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Governing Complexity in Times of Turbulence
This book provides an understanding of how public organizations adapt to and manage situations characterized by fluidity, ambiguity, complexity and unclear technologies, thus exploring public governance in times of turbulence. An impressive selection of scholars present their research on governance in turbulent times and explore how public organizations adapt flexibly in turbulent situations. The editors introduce a diverse analytical toolkit contributing not only to an understanding of the role of complexity in public governance, but also suggesting how organizational formats may serve as usable design tools available to decision-makers in the pursuit of sustainable and responsible governance. Chapters explore a variety of topics and cases including artificial intelligence, antimicrobial resistance and sexuality education. Providing a broad coverage of empirical cases and a global outlook, this book will be an excellent read for scholars and practitioners in political science and public administration, as well as policy makers with interests in governance, leadership and citizen engagement.
Founding a Global Human Rights Culture for Trade Marks (Elgar Intellectual Property and Global Development series)
by Genevieve WilkinsonThis ground-breaking book demonstrates that states are not attentive enough to the serious human rights implications of trade mark protection. Important rights to freedom of expression, health, life, benefits from science and culture, privacy, a fair trial and protection from discrimination and hate speech are often insufficiently addressed.The book develops an original approach that enables policy-makers to realise these rights, advocating for the development of a global human rights culture for trade marks. Using diverse examples from Australia, Uruguay, Europe, the United States and Kenya, Genevieve Wilkinson explores how trade mark protection can both promote and restrict human rights. Focusing on three detailed case studies – tobacco plain packaging, anti-counterfeiting measures and contrary marks – the book translates emerging human rights frameworks for health into a human rights framework for trade marks. It calls for greater attention to how trade marks can impact economic, social and cultural rights and proposes new ways to detect counterfeit trade marked goods.Providing an innovative solution to an often overlooked problem, this book will be an invaluable guide for policy-makers and academics interested in human rights and intellectual property, and activists seeking to address conflicts between trade mark law and human rights law.
Export Restrictions and Export Controls: From WTO to the Realm of Global Security
by Umair H. GhoriRepresenting a continuation of the debate on export restrictions and export controls, this adroitly-crafted book expertly navigates the complexities of international trade law. Under the aegis of global security, it features a number of diverse yet interconnected topics on export restrictions and export controls and highlights the multi-faceted trade, economic, and security challenges faced by developed and developing countries.Providing a wealth of legal analysis, Umair Ghori explores a variety of central themes including the role of export restrictions and controls and their differences, the impact they have on WTO Members’ international trade and economic security interests, the inadequacies of the rules on export restrictions and how this affects the interests of trading nations, and meaningful reforms in trade and development. Ghori draws on historical and theoretical dimensions and examines the latest developments within the field. Through the judicious use of empirical evidence, Export Restrictions and Export Controls illustrates the pressing need for reform of current WTO disciplines in order to support the aspirations and security interests of the developing world.Both innovative and accessible, this book will appeal to academics, researchers and students of international trade and security studies, international economic law, trade law, and global and transnational law. Bringing a diverse perspective to scholarly discourse, it will also be of benefit to those interested in the wider field of international relations.
Research Handbook on Civil–Military Relations (Elgar Handbooks in Political Science)
Bringing together leading international scholars, this comprehensive Research Handbook analyses key problems, subjects, regions, and countries in civil-military relations. Showcasing cutting-edge research developments, it illustrates the deeply complex nature of the field and examines important topics in need of renewed consideration.Arranged in five thematic sections, chapters explore the role of armed forces in politics and society, the missions and roles of militaries, and crucial issues of control, compliance and effectiveness. Contributors present theoretically informed and empirically applied research asking novel questions and examining cutting-edge solutions to ongoing problems in the field. They demonstrate the wide range of research methodologies and meta-theoretical traditions in civil-military relations, spanning structuralism, behavioralism, institutionalism, and constructivism. Ultimately, the Research Handbook is a timely insight into the contemporary role of militaries, for example in democratization and autocratization processes and deployment during natural disasters and pandemics.The Research Handbook on Civil–Military Relations will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of military, security, and strategic studies, as well as comparative politics and military sociology. It will also be an important read for policymakers seeking to better understand the role of the military in society.
