViolenceChapter One: Politics and Revolutionary ViolenceChapter Two: Politics and State ViolenceChapter Three: Politics and Violence ReconsideredChapter Four: Politics as a Continuation of Violence Chapter Five: The Problem of ViolenceChapter Six: Violence and the Transformation of ManChapter Seven: The Politicisation of ViolenceChapter Eight: Towards a Political Theory of ViolenceNotesBibliography

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Book SynopsisLiberal left orthodoxy holds that Brexit is a disastrous coup, orchestrated by the hard right and fuelled by xenophobia, which will break up the Union and turn what’s left of Britain into a neoliberal dystopia. Richard Tuck’s ongoing commentary on the Brexit crisis demolishes this narrative. He argues that by opposing Brexit and throwing its lot in with a liberal constitutional order tailor-made for the interests of global capitalists, the Left has made a major error. It has tied itself into a framework designed to frustrate its own radical policies. Brexit therefore actually represents a golden opportunity for socialists to implement the kind of economic agenda they have long since advocated. Sadly, however, many of them have lost faith in the kind of popular revolution that the majoritarian British constitution is peculiarly well-placed to deliver and have succumbed instead to defeatism and the cultural politics of virtue-signalling. Another approach is, however, still possible. Combining brilliant contemporary political insights with a profound grasp of the ironies of modern history, this book is essential for anyone who wants a clear-sighted assessment of the momentous underlying issues brought to the surface by Brexit.Trade Review"A defense of Brexit from the political left has been sorely missing from British public debate. Richard Tuck has finally filled the vacuum."—Chris Bickerton, Cambridge University "Richard Tuck’s book is the most powerful statement of the socialist case for leaving the EU I know, as well as being a brilliant piece of historical analysis. Highly recommended." —Maurice GlasmanTable of ContentsPreface16 April 201622 April 201616 May 2016The Left Case for Brexit9 June 2016Brexit: A Prize in Reach for the Left16 August 20176 November 201717 February 201828 February 20189 March 201811 April 2018Why is Everyone So Hysterical About Brexit?17 May 2018How to Break up the Union1 August 2018The Surprising Benefits to Ireland of a No-Deal Brexit16 January 2019Deal or No Deal23 January 201924 February 2019Modest Proposals3 June 20195 July 2019Notes

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Book SynopsisScience and politics have collaborated throughout human history, and science is repeatedly invoked today in political debates, from pandemic management to climate change. But the relationship between the two is muddled and muddied. Leading policy analyst Geoff Mulgan here calls attention to the growing frictions caused by the expanding authority of science, which sometimes helps politics but often challenges it. He dissects the complex history of states’ use of science for conquest, glory and economic growth and shows the challenges of governing risk – from nuclear weapons to genetic modification, artificial intelligence to synthetic biology. He shows why the governance of science has become one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century, ever more prominent in daily politics and policy. Whereas science is ordered around what we know and what is, politics engages what we feel and what matters. How can we reconcile the two, so that crucial decisions are both well informed and legitimate? The book proposes new ways to organize democracy and government, both within nations and at a global scale, to better shape science and technology so that we can reap more of the benefits and fewer of the harms.Trade Review“In this groundbreaking book, Geoff Mulgan masterfully dissects the complex dance between science, technology, and power, exposing perilous gaps in oversight. With practical idealism, Mulgan lights a path toward aligning humanity’s scientific powers with our common hopes through politicizing science and scientizing politics. Essential reading for all who care about steering technology for the greater good, When Science Meets Power brims with radical insights to fuse the strengths of science and democracy.”Azeem Azhar, author of The Exponential Age“With his acute practitioner’s lens, Geoff Mulgan has written a timely, provocative yet constructive exploration of the nexus between modern science and the institutions of power and democracy. He highlights the need for a new mindset and new institutions if science is to effectively impact on local and global challenges. An important read for all those interested in how the relationships between politicians, bureaucracies and science need to evolve.”Sir Peter Gluckman, President of the International Science Council, and former President of the International Network of Government Science Advice“A great contribution to the science policy debate! Science Meets Power describes many of my daily experiences, offering stories and examples to back its rigorous and surprising analyses. Mulgan makes a plea for an intelligence about intelligence, proposing ‘knowledge commons’ in which the logic of the scientist, the logic of the politician and the logic of the bureaucrat can interact in constructive ways. A must read for anyone involved in policy-making for science or in science for policy-making. And a good read too…”Caroline Nevejan, Chief Science Officer, City of Amsterdam“I have always said that technology alone can’t solve our political problems. Geoff Mulgan shows us how we got to a point where science and politics seem increasingly at odds – and how we can come to a healthier understanding of the role of science to inform policy.”Eric Schmidt, former CEO and Chair of GoogleTable of ContentsIntroduction: The science–politics paradox PART I. How Science Meets PowerChapter 1: Uneasy interdependenceChapter 2: What is science and how does it connect to power? PART II. How States Have Used ScienceChapter 3: The ages of techne and epistemeChapter 4: Science bites backChapter 5: The scientist’s view of politics as corruptor PART III. The Problem of Truths and LogicsChapter 6: Master, servant and multiple truthsChapter 7: Clashing logics PART IV. The Problem of Institutions: Solving the Science–Politics ParadoxChapter 8: Split sovereignty, or the role of knowledge in corroding the supremacy of politicsChapter 9: Democracy meets scienceChapter 10: The flawed reasoning of democracy and its remedies PART V. The Problem of Scales: Borderless Science in a World of BordersChapter 11: The clash between global and national interestChapter 12: Governing global science and technology PART VI. The Problems of Meaning: Synthesis, Wisdom and JudgementChapter 13: Science, synthesis and metacognitionChapter 14: The dialectics of what is and what matters

