Politics and government Books

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Book SynopsisThe current co-op movement in the U.S. seeks to be a structural alternative to capitalism; this book seriously questions whether the current movement can accomplish that task. Carl Ratner offers a rich and unique political analysis and critique that provides helpful insights into the practice and problems of the contemporary cooperative movement. Noting that co-operators tend to view their work as apolitical because the explicit influence of national political parties is absent, the author constructs a compelling argument that co-operators nonetheless operate unwittingly with implicit political conceptions of freedom, opportunity, human rights, social participation, decision-making, power, and governance that are shaped and limited by the capitalist economic system. Ratner demonstrates how a more radical, anti-capitalist, socialist form of cooperation and co-ops are needed to realise the fulfilling potential of cooperation and co-ops. For those wishing to understand and advance the cooperative movement, this book is essential reading.

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Book SynopsisIn fiscal year 2013, the federal government obligated over $555 billion for grants. Effective oversight of internal controls is important for providing reasonable assurance that grants are awarded properly, recipients are eligible, and federal grant funds are used as intended. This book examines whether the five largest grant-making agencies'' internal control oversight processes for their grant programs were consistent with OMB requirements and describes internal control issues that have been reported related to the grants management process and key grant programs. The book also examines federal, state, and local experiences with implementing grants funded by the Recovery Act by identifying examples of good practices employed and challenges faced in meeting the act''s accountability and transparency requirements. Finally, the book examines the extent to which selected federal agencies and grantees have mechanisms and guidance in place to distinguish between administrative and program costs and to facilitate the availability of these data to Congress and the public; and the extent to which there are challenges that hinder the comparability of grant administrative cost data.

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Book SynopsisThis encyclopaedia presents important research on China. Some of the topics discussed herein include internet freedom in China; naval modernisation; the Senakaku Islands dispute; U.S. and China relations; trade issues; Chinese investments in the U.S. economy; China''s banking system; the auto sector''s development; and Chinese medical research.

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Book SynopsisBiennial budgeting is a concept that may involve several variations, including two-year budget resolutions, two-year appropriations, and other changes in the timing of legislation related to revenue or spending. Biennial budgeting proposals may focus on enacting budgetary legislation for either a two-year period or two succeeding one-year periods in a single measure. This book discusses options, issues and previous Congressional action in biennial budgeting. The book provides background information on the annual character of the current process and a history of proposals to convert to multi-year budgeting; describes three bills that reflect different approaches to biennial budgeting; analyses the potential effects of converting from annual to biennial budgeting; discusses the federal budget process; and examines challenges and proposals for adopting a long-term budget focus.

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Book SynopsisThis encyclopedia presents important research on Turkey. Some of the topics discussed herein include the prospects and challenges involved in Turkey and United States defense cooperation; Turkey-Kurdish regional government relations after the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq; Turkey''s new regional security role''s implications for the U.S.; and Turkey''s background and relations with the United States.

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Book SynopsisThis encyclopedia presents important research on the United Kingdom. Some of the topics discussed herein include the United Kingdom''s relations with the United States; human trafficking; the modern slavery bill; homelessness in England; environmental issues; the history of the parliamentary franchise; and voting.

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Book SynopsisThis book analyzes the establishment of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea in November 2013 by the People''s Republic of China (PRC, or China), international responses to that action, its consequences, and related matters of national interest and strategy. The book examines the legal, military, and diplomatic aspects of China''s ADIZ, with a focus on U.S. interests and issues of concern to Congress. It also discusses questions that have risen concerning the U.S. relationship with the Senkaku islets in the East China Sea; and the territorial claims in East Asia that underlie the growing tensions, U.S. interests that are at stake, factors that may be driving the growing tensions, and possible options for Congress to consider.

