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Idiotism: Capitalism and the Privatisation of Life
by Neal CurtisIdiotism examines society in late capitalism where the market logic of neoliberalism has become the new ‘common sense’. *BR**BR*Using the Greek word idios, meaning 'private', Neal Curtis calls this privatisation of the world ‘idiotism’. Through constructing a new vocabulary with which to understand our society, Curtis examines 'idiotism' across the spheres of economics, politics and culture, drawing on the philosophy and political theories of Martin Heidegger, Louis Althusser, Franco Berardi, Jacques Rancière and Cornelius Castoriadis. *BR**BR*This book recasts our conception of the new privatised world's 'common sense', presenting it as not simply a case of false consciousness, but an problem related to our own existence.*BR**BR*
A User's Guide to the Crisis of Civilization: And How to Save It
by Nafeez Mosaddeq AhmedIt often seems that different crises are competing to devastate civilisation. This book argues that financial meltdown, dwindling oil reserves, terrorism and food shortages need to be considered as part of the same ailing system.*BR**BR*Most accounts of our contemporary global crises focus on one area, such as climate change, or the threat of terrorism, to the exclusion of others. Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed argues that the unwillingness of experts to consider crises from an interdisciplinary perspective, has resulted in their failure to understand historical events. From ecology and the environment, to political governance, the global economy and international relations, Ahmed investigates contemporary crises, not as isolated events, but as trends and processes that belong to a single global system. Ahmed posits that we are therefore not dealing with a 'clash of civilisations', as Samuel P. Huntington argued. Rather, we are dealing with a fundamental crisis of civilisation itself.
Weapon of the Strong: Conversations on US State Terrorism
by Jon Bailes Cihan AksanThe term ‘terrorism’ is often applied exclusively to non-state groups or specific ‘rogue states’. Far less attention is given to state terrorism carried out or sponsored by democracies, most notably the United States. History shows that this state terrorism has been responsible for the deaths of millions of people. *BR**BR*Weapon of the Strong analyses the forms of US state terrorism through exclusive, never before published interviews with leading commentators and theorists, including Noam Chomsky, Edward S. Herman, Richard A. Falk, Judith Butler, Ted Honderich, Norman Finkelstein and Gilbert Achcar. The interviews explore the different aspects of state terrorism: its functions, institutional supports and the legal and moral arguments surrounding it, and consider specific case studies in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.*BR**BR*Weapon of the Strong makes an indispensable contribution to contemporary debates on terrorism and constructs a damning critique of US foreign policy from World War Two to the present day.
Weapon of the Strong: Conversations on US State Terrorism
by Jon Bailes Cihan AksanThe term ‘terrorism’ is often applied exclusively to non-state groups or specific ‘rogue states’. Far less attention is given to state terrorism carried out or sponsored by democracies, most notably the United States. History shows that this state terrorism has been responsible for the deaths of millions of people. *BR**BR*Weapon of the Strong analyses the forms of US state terrorism through exclusive, never before published interviews with leading commentators and theorists, including Noam Chomsky, Edward S. Herman, Richard A. Falk, Judith Butler, Ted Honderich, Norman Finkelstein and Gilbert Achcar. The interviews explore the different aspects of state terrorism: its functions, institutional supports and the legal and moral arguments surrounding it, and consider specific case studies in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.*BR**BR*Weapon of the Strong makes an indispensable contribution to contemporary debates on terrorism and constructs a damning critique of US foreign policy from World War Two to the present day.
Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism
by Paolo GerbaudoWhat should we make of the culture of the protest movements of the 21st century? From the Arab Spring to the 'indignados' protests in Spain and the Occupy movement, Paolo Gerbaudo examines the relationship between the rise of social media and the emergence of new forms of protest. *BR**BR*Gerbaudo argues that activists' use of Twitter and Facebook does not fit with the image of a 'cyberspace' detached from physical reality. Instead, social media is used as part of a project of re-appropriation of public space, which involves the assembling of different groups around 'occupied' places such as Cairo’s Tahrir Square or New York’s Zuccotti Park. *BR**BR*An exciting and invigorating journey through the new politics of dissent, Tweets and the Streets points both to the creative possibilities and to the risks of political evanescence which new media brings to the contemporary protest experience.
Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism
by Paolo GerbaudoWhat should we make of the culture of the protest movements of the 21st century? From the Arab Spring to the 'indignados' protests in Spain and the Occupy movement, Paolo Gerbaudo examines the relationship between the rise of social media and the emergence of new forms of protest. *BR**BR*Gerbaudo argues that activists' use of Twitter and Facebook does not fit with the image of a 'cyberspace' detached from physical reality. Instead, social media is used as part of a project of re-appropriation of public space, which involves the assembling of different groups around 'occupied' places such as Cairo’s Tahrir Square or New York’s Zuccotti Park. *BR**BR*An exciting and invigorating journey through the new politics of dissent, Tweets and the Streets points both to the creative possibilities and to the risks of political evanescence which new media brings to the contemporary protest experience.
Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity: The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism
by Tony NovoselRejecting the dominant narratives of the Troubles, this is a unique in-depth investigation into working-class Loyalism in Northern Ireland, as represented by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), the Red Hand Commando (RHC) and their political allies.*BR**BR*In an unorthodox account, that disputes the idea that loyalism was apolitical and sectarian, Tony Novosel argues that loyalist groups, seen as implacable enemies by Republicans and the left, developed a political analysis of the Northern Ireland conflict in the 1970s which involved a compromise peace with all political parties and warring factions - something that historians and writers have largely ignored. *BR**BR*Distinctive, deeply informed and provocative, Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity is the first study to focus not on the violent actions of the UVF/RHC but on their political vision and programme which, Novosel argues, undeniably contributed to the Conflict Transformation Process, by upholding the potential for a viable peace based on compromise with all groups, including the Irish Republican Army.
Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity: The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism
by Tony NovoselRejecting the dominant narratives of the Troubles, this is a unique in-depth investigation into working-class Loyalism in Northern Ireland, as represented by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), the Red Hand Commando (RHC) and their political allies.*BR**BR*In an unorthodox account, that disputes the idea that loyalism was apolitical and sectarian, Tony Novosel argues that loyalist groups, seen as implacable enemies by Republicans and the left, developed a political analysis of the Northern Ireland conflict in the 1970s which involved a compromise peace with all political parties and warring factions - something that historians and writers have largely ignored. *BR**BR*Distinctive, deeply informed and provocative, Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity is the first study to focus not on the violent actions of the UVF/RHC but on their political vision and programme which, Novosel argues, undeniably contributed to the Conflict Transformation Process, by upholding the potential for a viable peace based on compromise with all groups, including the Irish Republican Army.
Arms and the People: Popular Movements and the Military from the Paris Commune to the Arab Spring
by Mike Gonzalez Houman BarekatThis collection examines the relationship between mass movements and the military. Some argue that it is impossible to achieve and protect a revolution without the support of the army, but how can the support of the army be won?*BR**BR*Arms and the People explores the impact of social extremes on the solidarity within the state’s military, and on the changing loyalties of these soldiers. The authors examine a series of historical moments in which a crisis in the military has reflected deep instability in the wider world, including Russia in 1917, Egypt during the Arab Spring, the Paris Commune, as well as long-standing instability in Venezuela and Indonesia, amongst many others.*BR**BR*Including a range of international authors who have either studied or been directly involved in such social upheavals, Arms and the People is a pioneering contribution to the study of revolutionary change.
Arms and the People: Popular Movements and the Military from the Paris Commune to the Arab Spring
by Mike Gonzalez Houman BarekatThis collection examines the relationship between mass movements and the military. Some argue that it is impossible to achieve and protect a revolution without the support of the army, but how can the support of the army be won?*BR**BR*Arms and the People explores the impact of social extremes on the solidarity within the state’s military, and on the changing loyalties of these soldiers. The authors examine a series of historical moments in which a crisis in the military has reflected deep instability in the wider world, including Russia in 1917, Egypt during the Arab Spring, the Paris Commune, as well as long-standing instability in Venezuela and Indonesia, amongst many others.*BR**BR*Including a range of international authors who have either studied or been directly involved in such social upheavals, Arms and the People is a pioneering contribution to the study of revolutionary change.