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Book SynopsisDuring the late 1980s and early 1990s the city of San Francisco waged a war against the homeless. Over 1,000 arrests and citations where handed out by the police to activists for simply distributing free food in public parks. Why would a liberal city arrest activists helping the homeless? In exploring this question, the book treats the conflict between the city and activists as a unique opportunity to examine the contested nature of homelessness and public space while developing an anarchist alternative to liberal urban politics that is rooted in mutual aid, solidarity, and anti-capitalism. In addition to exploring theoretical and political issues related to gentrification, broken-windows policing, and anti-homeless laws, this book provides activists, students and scholars, examples of how anarchist homeless activists in San Francisco resisted these processes.This book is relevant to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero hunger.Trade Review'Cooking up a revolution is an inspiring David and Goliath story that details the significance of remaining true to your values when standing up to overwhelming state violence. Parson’s well researched book should be read by anyone interested in seeking lasting social change. This book taught me a great deal and I was there.'Keith McHenry, Co-founder of Food Not Bombs'Sean Parson mines the history of San Francisco Food Not Bombs to theorize a politics of the city. He kicks over the table of orthodox urbanism and proposes one rooted in solidarity, equity and mutual aid. Thoroughly researched and precisely argued, this book belongs on the same shelf as the works of David Harvey, Saskia Sassen and Neil Smith.'James Tracy, Author of Dispatches Against Displacement: Field Notes from the San Francisco Housing Wars‘What does one do in a country where it’s illegal to dumpster dive for discarded food but perfectly legal to throw out food while millions go hungry, or where it’s illegal to live in parks or abandoned buildings while gentrification pushes more people to the brink of homelessness? Using applied political theory and exploring the radical politics of the historically dubbed lumpen proletariat, Parson (Northern Arizona Univ.) outlines the anarchist politics of Food Not Bombs and Homes Not Jails in San Francisco from 1988 to 1995. For FNB and HNJ, a combination of state policies and dehumanizing capitalism, not mental illness, caused homelessness. Through direct action working with homeless populations in mutual aid and solidarity rather than charity, activists confronted the city’s neoliberal politics in a time of growing homelessness and rapid gentrification of the Bay Area. By engaging with the homeless by providing free food, squatting, and demonstrating, FNB and HNJ politicized these victims of neoliberalism to “create temporary autonomous zones where we are able to foreshadow the world we want to see.” Parson’s sympathetic account is a welcome critique of neoliberal America, when issues like gentrification again are making cities more unlivable for marginalized people.’K. R. Shaffer, Penn State University, Berks College, Choice Vol. 56, No. 12 (August 2019) -- .Table of Contents1 Turning statistics into people: From sick talk to the politics of solidarity2 What dumpstered soup tells us about violence, charity, and politics3 Parks, permits, and riot police: Understanding the politics of public space occupations and negotiated management policing between the city of San Francisco and Food Not Bombs4 The war against the homeless: Frank Jordan, broken windows, and anti-homeless politics in San Francisco5 The Homeless fight back: The politics of homeless resistance6 Bolt cutters and the politics of expropriation: Homes Not Jails, urban squatting, and gentrification7 Towards an anarchist “Right to the City”Coda: Theses on homelessness, public space, and urban resistanceBibliography

