Political Science : Political Freedom & Security

The occurrence of treaties throughout the Ancient Near East has been investigated on a number of occasions, generally in order to resolve certain questions arising in the biblical field. As a result of that focus, the existence of a similar institution in a number of different cultures has not been treated as a problem in itself. Generally the existence of treaties throughout the area has been taken for granted, or a simple borrowing model has been used to explain how similar forms came to be used in different cultures. Why forms were similar across the area has not been probed. This work investigates treaty occurrences in different cultures and finds that the forms used correlate with ways of maintaining political control both internally and over vassals. Related concepts are projected in official accounts of history. Thus one can roughly distinguish threats based on power from persuasion based on benevolence and historical precedent, though various combinations of these two occur. There is a likely further connection of the means chosen to the degree of centralisation of power within the society. Underlying the local traditions is a common tradition which has to be dated to the pre-literate period. Biblical covenants fit within this pattern. The cultures treated are Mesopotamia, the Hittites, Egypt, Syrian centres and Israel. more...

Price: $130.00

Abject poverty and official corruption make parts of Africa a very attractive destination for terrorist organizations. This comprehensive volume provides an extensive examination of major terrorist events in Africa and highlights internal and external indices to illustrate why the continent is so ripe for terrorism. more...

Price: $99.95

Examines prewar planning efforts for postwar Iraq, the role of U.S. military forces after the end of major combat, and civilian efforts at reconstruction. more...

Price: $9.95

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Price: $24.95

The dangerous turmoil is plain to see in the everyday failures of governments. Economic insecurity, polluted environments, the transfiguring power of global media, brooding conflicts of tribe and territory: all confound the capacity of even the most powerful state to govern alone, even on its own territory. For all the opportunities that globalization promises, it raises urgent questions of governance. Can states any longer govern? Has the achievement of democratic government come too late for most of the world? Can globalization be democratized?. In Altered States, Gordon Smith and Moisés Naím provide practical recommendations for improved governance and for strengthening and reforming the United Nations. They explore the dynamics of globalization and discuss what makes today's globalization distinct. They test the prevailing wisdom about sovereignty and state capacity, and sort out the humbug. They consider whether sovereignty itself is an impediment or a requirement to security and prosperity. And, in three urgent areas ripe for progress — preventing deadly conflict, providing opportunities for the young, and managing the many harms of climate change — they advance plans of action by which states, with others in the global community, can govern successfully in the future. The message of Altered States is one of both hope and warning: globalization opens great possibilities of prosperity, security, and human well-being, but only if new ways of governance are constructed. The United Nations must lead in this process and, at the Millennium Assembly in September, seize the opportunity to reconstruct our future. more...

Price: $15.00