Sharing the Nile: Egypt, Ethiopia and the Geo-Politics of Water
by Seifulaziz MilasThe Nile, the longest river in the world, is a both a resource for agriculture and industry and a mechanism of power. Drawing on decades of experience in the Horn of Africa, Seifulaziz Milas reveals the political nature of the 'Great River', recounting the history of disputes over its waters.*BR**BR*Herodotus wrote that 'Egypt was the gift of the Nile' and the relationship of the Egyptian regimes to the river, from colonial rule under Benjamin Disraeli to present, have been central in shaping the politics of the country and its foreign policy. Examining Egypt's central role in the river's politics, as well as its function for the ten other Nile countries, including Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia, Milas' study takes in quests for dominance, the impact of the Nile Basin Initiative that advocates for shared socio-economic benefits of the river, and the potential for conflict over ownership of the river. *BR**BR*In outlining the history of disputes and power struggle, Milas hopes the Nile countries can learn from past mistakes, and suggests a way forward, based on co-operation, peace and development.
Compensation to Palestinian Refugees and the Search for Palestinian-Israeli Peace
by Rex Brynen Roula El-RifaiOne of the core aspects of the Palestinian refugee question is that of compensation or reparations for Palestinian refugees forcibly displaced by the establishment of Israel.*BR**BR*The Nakba saw the displacement of 85% of the Palestinian Arab population and the descendants of these displaced peoples numbers almost 5 million. Despite the gravity of the situation and the importance of restorative justice, many of the complex technical issues compensation would entail have not received adequate attention. Applying their expertise and looking at past examples of claims mechanisms, a rich variety of contributors - including Palestinian, Israeli, and international scholars, analysts, and former officials - examine the topic from an array of legal, economic, and political perspectives. *BR**BR*Answering questions such as: How would property losses be recovered? What about displaced persons within Israel? What would the Israeli response be to reparations? The contributors cast new and important light on the way the issue has been approached in past negotiations, the structure of possible compensation regimes and potential challenges and obstacles to implementation.
Compensation to Palestinian Refugees and the Search for Palestinian-Israeli Peace
by Rex Brynen Roula El-RifaiOne of the core aspects of the Palestinian refugee question is that of compensation or reparations for Palestinian refugees forcibly displaced by the establishment of Israel.*BR**BR*The Nakba saw the displacement of 85% of the Palestinian Arab population and the descendants of these displaced peoples numbers almost 5 million. Despite the gravity of the situation and the importance of restorative justice, many of the complex technical issues compensation would entail have not received adequate attention. Applying their expertise and looking at past examples of claims mechanisms, a rich variety of contributors - including Palestinian, Israeli, and international scholars, analysts, and former officials - examine the topic from an array of legal, economic, and political perspectives. *BR**BR*Answering questions such as: How would property losses be recovered? What about displaced persons within Israel? What would the Israeli response be to reparations? The contributors cast new and important light on the way the issue has been approached in past negotiations, the structure of possible compensation regimes and potential challenges and obstacles to implementation.
The Palestinian Refugee Problem: The Search for a Resolution
by Rex Brynen Roula El-RifaiIn this unique volume, leading analysts from the Red Cross, Middle East Institute and Refugee Affairs - many of whom have been actively involved in past negotiations on this issue - provide an overview of the key dimensions of the Palestinian refugee problem. Mindful of the sensitive and contested nature of the subject, none offers a single solution. Instead, each contribution summarises and synthesises the existing scholarly and governmental work on the topic.*BR**BR*Each paper develops an array of policy options for resolving various aspects of the refugee issue. From moral acknowledgements of the plight of refugees, to host countries, repatriation and reparations, each policy analysis is written to provide a broad menu of choices rather than a single narrow set of recommendations.*BR**BR*No other work on the Palestinian refugee issue has undertaken such a task. The Palestinian Refugee Problem: The Search for a Resolution is likely to be a pre-eminent reference and analytical work on the topic for many years to come.*BR*
The Palestinian Refugee Problem: The Search for a Resolution
by Rex Brynen Roula El-RifaiIn this unique volume, leading analysts from the Red Cross, Middle East Institute and Refugee Affairs - many of whom have been actively involved in past negotiations on this issue - provide an overview of the key dimensions of the Palestinian refugee problem. Mindful of the sensitive and contested nature of the subject, none offers a single solution. Instead, each contribution summarises and synthesises the existing scholarly and governmental work on the topic.*BR**BR*Each paper develops an array of policy options for resolving various aspects of the refugee issue. From moral acknowledgements of the plight of refugees, to host countries, repatriation and reparations, each policy analysis is written to provide a broad menu of choices rather than a single narrow set of recommendations.*BR**BR*No other work on the Palestinian refugee issue has undertaken such a task. The Palestinian Refugee Problem: The Search for a Resolution is likely to be a pre-eminent reference and analytical work on the topic for many years to come.*BR*
The Horn of Africa: Intra-State and Inter-State Conflicts and Security
by Redie BereketeabThe Horn of Africa, comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, is the most conflict-ridden region in Africa. This book explores the origins and impact of these conflicts at both an intra-state and inter-state level and the insecurity they create.*BR**BR*The contributors show how regional and international interventions have compounded pre-existing tensions and have been driven by competing national interests linked to the 'War on Terror' and acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia. *BR**BR*The Horn of Africa outlines proposals for multidimensional mechanisms for conflict resolution in the region. Issues of border demarcation, democratic deficit, crises of nation and state building, and the roles of political actors and traditional authorities take precedent.