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Book SynopsisMultiple crises have led many to conclude that the current economic and political system is broken. The present and future look increasingly precarious – if not outright dystopian Stephen McBride calls for radical solutions to these crises to provide a more rational and sustainable future. He critiques other potential responses which would further curtail democracy and increase the inequalities associated with neoliberal globalism. Demonstrating how mainstream ideas, powerful interests and political institutions face major challenges but block progressive alternatives, he argues that for radical transformation to succeed, institutional changes are necessary.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Trapped in Dystopia? 3. The Three Ds: Disaffection, Disarray, Democracy 4. Breaking the Mould through Anti-system Politics? 5. What Is to Be Done? Alternative Strategies 6. Restoring the Pre-crisis Neoliberal ‘Normal’ 7. Saving the System by Building Back Better? Liberal Reform 8. Radical Transformation 9. Obstacles to Progress 10. How Is It to Be Done? Democratic Process and Building the Public Domain 11. Escaping Dystopia

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Book SynopsisThis book brings together thirteen of Nicholas Onuf's previously published yet rarely cited essays. They address topics that Onuf has puzzled over for decades, including the problem of materiality in social construction, epochal change in the modern world, and the power of language.

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERTrust will be our essential tool as we face unique challenges of the decades ahead.'The most interesting political mind since Barack Obama' GuardianIn a century warped by terrorism, Trumpism, financial collapse, populism, systemic racism, Russian interference and a global pandemic, trust within and among nations has been squandered, sacrificed, abused, stolen, or never properly built in the first place. In a piercing exploration of the soul of the American nation involving history, philosophy and memoir, former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg explores the strong relationship between prosperity and social trust. Our success, or failure, in confronting the greatest challenges of the decade - racial and economic justice, pandemic resilience, and climate action - will rest on whether we can effectively cultivate, deepen and repair the networks of trust that are now endangered, or for so many, have never even existed. This means trust in institutions, in each other, and in the democratic project itself.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR SHORTEST WAY HOME:The best American political autobiography since Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father.... Buttigieg writes unusually well for a politician.... Is it too much to imagine that America could elect a gay president? I don't think so.... Especially a man like this. * Charles Kaiser, The Guardian *Combining candor and compassion with a brilliant understanding of how government can be more effective, Shortest Way Home demonstrates that Pete Buttigieg is not only a key political figure in his generation, but also an appealing and even funny writer. Far from a conventional politician's book, his work is an important entry in the American political tradition for the twenty-first century. * Walter Isaacson *Personal, beguiling and quite moving as he talks about coming out and getting married... The story is told with brisk engagement. It is difficult not to like him...When Obama wrote his memoir, the idea that the nation would soon put an African-American in the White House seemed beyond the realm of the possible. After reading this memoir written 25 years later, the notion that Buttigieg might be the nation's first openly gay president doesn't feel quite as far-fetched. * Adam Nagourney, New York Times *