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Book SynopsisDue to extensive cooperation on a wide range of issues, the relationship between the United States and Europe is often called the transatlantic partnership. The two sides have many common values and concerns, and have grown increasingly interdependent in terms of security and prosperity. The transatlantic relationship and the main areas of U.S.-European cooperation and shared interest are likely to have continuing implications for U.S. policy during the 114th Congress. Members of Congress may have an interest in considering the dimensions and dynamics of current issues in U.S.-European relations in the course of oversight or legislative activities, or in the context of direct interactions with European legislators and officials. This book summarizes key issues that both illustrate the nature of U.S.-European cooperation based on shared interests and present challenges in terms of the efficacy of such cooperation. Moreover, economic sanctions on Russian individuals, entities, and sectors have been a key part of the U.S. response to Russia''s annexation of the Crimean region of Ukraine and Russia''s efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine. This book discusses the economic implications of U.S. sanctions on Russia. Background information and issues of the Russian compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces is also provided. Cuban sanctions; foreign policy of unaccompanied children from Central America; U.S. assistance in China; and combating terrorism is also discussed in this book.

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Book SynopsisSigned in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a trade preference program that seeks to promote economic development in 49 sub-Saharan African countries by allowing eligible countries to export qualifying goods to the United States without import duties. The act requires the U.S. government to conduct an annual eligibility review to assess each country''s progress on economic, political, and development reform objectives in order to be eligible for AGOA benefits. AGOA also requires an annual forum to foster closer economic ties between the United States and sub-Saharan African countries. This book examines U.S. government TCB assistance in support of AGOA; the extent to which U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has made efforts to develop strategic approaches to AGOA utilization; how the AGOA eligibility review process has considered economic, political, and development reform objectives described in the act; and how sub-Saharan African countries have fared in certain economic development outcomes since the enactment of AGOA.

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Book SynopsisPolitical and economic developments in Cuba and U.S. policy toward the island nation, located just 90 miles from the United States, have been significant congressional concerns for many years. Especially since the end of the Cold War, Congress has played an active role in shaping U.S. policy toward Cuba, first with the enactment of the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 and then with the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996. Both of these measures strengthened U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba that had first been imposed in the early 1960s, but the measures also provided roadmaps for a normalization of relations dependent upon significant political and economic changes in Cuba. A decade ago, Congress partially modified its sanctions-based policy toward Cuba when it enacted the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 allowing for U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba that led to the United States becoming a major source for Cuba''s food imports. This book discusses Cuba''s political and economic environment; U.S. policies toward Cuba; and selected issues in U.S.-Cuban relations. This book also provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive these restrictions.

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Book SynopsisThis encyclopedia presents important research on Europe. Some of the countries explored in these books include Belarus; Denmark; Finland; Kosovo; Moldova; Norway; Sweden; Germany; Ukraine; Georgia; and Russia. The book discusses several topics including the Eurozone Crisis, and Europe''s energy security.

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Book SynopsisThis encyclopedia presents important research on Cuba. Some of the topics discussed herein include Cuba''s policies and relations with the United States; Cuba broadcasting; human rights; offshore oil development; legislative restrictions limiting the normalization of relations; and the reengagement of detainees formerly held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Book SynopsisThe book is a critique of the capitalist world, including both the injustices it inflicts and the acts of resistance it provokes, which end up reproducing it. The book is also a critique of the ideas about this world, especially some of the ideas which are considered to be progressive. The book talks about why so-called critical thought as it exists is inadequate; why genuine critique is possible and necessary; what its different forms and attributes are; and who it is aimed toward: the masses or academia? This book presents what it considers to be the most adequate form of critique: the Marxist critique. This is a critique which explains humanity''s problems, mainly in terms of the conflict-ridden social relations that determine how society''s resources are used, which seeks to democratically transcend the current arrangements to establish popular democracy in all spheres of life; economic, political and cultural. The book then employs the principles of the Marxist critique to shed light on specific issues in the world as they exist or on the so-called progressive ideas about these issues, such as poverty and inequality in India; industrial disasters in the US; labour unfreedom in the capitalist North and South; the relation between economic and political power in modern society; social democracy; development of capitalism in rural areas and imperialism; pharmaceutical fraud and the consequent threat to human health in the US and the Maoist movement and protest politics (of the anarchist type'' left) against dispossession and other forms of injustice.

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Book SynopsisThe United States has provided significant military and economic assistance to Egypt since the late 1970s. U.S. policy makers have routinely explained aid to Egypt as an investment in regional stability, built primarily on long-running co-operation with the Egyptian military and on sustaining the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. U.S. policy makers are now debating complex questions about the future of U.S.-Egypt relations, and these debates and events in Egypt are shaping consideration of appropriations and authorization legislation in the 114th Congress. This book provides an overview of the key issues for Congress related to Egypt and U.S. foreign aid to Egypt.