The Horn of Africa: Intra-State and Inter-State Conflicts and Security (Eastern Africa Ser. #15)
by Redie BereketeabThe Horn of Africa, comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, is the most conflict-ridden region in Africa. This book explores the origins and impact of these conflicts at both an intra-state and inter-state level and the insecurity they create.*BR**BR*The contributors show how regional and international interventions have compounded pre-existing tensions and have been driven by competing national interests linked to the 'War on Terror' and acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia. *BR**BR*The Horn of Africa outlines proposals for multidimensional mechanisms for conflict resolution in the region. Issues of border demarcation, democratic deficit, crises of nation and state building, and the roles of political actors and traditional authorities take precedent.
The Dying Sahara: US Imperialism and Terror in Africa
by Jeremy KeenanWashington's expansion of the War on Terror to the African continent substantiated claims that the U.S. fabricated terrorism in order to justify their military campaign. This book chronicles the effect of this warmongering and the creation of a self-fulfilling prophecy of terror and instability in the Sahara.*BR**BR*Beginning in 2004, with what local people called the US 'invasion' of the Sahel, the book shows how repressive, authoritarian regimes - cashing in on US terrorism 'rents' - provoked Tuareg rebellions in both Niger and Mali, caused a new narco-trafficking branch of Al-Qaeda and created instability in a region the size of western Europe. Exposing the suspected complicity of the World Bank, the tumult caused by US's new new combatant African command (AFRICOM), and the chilling tactics used to perpetuate the myth that Africa is a hotbed of Islamic terrorism, Jeremy Keenan proves his resolve to 'defeat the lie'. *BR*
The Dying Sahara: US Imperialism and Terror in Africa
by Jeremy KeenanWashington's expansion of the War on Terror to the African continent substantiated claims that the U.S. fabricated terrorism in order to justify their military campaign. This book chronicles the effect of this warmongering and the creation of a self-fulfilling prophecy of terror and instability in the Sahara.*BR**BR*Beginning in 2004, with what local people called the US 'invasion' of the Sahel, the book shows how repressive, authoritarian regimes - cashing in on US terrorism 'rents' - provoked Tuareg rebellions in both Niger and Mali, caused a new narco-trafficking branch of Al-Qaeda and created instability in a region the size of western Europe. Exposing the suspected complicity of the World Bank, the tumult caused by US's new new combatant African command (AFRICOM), and the chilling tactics used to perpetuate the myth that Africa is a hotbed of Islamic terrorism, Jeremy Keenan proves his resolve to 'defeat the lie'. *BR*
Contesting Transformation: Popular Resistance in Twenty-First Century South Africa
by Marcelle C. Dawson Luke SinwellContesting Transformation is a sober and critical reflection on the wave of social movement struggles which have taken place in post-Apartheid South Africa.*BR**BR*Moving beyond a social movement scholarship that has tended to romanticise emergent movements, this collection takes stock of the contradiction and complexity that is necessarily entangled in all forms of popular resistance. Through an exploration of labour strikes, legal organisations, community protest and local government elections, the contributors consider how different movements conceive of transformation and assess the extent to which these understandings challenge the narrative of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).*BR**BR*An empirically grounded analysis from a coterie of leading researchers and analysts, Contesting Transformation is the definitive critical survey of the state of popular struggle in South Africa today.