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Book SynopsisA global history of free speech, from the ancient world to today.Hailed as the "first freedom," free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle, subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the retreat.In Free Speech, Jacob Mchangama traces the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of this idea. Through captivating stories of free speech's many defenders - from the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes and the ninth-century freethinker al-Razi, to Mary Wollstonecraft, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and modern-day digital activists - Mchangama demonstrates how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech is also a constant, and he explores how even its champions can be led down this path when the rise of new and contrarian voices challenge power and privilege of all kinds.Meticulously researched, deeply humane and provocative, Free Speech challenges us all to recognise how much we have gained from this principle - and how much we stand to lose without it.Trade ReviewJacob Mchangama's history of the world's strangest, best idea is the definitive account we have been waiting for. It teems with valuable insights, lively characters, and the author's passion for the cause he has done so much to advance. Mchangama brings to life the ancient struggles which established free speech and also the modern dangers which embattle it. Free Speech is that rare book which will impress scholars as much as it entertains readers, all while telling the world's most improbable success story -- Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of KnowledgeFreedom of speech has emerged as a major issue of this decade, but most of the discussion consists of outrages over speech or the repression of speech. Missing is the intellectual background: What does free speech really mean? What is its history? How has it played out in world events? Why should we defend it? Jacob Mchangama lays out this context with deep erudition, strong writing, and a light touch -- Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and the author of Enlightenment Now and RationalityThe best history of free speech ever written and the best defense of free speech ever made. Jacob Mchangama never loses sight of the trouble freedom causes but always keeps in mind that lack of freedom creates horrors -- P.J. O’RourkeIn Free Speech, Jacob Mchangama presents a compelling case for the unique, universal, enduring importance of free and equal speech for all people, regardless of their particular identities or ideologies. This fascinating account, of magisterial scope, demonstrates the constant liberating and equalizing force of free speech, throughout history and around the world. It also documents the constant censorial pressures, including many that reflect positive aims, and their inevitable suppression of full and equal human rights -- Nadine Strossen, Former National President, American Civil Liberties UnionA lot of people now claim that free speech is a danger to democracy or social inclusion. In this vital book, which is as entertaining as it is erudite, Jacob Mchangama shows why that is dead wrong. Drawing on both historical analysis and normative argument, he makes a compelling case for why anyone who cares about liberty or justice must defend free speech -- Yascha Mounk, author of The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure and associate professor at Johns Hopkins UniversityJacob Mchangama's panoramic exploration of the history of free speech offers a vivid, highly readable account of how today's most pitched battles over free speech reflect tensions and impulses that are as old as history itself. Mchangama persuasively dismantles the persistent claims, common to every era and technological evolution, that unprecedented new threats warrant expanded constraints on speech. This indispensable book is a must for both defenders of free speech and, even more so, for those entertaining the notion that free speech should or must be traded away in order to advance other public goods -- Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All (2020)Mchangama has written an insightful, nicely woven history that provides a coherent picture of how free speech has developed globally . . . With accessible and engaging writing, Mchangama's book is a highly recommended intellectual history -- Library Journal, Starred Review[Free Speech makes] a persuasive argument that free discourse is essential to democracy, breaking down systems of oppression, and challenging existing social hierarchies . . . Readers on both the right and the left seeking insights into modern day debates over free speech will welcome this evenhanded and wide ranging history -- Publishers WeeklyThis outstanding book gets it in one: free speech, as that right and privilege has been fought for and exercised as a key component of our always fragile democracies, is currently experiencing the greatest threat imaginable. To learn exactly how and why, and what we can do to eliminate or minimise this threat, everyone needs to read this deeply researched and powerfully written, truly global history covering everything from the face-to-face world of the ancient Greeks to our own, very different world of anonymous digital media -- Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, emeritus, University of CambridgeScholarly in its erudition, but also immensely readable . . . Free speech is not a fashionable value - often perceived in 2022 as an outright threat to modern notions of social justice. This superb book is a corrective to that intellectual and cultural wrong turn and, as such, deserves as wide a readership as possible -- Matt d’Ancona, Tortoise Media[Free Speech] is not only a broad and deep global history of free speech - from antiquity to the Reformation to our current social-media era - but an argument for its enduring power and necessity.The book shows just how old the current arguments over free speech are - and how often they have been made over the centuries -- Daniel Sharp, Areo MagazineFascinating and ultimately rewarding -- David Waywell, ReactionA soaring global account of free speech's origins and fortunes. Readers interested in the past and future of this embattled right should rush to purchase a copy . . . Among volumes dedicated to our 'first freedom,' it will not soon be surpassed -- National ReviewMchangama, a Danish lawyer, has been an important voice for liberty over the last decade . . . His book is an excellent guide for anyone who wants to know why free speech matters -- Reason[A] 500-page door-stopper, which combines a history of free speech with a persuasive case for its defence . . . [Mchangama] succeeds magnificently -- The SpectatorAn impressive book on a subject of vital importance -- Daniel Ben-Ami[Mchangama's] conclusions, presented in a crisp and confident march through Western history, are sobering -- The EconomistExcellent history of free speech here . . . principled, literate and deeply knowledgeable -- Ian Dunt, iNews

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