Handbook of Artificial Intelligence at Work: Interconnections and Policy Implications
With the advancement in processing power and storage now enabling algorithms to expand their capabilities beyond their initial narrow applications, technology is becoming increasingly powerful. This highly topical Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on work, assessing its effect on an array of economic sectors, the resulting nature of work, and the subsequent policy implications of these changes. Featuring contributions from leading experts across diverse fields, the Handbook of Artificial Intelligence at Work takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding AI’s connections to existing economic, social, and political ecosystems. Considering a range of fields including agriculture, manufacturing, health care, education, law and government, the Handbook provides detailed sector-specific analyses of how AI is changing the nature of work, the challenges it presents and the opportunities it creates. Looking forward, it makes policy recommendations to address concerns, such as the potential displacement of some human labor by AI and growth in inequality affecting those lacking the necessary skills to interact with these technologies or without opportunities to do so.This vital Handbook is an essential read for students and academics in the fields of business and management, information technology, AI, and public policy. It will also be highly informative from a cross-disciplinary perspective for practitioners, as well as policy makers with an interest in the development of AI technology.
Queen of King Street
by Tom McLaughlinUnlucky Bertie has gambled away the family fortune! So it's goodbye to the palace, hello to a little house on King Street for these royals. Who knew living like commoners could be so hard? A hilarious new story from the bestselling author of The Accidental Prime Minister, particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+
4u2read – Ted Rules the World (4u2read)
by Frank Cottrell BoyceSuddenly the Prime Minister is repeating all of Ted's great ideas like Monday's off for everyone … there's definitely something fishy going on! A hilarious comedy caper from award-winning author Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
On Bloody Sunday: A New History Of The Day And Its Aftermath – By The People Who Were There
by Julieann Campbell*****'A momentous chronicle, timely and vital, which highlights that the burden of change rests, as always, upon the shoulders of those who suffered and yet, have nurtured the desire that lessons be learned.' - Michael Mansfield QC, who represented a number of families during the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.'It's a wonderful book. The technique used - multiple voices speaking directly to us - is very simple but it has a profound effect. It puts us into the middle of the chaos of Bloody Sunday and keeps us there throughout the grief and anger that follow. A wonderful, wonderful book.' - Jimmy McGovern, BAFTA winning screenwriter, creator of 'Sunday' (2002)'This was a day like no other in my lifetime... a day that affected the lives of countless thousands on this Island. A day that many of us will never forget.... I look forward to reading Julieann Campbell's book On Bloody Sunday.' - Christy Moore, Irish songwriterIn January 1972, a peaceful civil rights march in Northern Ireland ended in bloodshed. Troops from Britain's 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment opened fire on marchers, leaving 13 dead and 15 wounded. Seven of those killed were teenage boys. The day became known as 'Bloody Sunday'.The events occurred in broad daylight and in the full glare of the press. Within hours, the British military informed the world that they had won an 'IRA gun battle'. This became the official narrative for decades until a family-led campaign instigated one of the most complex inquiries in history. In 2010, the victims of Bloody Sunday were fully exonerated when Lord Saville found that the majority of the victims were either shot in the back as they ran away or were helping someone in need. The report made headlines all over the world. While many buried the trauma of that day, historian and campaigner Juliann Campbell - whose teenage uncle was the first to be killed that day - felt the need to keep recording these interviews, and collecting rare and unpublished accounts, aware of just how precious they were. Fifty years on, in this book, survivors, relatives, eyewitnesses and politicians, shine a light on the events of Bloody Sunday, together, for the first time.As they tell their stories, the tension, confusion and anger build with an awful power. ON BLOODY SUNDAY unfolds before us an extraordinary human drama, as we experience one of the darkest moments in modern history - and witness the true human cost of conflict.