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Book SynopsisThe Russian-Georgian War of August 2008 stands out for its socio-political, international, diplomatic, geostrategic, economic and moral-psychological results. Despite the fact that only some years have passed since the end of the war and we all are witnesses and participants of the preparation and of the accomplishment of this dramatic event, there are still many unanswered questions. There are more mysteries in respect of the actions of the main participants of this dramatic event, which dispose historians to study those events thoroughly "hot on the trail", not to wait for a "historical distance", and fill up secret documents with logical arguments and noteworthy hypotheses. The scientific conference, held in Tbilisi in the large hall of The Georgian National Academy of Sciences in the summer of 2014, was aimed precisely to the approbation of the new scholarly ideas on different aspects regarding the preparation and proceedings of the War of August 2008. The conference was attended by representatives of the historical community of Georgia and by the mass media. The reports were made at the conference by professors and scholars from Sukhumi State University, Akhaltsikhe Educational University and Tbilisi Scientific Centre for Historical, Ethnological, Religious Study and Propaganda. A former Minister of Defense of Georgia, General Giorgi (Gia) Karkarashvili, also sent his report. The present collection of works is simply a publication of an English version of these conference materials to which a critical analysis of the sensational book in Georgia "A Little War that Shook the World", written by an eminent political-scientist and diplomat, R D Asmus, was added. In our opinion, it will help American readers to comprehend the issues more profoundly.

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Book SynopsisThe People''s Republic of China (PRC) continues to pursue a long-term, comprehensive military modernisation program designed to improve its armed forces'' capacity to fight short-duration, high-intensity regional conflicts. China''s military modernisation has the potential to reduce core U.S. military technological advantages. China is investing in capabilities designed to defeat adversary power projection and counter third-party -- including U.S. -- intervention during a crisis or conflict. This book examines the military and security developments involving the PRC. Moreover, it provides and discusses the highlights from China''s new defense white paper, "China''s Military Strategy".

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Book SynopsisThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called the Food Stamp Program, is designed primarily to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households to help them buy a nutritionally adequate low-cost diet. This book describes the rules related to eligibility for SNAP benefits as well as the rules for benefits and their redemption. In addition, this book discusses categorical eligibility and some of the issues raised by it. It first describes the three different types of categorical eligibility: traditional categorical eligibility conveyed through receipt of need-based cash assistance, and the newer "narrow" and "broad-based" categorical eligibilities conveyed via TANF "noncash" benefits. It also provides recent information on current state practices with regard to categorical eligibility, and discusses proposals to restrict categorical eligibility. Finally, the book discusses the Nutrition Title (Title IV) of the enacted 2014 farm bill.

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Book SynopsisOver the years, Congress has authorised and the federal government has administered programs to provide food to the hungry and to other vulnerable populations in this country. This book offers an overview of hunger and food insecurity along with the related network of programs. This book provides a bird''s-eye view of domestic food assistance and can be used both to learn about the details of individual programs as well as compare and contrast features across programs.

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Book SynopsisFarm businesses'' debt-use decisions can affect their growth and survival, as well as the economic vitality of farm-dependent rural communities. Thus policymakers, agricultural lenders, and other farm-sector participants closely follow trends in farm debt. This book is a primer on the use of debt by U.S. farm businesses for policymakers, researchers, and others interested in the financial well-being of U.S. agriculture. It presents data on basic debt-use patterns by farm businesses (in 2011, over 900,000 farms operated as farm businesses based on their size, organisational structure, or the occupation of their principal operator) and explores key trends over 20 years. U.S. farm debt use varies widely by farm size, specialisation, operator age, and other farm characteristics.