Geopolitical Economy: After US Hegemony, Globalization and Empire (The Future of World Capitalism)
by Radhika DesaiGeopolitical Economy radically reinterprets the historical evolution of the world order, as a multi-polar world emerges from the dust of the financial and economic crisis.*BR**BR*Radhika Desai offers a radical critique of the theories of US hegemony, globalisation and empire which dominate academic international political economy and international relations, revealing their ideological origins in successive failed US attempts at world dominance through the dollar.*BR**BR*Desai revitalizes revolutionary intellectual traditions which combine class and national perspectives on 'the relations of producing nations'. At a time of global upheavals and profound shifts in the distribution of world power, Geopolitical Economy forges a vivid and compelling account of the historical processes which are shaping the contemporary international order.*BR*
Geopolitical Economy: After US Hegemony, Globalization and Empire (The Future of World Capitalism #30b)
by Radhika DesaiGeopolitical Economy radically reinterprets the historical evolution of the world order, as a multi-polar world emerges from the dust of the financial and economic crisis.*BR**BR*Radhika Desai offers a radical critique of the theories of US hegemony, globalisation and empire which dominate academic international political economy and international relations, revealing their ideological origins in successive failed US attempts at world dominance through the dollar.*BR**BR*Desai revitalizes revolutionary intellectual traditions which combine class and national perspectives on 'the relations of producing nations'. At a time of global upheavals and profound shifts in the distribution of world power, Geopolitical Economy forges a vivid and compelling account of the historical processes which are shaping the contemporary international order.*BR*
To Live and Die in America: Class, Power, Health and Healthcare (The Future of World Capitalism)
by Robert Chernomas Ian HudsonReviled as one of the worst healthcare providers in the world, the United States has among the worst indicators of health in the industrialised world, whilst paradoxically spending significantly more on its health care system than any other industrial nation. *BR**BR*Economists Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson explain this contradictory phenomenon as the product of the unique brand of capitalism that has developed in the US. It is this particular form of capitalism that analogously created social and economic conditions that influence health, such as, highly industrialised labour that produced chronic disease amongst the labouring classes, alongside an inefficient, unpopular and inaccessible health care system that is incapable of dealing with those same patients. In order to improve health in America, the authors argue that a change is required in the conditions in the capitalist system in which people live and work, as well as a restructured health care system.
To Live and Die in America: Class, Power, Health and Healthcare (The Future of World Capitalism)
by Ian Hudson Robert ChernomasReviled as one of the worst healthcare providers in the world, the United States has among the worst indicators of health in the industrialised world, whilst paradoxically spending significantly more on its health care system than any other industrial nation. *BR**BR*Economists Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson explain this contradictory phenomenon as the product of the unique brand of capitalism that has developed in the US. It is this particular form of capitalism that analogously created social and economic conditions that influence health, such as, highly industrialised labour that produced chronic disease amongst the labouring classes, alongside an inefficient, unpopular and inaccessible health care system that is incapable of dealing with those same patients. In order to improve health in America, the authors argue that a change is required in the conditions in the capitalist system in which people live and work, as well as a restructured health care system.
Language, Resistance and Revival: Republican Prisoners and the Irish Language in the North of Ireland
by Feargal Mac IonnrachtaighThis is the untold story of the truly groundbreaking linguistic and educational developments that took place among Republican prisoners in Long Kesh prison from 1972-2000.*BR**BR*During a period of bitter struggle between Republican prisoners and the British state, the Irish language was taught and spoken as a form of resistance during incarceration. Based on unprecedented interviews, Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh explores the undertakings of veteran prisoners from the 1940s and 50's, Bobby Sands and the Blanket protesters and the female prisoners at Armagh and Maghaberry, revealing not only the impact of colonialism on minority languages, but the rejuvenating impact this reclamation of the native tongue had on cultural revival in the nationalist community within and beyond the prison walls.