The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything
by Mike Rothschild*****'The Storm Is Upon Us is an impressive piece of research and a gripping read. Rothschild's book reads like a thriller, with cliffhangers that leave you eager for the next episode. The trouble, of course, is that it's not fiction.' - The Times'An ideal tour guide for your journey into the depths of the rabbit hole that is QAnon, and even shows you a glimmer of light at the exit.' - Cullen Hoback, director of HBO's Q: Into the StormIn 2017, President Trump made a cryptic remark at a gathering of military officials, describing it as 'the calm before the storm'-then refused to explain himself to puzzled journalists. But on internet message boards, a mysterious poster called 'Q Clearance Patriot' began an elaboration all of their own.Q's wild yarn hinted at a vast conspiracy that satisfied the deepest desires of MAGA-America. None of Q's predictions came to pass. But did that stop people from clinging to every word, expanding Q's mythology, and promoting it ever more widely? No.Conspiracy culture expert Mike Rothschild is uniquely equipped to explain QAnon, from the cults that first fed into it, to its embrace by Trump and the right-wing media. With families torn apart and with the Capitol under attack, he argues that mocking the madness of QAnon will get us nowhere. Instead, he argues that QAnon tells us everything we need to know about global fear after Trump-and that we need to understand it now, because it's not going away.
The Fourth Man: The Hunt for the KGB’s CIA Mole and Why the US Overlooked Putin
by Robert Baer'Reads like Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy' -James Risen, The Intercept For the first time ever, New York Times bestselling author and former CIA operative Robert Baer tells the explosive story of how insiders believe a KGB mole rose to the highest ranks of the CIA.In the aftermath of the Cold War, US intelligence caught three high-profile Russian spies. However, these arrests left major questions unanswered, and rumours have long swirled of another mole, often referred to as the Fourth Man. Three pioneering female veterans of counterintelligence were tasked with unearthing him. With steadfast determination and expertise, they came to a shocking conclusion, one which had, and continues to harbour, dramatic consequences for American security.In this gripping insider account, Baer tells a thrilling story of Russian espionage and American intelligence. With profound implications for the rise of Vladimir Putin and international relations with Russia, The Fourth Man is a real-life spy thriller with echoes of John Le Carré.
TAXTOPIA: How I Discovered the Injustices, Scams and Guilty Secrets of the Tax Evasion Game
by The Rebel Accountant'A shocking, enraging, sometimes hilarious exposé of a tax system that lives down to all our worst fears of further enriching the wealthy at the expense of the little guys.' - Piers Morgan'Very funny (and furious)... By the end of the book you may be spluttering with rage at the injustice of it all. Page after page shows how the rich are exploiting loopholes to reduce their tax bill.... But this is not some crazed figure on the extreme left hoping to bring down the establishment. The book is written by an accountant who has spent his career coming up with the very tax avoidance schemes the super-wealthy use to evade the clutches of HMRC.' - The Telegraph'Funny, clever and really quite brilliant. Taxtopia will make you furiously angry and possibly even filthy rich.' - Tom Peck, The Independent'If you want to know how skewed the system is and how the rich always get richer and stay that way, while you don't, then read this book. Then get angry.' - Patrick Alley, Co-founder of Global Witness and author of Very Bad People'Taxtopia's anonymous author has done the impossible - created a hilarious and deeply troubling expose about how the world's shady tax system is exploited and proves what we always suspected - that our tax system is rigged against us. Read it and weep.' - Geraint Anderson author of City Boy'Would I recommend the book? For readers of Spear's, my answer is 'yes, and it may also be worth going back over some of the more interesting ideas with your accountant' -Spear's'The book is enormously readable ... I would very much recommend reading Taxtopia because it's the most hilarious book about tax I've ever read!' - Siân Pattenden, The BunkerIn TAXTOPIA a rogue accountant breaks ranks to share his journey from clueless naïf to skilled tax consultant -and in doing so blows the lid on the murky world of making the tax burdens of the ultra-wealthy disappear.In the topsy-turvy world of tax avoidance, you can get richer by buying a yacht, the world's biggest exporter of coffee is Switzerland, and billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Donald Trump and the Duke of Westminster often pay less tax than you do.Written with sharp wit and over-brimming with inside secrets, the anonymous author shows us that not only does the global tax system encourage dubious practice which favours the rich, but that it was specifically founded with that in mind.If you suspect that tax is a rigged game, a con, designed to fleece the little guy, you are about to find out just how shockingly true that really is.Welcome to TAXTOPIA.