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Book SynopsisCongress is required by the Constitution to determine its own pay. In the past, Congress periodically enacted specific legislation to alter its pay; the last time this occurred affected pay in 1991. More recently, pay has been determined pursuant to laws establishing formulas for automatic adjustments. Members of Congress last received a pay adjustment in January 2009. A provision in the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act prohibited any pay adjustment for 2010. This book contains information on the pay procedure and actions and freezes since the last pay adjustment in 2009. It also contains historical information on the rate of pay for Members of Congress since 1789; the adjustments projected by the Ethics Reform Act as compared to actual adjustments in Member pay; details on past legislation enacted with language prohibiting the annual pay adjustment; and Member pay in constant and current dollars since 1992. In addition, the book contains information on actions taken affecting each pay year since the establishment of the Ethics Reform Act adjustment procedure. It also provides information on other floor action related to pay for Members of Congress; examines the distribution of Member service that underlies the aggregate chamber averages is examined; and analyzes historical trends in the percentage of Members who have served in both chambers.

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Book SynopsisNorth Korea is a closely controlled society, and its regime has taken actions that threaten the United States and other United Nations member states. North Korean tests of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles have prompted the United States and the UN to impose sanctions on North Korea. This book identifies the activities that are targeted by U.S. and UN sanctions specific to North Korea; describes how the United States implements its sanctions specific to North Korea and examines the challenges it faces in doing so; and describes how the UN implements its sanctions specific to North Korea and examines the challenges it faces in doing so.

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Book SynopsisGrounded in psychology, political science and education, this book presents Berne''s Transactional Analysis model used as a novel conceptual framework in order to interpret the diverse political tensions and military operations in the Middle East (e.g., Iraq, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine) and Afghanistan. Each chapter presents a comprehensive analysis of the geopolitical situation, with the ultimate objective of achieving conflict resolution and reconciliation. Moreover, this book offers a dynamic strategy for the assessment of communication and conduct by leaders of Western countries, especially the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France. Students, academics, military officers, and political leaders will find an effective communication framework for both understanding geopolitical interactions, and addressing frequently encountered communication issues and challenges at all stages of interpersonal, group, and/or state dynamic development. More particularly, this book seeks to fill the gap between psychology and political sciences, giving students, teachers and researchers a better understanding of how a psychological model of interpersonal communication could be addressed as an inclusive peacekeeping strategy. Moreover, it outlines a roadmap for further research within the field of international relationships and military warfare in order to help improve the added value of education (notably interpersonal communication) in conflict resolution and reconciliation. For practitioners and leaders implicated in crafting political agreements and universal diplomatic harmony, enhanced knowledge relative to the trends related to the enclosure of education in peacekeeping, human rights and democracy can facilitate to shape substantial actions in peace conciliations and orientation strategies. The purpose of these chapters is to provide guidance and basis for reflection to all readers in the realm of education, psychology, sociology, philosophy, military science, and political sciences. More generally, this book is to all those who are concerned with political psychology, group dynamics and leadership, diplomatic and military relationships, conflict resolution and reconciliation, as well as international sustainable peace. This collective work offers comprehensive and multifaceted perspectives arising from different fields with the fundamental goal of achieving an authentic concession, compromise and reconciliation. These perspectives reflect the diversity of approaches and actors involved in the issue of peace, as well as the ultimate quest for an international human dynamic concurrence and a fundamental welfare. Indeed, every education in the modern sense is implicitly or explicitly linked to objective ideas of development, according to an ideal universal harmony.

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Book SynopsisThis book describes the strategy of the United States for security and stability in Afghanistan as part of the non-combat, Resolute Support mission. It provides an anticipated threat assessment, as well as a description and assessment of the size, structure, strategy, budget, and financing of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

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Book SynopsisIn 2014, Congress for the first time provided the President with authority and funds to overtly train and lethally equip vetted members of the Syrian opposition for select purposes. These purposes include supporting U.S. efforts to combat the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations in Syria and setting the conditions for a negotiated settlement to Syria''s civil war. The FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act and the FY2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 provided that up to $500 million could be transferred from the newly-established Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund (CTPF) to train and equip such Syrian forces. Additional funding could be provided from other sources for the Syrian Train and Equip Program, including from foreign contributions, subject to the approval of the congressional defense committees. This book discusses the authorities, the funding, and issues for Congress of the Train and Equip Program for Syria. Moreover, the book provides an overview of armed conflict in Syria, and the U.S. response.

