Description
Book SynopsisIn this now classic text, December Green and Laura Luehrmann show how history, economics, and politics
converge to create the realities of life in the Global South.
The authors offer an innovative blend of theory and empirical material as they introduce the politics of what was
once called the “third world.” They consistently link theoretical concepts to a set of eight contemporary case
studies: China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, and Zimbabwe.
Features of the fourth edition, revised and updated from cover to cover, include:
• An entirely new case study, Egypt.
• Analysis of the status of regime transitions around the world.
• A “report card” on the Millennium Development Goals.
• Attention to the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and the New Development Bank.
• More discussion of contentious politics, social mobilization and everyday forms of resistance.
• New material on such continuing challenges as migration, human trafficking, weapons proliferation, pandemic
diseases, and the impact of climate change.
• An assessment of continuity and change in `international relations, with particular attention to policies during
the Obama presidency and the significance for the Global South of the new US administration.
The result is a text that has been successfully designed to challenge students’ preconceptions, arouse their
curiosity, and foster critical thinking.
Trade Review Praise for the previous editions:
“This book outshines any other text I have seen.... The authors do a wonderful job of synthesizing a
great deal of information and presenting it in terms that should engage an audience of undergraduates.”
—Dwight Hahn, John Carroll University
“The writing style is lively and the detail is impressive.... another welcome innovation is the welding together
of the discussion of key issues with the eight country cases.” —Ross Burkhart, Boise State University
Table of ContentsComparing and Defining a Complex World. HISTORICAL LEGACIES. Precolonial History: What Once
Was, and Why It Matters. How Colonialism Changed Everything. Independence: In Name Only? ECONOMIC
REALITIES. Sustainable Human Development: A Progress Report. Adjustments, Conditions, and Alternatives.
POLITICS AND POLITICAL CHANGE. Civil Society Takes on the State. Militaries, Militias, Guerrillas, and Terrorists.
Transitions: Democracy, Dictatorship, and the Messy Middle. Authoritarian Backlash: Freedom in Decline? THE
INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM. Sovereignty and the Role of International Organizations. Confronting Global
Challenges. Global South Perspectives on the United States. CONCLUSION. Looking Forward: Contested Images of
Power.