Error of Judgement: The Birmingham Bombings and the Scandal That Shook Britain
by Chris Mullin'Very occasionally a journalist starts an avalanche with a single gunshot... Chris Mullin and his TV colleagues belong in the glorious company."-The Observer'One of the greatest feats ever achieved by an investigative reporter'-Sebastian Faulks, the Independent on Sunday'Whoever planted the bombs in Birmingham...also planted a bomb under the British legal establishment'-Robert Harris, Sunday TimesError of Judgment lit a fire under the establishment when it was first published, shattering the prosecution case against six Irishmen charged with the Birmingham Bombings and going on to change the course of British legal history.On the evening of 21st November 1974, bombs planted by the IRA in two crowded Birmingham pubs exploded, killing 21 people and injuring at least 170. Within a day of the explosion, six men - Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Billy Power, Johnny Walker and Hughie Callaghan - were arrested and charged. All were found guilty.Methodically, with total clarity and a tone that is both gripping and impassioned, then investigative journalist Mullin unpicked every detail of the case, revealing gaping holes in the prosecution case and the horrifying consequences of an establishment determined to close ranks.Now 50 years on from the Birmingham Bombings and with new writing from Mullin, this classic edition of Error of Judgement tells the complete story of one of the most significant miscarriages of justice ever. As relevant now as it was when it was first published, it's an essential text on corruption, violence and bias in British policing and justice.
Ghosts of the British Museum: A True Story of Colonial Loot and Restless Objects
by Noah Angell'An absorbingly creepy travelogue through the corridors, tunnels and basements of our most famous cultural repository. With Noah Angell as our guide, the British Museum becomes a haunted prison filled with imperial plunder and restless spirits clamouring for attention.' - Malcolm Gaskill, author of The Ruin Of All Witches'Fascinating and illuminating' - Peter Ackroyd'Brilliantly delicate, pointed, shivery... You could read it as a guide to which galleries to avoid - or to where the push for repatriation should be most urgent.' - Erin L. Thompson, professor of art crime at the City University of New York'Achieves a near-impossible marriage between paranormal pop-culture, folklore and hauntology' - Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts'A heady cocktail of history and folklore that leaves a haunting aftertaste... Spine-tingling' - Lindsey Fitzharris, New York Times bestselling author of The FacemakerWhat if the British Museum isn't a carefully ordered cross section of history but is in instead a palatial trophy cabinet of colonial loot - swarming with volatile and errant spirits?When artist and writer Noah Angell first heard murmurs of ghostly sightings at the British Museum he had to find out more. What started as a trickle soon became a deluge as staff old and new - from overnight security to respected curators - brought him testimonies of their supernatural encounters.It became clear that the source of the disturbances was related to the Museum's contents - unquiet objects, holy plunder, and restless human remains protesting their enforced stay within the colonial collection's cabinets and deep underground vaults. According to those who have worked there, the institution is heaving with profound spectral disorder.Ghosts of the British Museum fuses storytelling, folklore and history, digs deep into our imperial past and unmasks the world's oldest national museum as a site of ongoing conflict, where restless objects are held against their will.It now appears that the objects are fighting back.