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Book SynopsisSince September 2013, China has undertaken extensive reclamation and construction on several reefs in the Spratly Island chain in the South China Sea, raising a variety of concerns in the United States and Asia. The reclamation has created over 2,000 acres of artificial landmasses on Chinese-occupied reefs that are disputed between several countries and are located in some of the world''s most heavily trafficked waters. China announced on June 16, 2015 that its reclamation work would be completed "in the upcoming days," and that when reclamation was finished, it would turn to building facilities on the newly created artificial islands. This book assesses legal, military/operational, and diplomatic implications of the reclamation and construction activity. It surveys U.S. and Chinese statements on the situation, provides a history of reclamation activity by other nations including the United States and other South China Sea claimants, and discusses U.S. strategy and potential options for U.S. policymakers.

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Book SynopsisChina''s global rise has prompted numerous discussions and studies of this historically monumental phenomenon and its implications for the world. On the one hand, China''s emergence as a global player has generated a lot of optimism for global development and economic convergence. On the other, it has spurred concerns about possible collisions on the world stage as existing and emerging powers seek to retain and redesign their roles and influences. Related opportunities and fears have been especially pronounced in countries neighbouring China, including in Central Asia where the newly independent and post-Soviet republics face a possibility of yet another imperial expansion due to strategic advances of the "Middle Kingdom." As the strongest power on the planet, the United States has a major stake in China''s and the region''s future because both directly affect the U.S. global standing and the U.S.-led global economic and security order. This book assesses China''s global rise through the prism of geopolitical and geo-economic forces sweeping through Central Asia.

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Book SynopsisDecreasing seasonal sea ice in the Arctic has made some Arctic waters navigable for longer periods and, as a result, may contribute to new economic opportunities in commercial shipping, oil exploration, and tourism. This could eventually increase the need for a U.S. military and homeland security presence in the Arctic, particularly in the maritime environment. This book discusses the role of DOD in the Arctic based on recent strategic guidance and its assessment of the security environment in the region; the actions taken by DOD to address near-term capability needs; and the efforts DOD has under way to update plans for the Arctic and identify future capability needs.

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Book SynopsisThe Supreme Court in its last term by a vote of 6-3 invalidated a statute passed by Congress touching on the status of Jerusalem, affirming the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision in Zivotofsky v. Secretary of State that the President''s power to recognise foreign sovereigns is exclusive and trumps Congress''s authority to regulate passports. The Court''s decision in Zivotofsky v. Kerry (Zivotofsky II) represents the first time the Court has struck down a congressionally enacted law on the basis of a separation-of-powers infringement involving a matter of foreign affairs. At the same time, the Court rejected the executive branch assertion that it has exclusive authority to conduct international diplomacy, while endorsing Congress''s ample authority to influence the nation''s foreign affairs. The implications the decision will have on Congress''s foreign affairs authority will likely depend on its interpretation by lower courts, as well as the two political branches. This book briefly describes legislative efforts to modify U.S. policy with respect to Jerusalem, in particular multiple enactments of the passport provision. The book next summarises the appellate court''s opinion finding the passport measure at issue unconstitutional. Turning to the Supreme Court decision, it presents brief synopses of the petitioner''s argument, the Secretary of State''s brief in response, and briefs of amici curiae submitted by the Senate and by some Members of the House of Representatives. The book then summarises the Supreme Court decision, including concurrences and dissents. Finally, the book concludes by suggesting possible implications of the decision with respect to Congress''s authority to influence foreign affairs.

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Book SynopsisA key idea in the study of democratic transitions is the notion that political actors play a pivotal role in initiating, controlling and shaping the changes that lead to democracy. Based on this premise, this book aims to offer an in-depth study of a series of political leaders that played a significant role in the Spanish democratic transition (1975-1982). This book opens with an introduction providing the historical, political and theoretical context for the study of the political leaders of the Spanish transition to democracy. The authors then offer in the first half of the book a study of the central and/or innovative leaders of the political transformation, i.e. Torcuato Fernández-Miranda, Adolfo Suárez González, Felipe González Márquez, Manuel Fraga Iribarne and Santiago Carrillo Solares. The second half of the book analyses the leadership roles of Fernando Abril Martorell, Francisco Fernández Ordóñez, Alfonso Guerra González, Jordi Pujol i Soley and Xabier Arzalluz Antia. Taken together, these ten leaders represented the main options in the political spectrum of the Spanish transition. Despite numerous studies devoted to the Spanish transition, little attention has been paid to it. This book aims to reconsider these ideas in an effort to improve upon our knowledge of political leadership during a crucial time in recent Spanish history.

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Book SynopsisThis book reviews economic, social and political issues of Latin America in the 21st century. Chapter One begins with a discussion of the latest breakthroughs in the literature on institutionalisation and consolidation of the party system in countries of this region. Chapter Two proposes an index intended to measure the formal political strengths of South American parliaments. Chapter Three explores the path sovereign debt resolutions have recently taken in developing countries. Chapter Four discusses regional migration in Latin America, focusing on the social and cultural aspects of a series of topics related to intraregional migration. Chapter Five summarises the results from two recent studies which empirically investigate how Cuban citizens represent the concept of happiness and its semantic space. Chapter Six reviews the literature which describes the two most recent cholera epidemics in the western hemisphere. Chapter Seven uses findings from a survey of attitudes and beliefs of nurses practicing in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, recent scholarly publications, and public health data, to provide a description and an analysis of the factors that are known to influence HIV care and prevention in Mexico.

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Book SynopsisSince 2001, successive U.S. administrations have increasingly prioritized efforts to build foreign security forces -- particularly in weak and failing states -- arguing that doing so advances U.S. national security objectives. In turn, the Department of Defense (DOD) has invested billions of dollars in "Building Partner Capacity," (BPC) a term that refers to a broad set of missions, programs, activities, and authorities intended to improve the ability of other nations to achieve those security-oriented goals they share with the United States. This book first seeks to build a common understanding of what, exactly, constitutes BPC by illuminating the various ways in which different USG components define it. In so doing, it charts the evolution of BPC in national strategy documents since the term was first coined in 2006. With that intellectual baseline established, it then explores whether BPC has proven an effective means by which the United States has accomplished its strategic objectives to which such programs have directed since World War II. Moreover, the book discusses Section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides the Secretary of Defense with authority to train and equip foreign military forces for two specified purposescounterterrorism and stability operationsand foreign security forces for counterterrorism operations. The book also provides basic information on the Global Security Contingency Fund (GSCF) legislation; describes processes State and DOD have developed to manage the program; describes the status of GSCF projects; and assesses the extent to which State and DOD have clearly defined time frames for GSCF projects.

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Book SynopsisIn the current era, e-Governance has emerged as a most prominent tool for strengthening democracy. Therefore, in the year 2006, the Government of India launched National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) which encompasses thirty-one Mission Mode Projects to automate high priority tasks associated with rural and urban areas of the country. However, the government is spending an enormous amount of funds in deployment of e-Governance; still, the success ratio of e-Governance projects in India is not overwhelming. The fourteen chapters within this fascinating compendium act as precious gems, reflecting light on diversified aspects of the intents converged towards e-Governance in India via evolution, implementation challenges, impact on societal issues, development of novel frameworks, involved legal issues and prospects. This book is an attempt to investigate the dominating aspects of conquering the objectives of e-Governance. Moreover, it will also encompass plausible, reengineered, conceptual frameworks which have not been discovered heretofore in order to combat with dominating obstacles. Additionally, it will contain a compendium of knowledge about the future of e-Governance in the Indian context. The major highlights of this book are given as followed: 1. Depiction of the current scenario of e-Governance in India from an international perspective; 2. Identification of aspects of the successful implementation of e-Governance; 3. Reengineering of existing methodologies in order to rejuvenate the existing scenario; 4. Major prospects of e-Governance in India; 5. Legal issues involved in e-Governance; 6. Exemplary case studies about successful e-Governance deployment from pioneering countries of the domain.