The Power In The People: How We Can Change The World
by Michael Mansfield'A lifetime spend fighting the powers that be and turning personal pain into collective power. Take care of this book because you are holding our history in your hands.' - LOWKEY'Michael Mansfield is the greatest civil liberties lawyer this country has ever produced' - Baroness HELENA KENNEDY of the Shaws KC'Michael Mansfield has given power to the voiceless, the innocents ... For this, he too is a hero' - JOHN PILGER'Michael Mansfield combines rare humanity with a brilliant understanding of the law' - JON SNOW'A book of great importance ... Mr Mansfield's thoughtful reflections demand our attention' - KEN LOACH'An impressive and inspiring read' - DUNCAN CAMPBELL 'I want this book to inspire people, give them a blueprint for fighting their own battles, and challenge the status quo. To see that together, we are always stronger. To understand that those who stand in the way of change cannot do so forever.' Michael Mansfield, KCBarrister Michael Mansfield, KC, has spent his career fighting injustice, persecution and corruption. And be it the Birmingham Six, Bloody Sunday, Stephen Lawrence, the Marchioness, Hillsborough or Grenfell, he has come to learn one thing - that people power is unstoppable.Time and again he has witnessed governments, police forces, legal institutions and the establishment, try to block change and maintain the status quo in order to protect their interests. But almost every time he has seen that passion, perseverance, collectivity and courage create a powerful momentum which is increasingly difficult to stop.In this short but powerful book, the veteran barrister draws upon his 50 years of fighting for justice and revisits his most important cases and clients, proving without doubt that when people get together they can make lasting and positive change.The power is in the people - not the people in power.
What Everyone Knows About Britain* (*Except The British)
by Michael PeelHow do you see Britain?That might depend on your point of view, and as long time British foreign correspondent, Michael Peel has come to understand, it can look very different from outside.It's tempting to think of the UK as a fundamentally stable and successful nation. But events of the past few years, from Brexit to exposés of imperial history, have begun to spark fierce public debates about whether that is true. Is Britain, just a marginal northern European island nation, marked by injustices, corruption and with a bloody history of slavery, repression and looting?And yet UK politics, media, and public opinion live constantly in the shadow of old myths, Second World War era nostalgia, and a belief in supposedly core British values of tolerance, decency and fair play. British politicians regularly exploit a damaging complacency that holds that everything will turn out okay, because, in Britain, it always does.In WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT BRITAIN, Michael Peel digs into the national consciousness with the perspective of distance to pull apart the ways in which we British have become unmoored from crucial truths about ourselves. He shows us that from many perspectives we are no different from other countries whose own national delusions have seen them succumb to abuses of power, increased poverty and divisive conflict.The battle over Britain's narrative is the struggle for its future and its place in the world. So, how do we escape the trick mirror - and see ourselves as we really are?
Terrible Humans: The World's Most Corrupt Super-Villains And The Fight to Bring Them Down
by Patrick Alley'Few people have shown more commitment to investigative journalism than Patrick Alley. His latest book is a vivid, compelling testament to the importance of revealing corruption and wrong-doing and shining a light into dark places, wherever in the world they are.' -Peter Geoghegan, author of Democracy for SaleA small number of people, motivated by an insatiable greed for power and wealth, and backed by a pinstripe army of enablers (and sometimes real armies too), have driven the world to the brink of destruction. They are the super-villains of corruption and war, some with a power greater than nation state and the capacity to derail the world order. Propping up their opulent lifestyles is a mess of crime, violence and deception on a monumental scale. But there is a fightback: small but fearless groups of brilliant undercover sleuths closing in on them, one step at a time.In Terrible Humans, Patrick Alley, co-founder of Global Witness and the author of Very Bad People, introduces us to some of the world's worst warlords, grifters and kleptocrats who can be found everywhere from presidential palaces to the board rooms of some of the world's best known companies. Pitted against them, the book also follows the people unravelling the deals, tracking the money and going undercover at great risk. From the oligarch charged with ordering the killing of an investigative journalist to the mercenary army seizing the natural resources of an entire African country, this is a whirlwind tour of the dark underbelly of the world's super powerful and wickedly wealthy, and the daring investigators dragging them into the light.***PRAISE FOR Very Bad People:'Reads like a John le Carré novel but is, in fact, very real.' -The Big Issue'Part true crime tale, part investigative procedural, this is the account of the brilliant and necessary superheroes of Global Witness, whose superpower is the truth.' -Edward Zwick, Director of Blood Diamond'Very Bad People reads like a non-stop high-speed chase' -David Farr, Screenwriter, The Night Manager'Simply riveting. Don't miss it.' -Misha Glenny, author of McMafia'A clear-eyed account of a world poisoned by dark money, and a welcome reminder that resistance is possible.' -Irish Times
Love in a Time of War: My Years with Robert Fisk
by Lara MarloweThe Irish Times bestseller 'A gripping tale of savagery and courage' Noam Chomsky 'Fascinating and captivating' Irish Times 'A beautiful book... Full of pain and longing but also joy, adventure, and excitement' Janine di Giovanni 'A superb account of the life and work of the best reporter I have ever known' Patrick CockburnWhen Lara Marlowe met Robert Fisk in 1983 in Damascus, he was already a famous war correspondent. She was a young American reporter who would become a renowned journalist in her own right. For the next twenty years, they were lovers, husband and wife and friends, occasionally angry and estranged from one another, but ultimately reconciled. They learned from each other and from the people in the ruined world they reported from: Lebanon, torn apart by a vicious civil war as well as Israeli and Syrian occupations; Iran, where they were the only journalists to interview the Middle East's chief hostage-taker and dispatcher of suicide bombers; the Islamist revolt that claimed up to 200,000 lives in Algeria; the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and two US-led wars on Iraq. This is at once a portrait of a remarkable man, the story of a Middle East broken by its own divisions and outside powers, and a moving account of a relationship in dark times.
Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco
by Stephan TaltyIn the Spring of 1993, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. A 51-day standoff ensued. Known as the Waco Siege, it has become a founding myth of the extreme wing of American conservatism, invoked by militiamen, gun rights advocates, and the alt-right.The leader of the evangelical sect, an extreme form of Seventh-Day Adventism, was David Koresh. Born Vernon Howell, he was a preacher, interpreter of the Bible, and obsessed with the coming of the Apocalypse. A charismatic but highly volatile man, he was a former victim of sexual abuse who himself became a sexual predator on a large scale, exploiting many of the women in his compound.Koresh is Stephan Talty's extraordinary, meticulous narration of the events that led up to the Waco Siege. Drawing on new sources, FBI negotiation tapes, and interviews with family and friends, this definitive biography explores how Koresh grew from a young man to a cult leader, and investigates why the siege has become an enduring symbol for radical opponents of the democratic state.PRAISE FOR STEPHAN TALTY: 'Gripping... A valuable recounting of a lurid and little-known episode in American history' Washington Post. ''Part Holocaust history, part detective case, part spy operation, The Good Assassin is an enthralling book... Stephan Talty paints vivid, often chilling, portraits of its vengeful hero, Mossad agent Jacob Medad' Neal Bascomb. 'Compelling... Talty remains true to his technique, delivering thoroughly researched, engrossing non-fiction in a thriller-like narrative style' Kirkus. 'Talty captures the chilling realities of bloody battlefields, tense war rooms and besieged London... Elegantly crafted' Wall Street Journal. 'Thrilling... An extraordinary crime story with a genuine American hero too long forgotten' - Dallas Morning News
Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality
by Eyal PressA compelling investigation into the phenomenon of dirty work – labour that society considers essential, but morally compromised. A New Statesman Book of the Year 'This book will prompt a public reckoning with inequality in work' Michael J. Sandel 'A scathing and thoughtful book about labor and principles' Rebecca Solnit 'A writer in the tradition of George Orwell and Martha Gellhorn' Corey Robin 'Confronts a series of deep and vexing moral questions... penetrating, astutely observed, beautifully written' Patrick Radden KeefeGuards who patrol the wards of America's most violent and abusive prisons; undocumented immigrants who man the 'kill floors' of industrial slaughterhouses; drone operators who kill people from thousands of miles away.These are the essential workers we prefer not to think about. Their morally dubious, often physically violent and dangerous activity sustains modern society yet is concealed from our gaze. It is work that falls disproportionately in deprived areas, on immigrants and people of colour, and entails a less familiar set of occupational hazards – stigma, shame and moral injury.A striking, sophisticated and nuanced investigation, Dirty Work will change the way you think about society.