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Book SynopsisBolivia is known worldwide for the mineral wealth it produces. It is also renowned for being historically a complex multicultural and multiethnic society. This book studies the social, environmental and economic issues of Bolivia. Chapter One focuses on the indigenous presence in Chiquitanía. Chapter Two discusses the eastern borders of Bolivia in the early decades of the 19th century. Chapter Three presents the dynamic creation of the Plurinational State of Bolivia; and describes an environmental perspective which shows a contrast between capitalist production and the Buen vivir (well-being) models developed by the local Bolivian community, a fundamental contrast to understand the future of the Latin-American region. Chapter Four discusses the camelid populations and soil classification and fertility in Bolivia. Chapter Five examines the effect of artesanal gold mine activities on metals and metalloids contents in soils and sediments from Apolobamba, Bolivia.

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Book SynopsisThe United States and Spain have extensive cultural ties and a mutually beneficial economic relationship, and the two countries cooperate closely on numerous diplomatic and security issues. Spain has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 1982 and a member of the European Union (EU) since 1986. Given its role as a close U.S. ally and partner, developments in Spain and its relations with the United States are of continuing interest to the U.S. Congress. This book provides an overview and assessment of some of the main dimensions of these topics. This book also discusses Spain''s 2014 Human Rights Report; International Religious Freedom Report; and its 2015 climate statement.

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Book SynopsisThe European Union banking and securities legislation immediately before the global financial crisis is described in detail. Two significant inputs to the post-crisis legislation are considered in this book the international regulatory response through the Group of Twenty (G20) countries and the Financial Services Board, and the European Supervisory Authorities which comprise the European Banking Authority, a European Securities and Markets Authority and a European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. Aspects of the post-crisis securities and banking legislation are described with a comparison made with the pre-crisis legislation, in places in which this is possible. The securities legislation, in particular, has shown a considerable increase in its volume and contents in the last few years, and some of these provisions are reported and discussed. The final chapter considers the European Commissions plans for the completion of the Economic and Monetary Union, from the British perspective in light of the speech made by the then British Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Margaret Thatcher MP, at Bruges in September 1988. The global financial crisis exposed vulnerabilities in the Economic and Monetary Union, which the Commission is attempting to address with plans for further integration. It is not clear that this is wholly in the interests of Europes citizens.

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Book SynopsisSuccessive U.S. Administrations have viewed Morocco as an important regional ally, a partner in counterterrorism, and a free trade counterpart. Morocco receives substantial U.S. development aid, and bilateral trade and investment have increased following a 2006 Free Trade Agreement. Morocco also benefits from U.S. security assistance and military cooperation, and is a purchaser of U.S. defense articles, including F-16 jets. Some observers have placed greater emphasis on the U.S.-Morocco relationship amid regional turmoil and terrorist threats emanating from neighboring states in North Africa and the nearby Sahel region of West Africa. This book discusses current issues in Morocco. It also focuses on the geopolitical and economic drivers for the renewed Moroccan interest in West Africa and examines how Morocco is conducting its foreign and security policy in a variety of Western African countries. Furthermore, the book includes Morocco''s 2014 Human Rights Report, International Religious Freedom Report, and the Investment Climate Statement for 2015.

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Book SynopsisThis book compiles the works of many authors from some of the best academic institutions in the world, all related to Mexico''s contemporary general conditions. The main objective of this compilation is to examine Mexico as a whole, giving the reader an insight in its social, economic, political and environmental problems. For this purpose, the texts have been chosen in a way that after analysing a few of them, one will find them all correlated. The problems analysed in this book range from very recent (some of them occurring this past year) to others that go back decades or even centuries. In this sense, this contribution gives readers a historical perception of the problems captured. Some chapters develop scientific conclusions based on strict scientific research; however, the reader will find that the language is not overwhelming and the chapters can be thoroughly and easily read. Overall, it is a wonderful compilation made possible by all contributing authors and their interest to publish their most recent research on it. We hope that readers enjoy going through the pages of these chapters as they venture through contemporary Mexico, analysing topics from the environmental difficulties of Coahuila''s sand dunes to social changes in the Meseta Purépecha, passing through other topics, such as, the conditions of human rights protection in Mexico or the return of the PRI regime, among other great discussions. The authors'' interests are as different as their disciplines, but, in this case, diversity is important for maintaining multidisciplinary interpretations on the current needs of the Mexican society.

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Book SynopsisThe European Union (EU) is a unique partnership in which member states have pooled sovereignty in certain policy areas and harmonized laws on a wide range of economic, social, and political issues. The EU is the latest stage in a process of European integration begun after World War II, initially by six Western European countries, to promote peace, security, and economic development. Today, the EU is composed of 28 member states, including most of the formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This book provides a brief history of the EU and the major challenges currently confronting the EU as an institution. It also discusses the potential implications both for the EU itself and for U.S.-EU relations; examines the evolution of U.S.-EU counterterrorism cooperation; provides background on U.S. and EU data protection policies and the Safe Harbor Agreement; explores the implications for U.S. firms of Safe Harbors invalidation and the role of the proposed Judicial Redress Act in helping to ameliorate U.S.-EU tensions on data privacy and protection issues; and examines the Small Business Act for Europes various provisions and the major programs the European Commission has implemented to achieve the acts objectives.

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Book SynopsisIt had never occurred to Rutherford B. Hayes that he could be a presidential contender until he won an unprecedented third term as Ohios governor in 1875. Up to that point, he had been content with his life, but once he got the presidential bug it could not be shaken. At the 1876 Republican National convention, Maines Senator James G. Blaine appeared to have the presidential nomination within his grasp until there was a stampede for Hayes on the seventh ballot. As a Civil War hero, congressman, governor, and solid family man, Hayes was an attractive candidate. As a reformer, he had no ties to the scandals that had marred the Johnson and Grant Administrations. After a hotly contested campaign, Hayes lost the popular vote to New York Governor Samuel Tilden by a quarter million votes. The electoral count was unclear as both parties claimed to have won three Southern states. It took three months and the creation of an Electoral Commission to declare Hayes the presidential winner, just two days before his inauguration. For four years, President Hayes battled a hostile Congress controlled by Democrats as he attempted to reform the civil service, defending the independence of the presidency in an attempt to end sectionalism. His most controversial decision was to try a course of conciliation toward the South in an attempt to heal the rift from the Civil War. Many historians have said that Hayes ended Reconstruction, but in reality it was over before Hayes took office. When he was nominated to run for President, Hayes promised to serve only one term and did not renege on that promise. He returned to Ohio to live out his life with his family and to work for his community, veterans, education, prison reform, and equal rights.

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Book SynopsisSince the end of the Second World War, the role of women in the military has been evolving. Changes to laws and Department of Defense (DOD) policies have either eliminated or clarified restrictions on women serving in the military. A 2011 Military Leadership Diversity Commission reported that women comprise more than 50 percent of the recruiting pool for the officer corps. Public Law 113-291 included a provision for United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the Armed Forces outreach and recruitment efforts directed at womens representation in the officer corps, among other things. This book evaluates the extent to which accessions of women into the officer corps have increased, and DOD and the Coast Guard have determined resources and funding to increase the accessions of women into the officer corps; and DOD and the Coast Guard have initiatives and an oversight framework to increase the recruitment and accessions of female officers.

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Book SynopsisOver the past 25 years, the relationship between the United States and Poland has been close and cooperative. The United States strongly supported Polands accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999 and backed its entry into the European Union (EU) in 2004. In recent years, Poland has made significant contributions to U.S.- and NATO-led military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Poland and the United States continue working together on issues such as democracy promotion, counterterrorism, and improving NATO capabilities. Given its role as a close U.S. ally and partner, developments in Poland and its relations with the United States are of continuing interest to the U.S. Congress. This book provides an overview and assessment of some of the main dimensions of these topics.

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Book SynopsisThe George W Bush Presidency reshaped American politics through its policies and its use of executive power. This volume engages fundamental debates about the Bush (43) presidencys expansive interpretation of executive power, primarily in foreign and national-security policy, but also more generally for leadership and policy making. It examines presidential elections and party realignments in the early twenty-first century and their consequences for White House policy-making. It analyses how the Bush administration pursued initiatives in faith-based programs and homeland security, and established organizational structures that would endure well beyond his presidency. The volume also examines how the Bush (43) presidency established an enduring legacy in American politics through the Supreme Court and the Office of the First Lady. It concludes with an assessment of how these many areas of executive action and influence continue to direct presidential governance. By examining their evolution, this volume reveals choices and constraints in American politics today that derive from President Bushs leadership.

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