Roundabout of Death
by Faysal KhartashA powerful and beautiful Syrian novel set in Aleppo during the early days of the civil war that followed the Arab Spring. 'Beautiful... brings to a wider audience one of the best Syrian novelists of his generation' TLS 'A sublime distillation of one of the tragedies of the early twenty-first century' Independent 'Masterful... Kaleidoscopic: personal and collective, serendipitous and fatalistic' Los Angeles TimesJumaa is a schoolteacher in Aleppo. He observes and lives through the literal disintegration of his beautiful native city. Through his eyes, in a mixture of first and third person narration, we experience the razing of entire neighbourhoods, the apparently random dropping of barrel bombs, the bewildering variety of militias and government security forces loyal to Assad, the arbitrary cruelties and the complicated journeys that people have to make simply to cross the city.Roundabout of Death offers powerful witness to the violence that obliterated the ancient city's rich layers of history, its neighbourhoods and medieval and Ottoman landmarks. Aleppo was home to Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, Christians and other sects. The war tore those communities apart and made their city a wasteland.
The Politician: The unmissable new thriller with an unforgettable detective – a must-read series this Christmas 2022 (A DS Cross Thriller)
by Tim Sullivan'I am insanely in love with George Cross, a perfect detective for our time and for all time' Stephen Fry A ransacked room. A dead politician. A burglary gone wrong – or a staged murder?THE DETECTIVEDS George Cross loves puzzles – he's good at them – and he immediately spots one when he begins investigating the death of former mayor Peggy Frampton. It looks like a burglary that went horribly wrong to most but George can see what others can't – that this was murder.THE PUZZLEAfter her political career ended, Peggy became a controversial blogger whose forthright opinions attracted a battalion of online trolls. And then there's her family: an unfaithful husband and a gambling-addicted son. With yet more enemies in her past, the potential suspects are unending.THE SUSPECTSCross must unpick the never-ending list of seedy connections to find her killer – but the sheer number of suspects is clouding his usually impeccable logic. He's a relentlessly methodical detective, but no case can last forever. And politics can be a dangerous game – especially for people who don't know the rules . . .Perfect for fans of M.W. Craven, Peter James and Joy Ellis, The Politician is part of the DS George Cross thriller series, which can be read in any order.'True characters, a fresh setting, and a good mystery – this one's got the lot.' The Morning StarWhy readers love George Cross . . . 'The fact that Cross has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder makes him just as intriguing as the murder mystery' The Times 'A British detective for the 21st century who will be hard to forget' Daily Mail 'A compelling, suspenseful police procedural with an intimate, positive insight into living on the autistic spectrum' Woman 'The enigmatic DS Cross is a joy to get to know' Reader Review 'One hell of a detective' Reader review
Resurrection (The Englishman)
by David GilmanDan Raglan, former Foreign Legion fighter, alias The Englishman, returns in Resurrection, the new high-octane, high-stakes international thriller from David Gilman.Somewhere in the Sahara, on the desolate border between Sudan and Chad, a P51 Mustang with long-range drop tanks slowly emerges from the dunes.Inside, the skeletalized remains of a man missing for three decades.His flying jacket bears no insignia, a worn leather attaché case lies by his side, held securely by a manacle around his left wrist. Inside a document men will kill for. Die for.The sands of time have shifted, and whoever finds that aircraft finds information that could expose the most valuable spy the UK intelligence service has ever known.The British, the French, and the Russians are on the trail.And so is Raglan.Reviewers on David Gilman:'An author at the zenith of his powers' Peter James 'Raglan is nicely complex: an action man with inner depths' Financial Times
The Dark Queens: A gripping tale of power, ambition and murderous rivalry in early medieval France
by Shelley PuhakA vivid double biography of two fearless early medieval queens. 'Brings the Merovingian empire to thrilling, bewildering, horrifying life' Helen Castor 'Restores two half-forgotten and much-mythologized queens to their proper place in medieval history' Dan Jones 'Fredegund and Brunhild have finally found a worthy champion' Literary ReviewBrunhild was a Visigothic princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet – in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport – these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms for decades. The two queens commanded armies, developed taxation policies, established infrastructure and negotiated with emperors and popes, all the time fighting a gruelling forty-year civil war with each other. Yet after Brunhild and Fredegund's deaths, their names were consigned to slander and legend.From the tangled primary evidence of Merovingian sources, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak weaves a gripping and intricate tale, its characters driven by ambition, lust and jealousy to acts of treachery and murderous violence. The Dark Queens resurrects these two women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of a shadowy era and dispelling some of the stubbornest myths about female power.
Middle-Power Responses to China’s BRI and America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy: A Transformation of Geopolitics
by Dean Karalekas Fu-Kuo Liu Csaba MoldiczAsia is at a geopolitical crossroads. After China launched its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, Japan and the United States responded with the November 2017 promulgation of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Strategy. Perhaps not surprisingly, these two initiatives share some common features, and two of these - their ambiguity and their competitiveness - seem to be crucial in the foreign policy evaluation process. Competition leads to ambiguity, which makes reactions, and responses in foreign policy more and more difficult. Middle-Power Responses to China’s BRI and America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy addresses that gap. Starting from the insight that neither the BRI nor the FOIP exists in isolation, and drawing on the knowledge that when either China or the United States sneezes, it is often the less powerful geopolitical players that catch the worst colds, the chapters gathered herein examine how the US-China geopolitical competition affects nations as diverse as Taiwan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the member states of ASEAN. These insights are provided by an international, multidisciplinary group of leading experts that include military flag officers, academic researchers, current and former government officials, and retired diplomats, all of whom contribute to a well-rounded, multifaceted view of the transformation that is currently taking place in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific.
Middle-Power Responses to China’s BRI and America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy: A Transformation of Geopolitics
by Dean Karalekas, Fu-kuo Liu, Csaba MoldiczAsia is at a geopolitical crossroads. After China launched its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, Japan and the United States responded with the November 2017 promulgation of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Strategy. Perhaps not surprisingly, these two initiatives share some common features, and two of these - their ambiguity and their competitiveness - seem to be crucial in the foreign policy evaluation process. Competition leads to ambiguity, which makes reactions, and responses in foreign policy more and more difficult. Middle-Power Responses to China’s BRI and America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy addresses that gap. Starting from the insight that neither the BRI nor the FOIP exists in isolation, and drawing on the knowledge that when either China or the United States sneezes, it is often the less powerful geopolitical players that catch the worst colds, the chapters gathered herein examine how the US-China geopolitical competition affects nations as diverse as Taiwan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the member states of ASEAN. These insights are provided by an international, multidisciplinary group of leading experts that include military flag officers, academic researchers, current and former government officials, and retired diplomats, all of whom contribute to a well-rounded, multifaceted view of the transformation that is currently taking place in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific.