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Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history
Worldwide newspaper headlines in recent years have covered
political unrest in many East Asian nations. Citizens in these
nations have become more vocal about their governments and the
populace's role in those governments. Democracy is not the dominant
form of government in many of these nations. However, as nations
have evolved, social change and economic developments have brought
increasingly pro-democratic forces to the forefront. Examining the
forces of economic growth and social modernization and their impact
on democratization provides the basis of this timely study. Using
China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam as case
studies, this book delves into these nations' Confucian cultural
heritage and how that heritage allows for careful comparison of
variables which affect societal values. Will East Asian nations
embrace democracy? Will the nations already democratic become
stronger? This book offers insightful responses to these critical
questions. Democratization in East Asia is an important addition
for collections in political science and Asian studies.
This book is the English translation of a recent biography of
Sakata Michita, one of Japan's leading, yet unassuming, politicians
in the postwar era, who was even considered a serious contender for
the premiership. While he did not become prime minister himself, he
did serve as Justice Minister, Education Minister, Welfare
Minister, Defense Minister, and Speaker of the House of
Representatives. What's more, he served an incredible seventeen
uninterrupted terms as a member of the Lower House, from 1946-1990,
one of the longest in Japanese history. Sakata was appointed
Director General of the Japan Defense Agency (i.e., Minister of
Defense) in December 1974 during a challenging time in U.S.-Japan
relations in the wake of the resignations of U.S. President Richard
M. Nixon and Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei, for separate
scandals. As Japan's only ally, the relationship with the United
States was crucial for the latter country, and it was up to Sakata
to manage alliance relations during this period. He was not a
security expert, yet used his political experience, studious
nature, sincerity, and likeability among his staff, subordinates,
colleagues, and personnel to make a lasting impression on his
nation's forces, and on Japan's alliance partner. He succeeded in
developing the first-ever National Defense Program Outline and the
Basic Defense Force Concept among other initiatives during the
crisis-filled 1970s. Furthermore, he developed a close policy
dialogue with the United States which eventually led to the
original U.S.-Japan Guidelines for Defense Cooperation. He did all
this despite being a novice in defense matters. Furthermore, he is
the longest consecutive serving defense minister in Japanese
history, taking highly principled stances during his time.
El autor es Carlo Emanuele Ruspoli. Roma, 1949. Es doctor
arquitecto y autor de numerosos t tulos t cnicos y cat logos, as
como de proyectos de edificaci n e industriales. Ensayista de art
culos de ndole t cnica y cultural en varias revistas, asimismo
colabora con la Real Academia Matritense de Her ldica y Genealog a.
En mayo de 2011 edit con dicha Real Academia su primer libro de
historia Retratos, an cdotas y secretos de los linajes Borja, T
llez-Gir n, Marescotti y Ruspoli. Ha escrito adem?'s libros de
historia, antropolog a, an cdotas de vida profesional y genealog a.
Adem?'s ha publicado varias novelas hist ricas como: El
Confaloniero, El Profeso, Asesinato en el Letr n, Muerte de
Profesos, El Profeso en T bet y est preparando una nueva novela de
la serie que se titular: El Profeso y el diablo. Su larga
trayectoria profesional y su inquietud como viajador le ha
permitido viajar a casi todos los lugares mencionados en este
libro.
In this provocative new book, Shritha Vasudevan argues that
feminist international relations (IR) theory has inadvertently
resulted in a biased worldview, the very opposite of what feminist
IR set out to try to rectify. This book contests theoretical
presumptions of Western feminist IR and attempts to reformulate it
in contexts of non-Western cultures. Vasudevan deftly utilizes the
theoretical constructs of IR to explore the ramifications for
India. This hypothesis argues that the Convention on the
Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
has predictive validity and is not a top-down norm but derived from
the material and contingent experiences of nation states. This book
enters the debate between feminist qualitative and quantitative IR
through the lens of gender-based violence (GBV) under the CEDAW.
The study focuses on the central function of the medieval Kashmir
Shahmir sultanate in relation to surplus extarction and the
perpetuation of its domination with its heavy dependence on both
brahmanism and Islam. It seeks to situate the medieval state of
kashmir in the cultural and social traditions of the region. The
study is organized around 4 aspects: The historical roots of state
formation in pre sultanate Kashmir, conversion to Islam, The
Sayyids, Sultans and the state, a search for legitimacy and the
incorporation of the sultanate in the mughla state.
Based on extensive research on the International Military Tribunal
for the Far East, this book closely examines the claims and
controversy surrounding the 'Nanjing Massacre', a period of murder
in 1937-1938 committed by Japanese troops against the residents of
Nanjing (Nanking), after the capture of the then capital of the
Republic of China, during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Focusing on
weighing up arguments denying Nanjing Massacre, this book considers
the Japanese 'Illusion' school of thought which contests the truth
of the Nanjing Massacre claims, including the death toll and the
scale of the violence. The Nanjing Massacre remains a controversial
issue in Sino-Japanese relations, despite the normalization of
bilateral relations, and this book goes to great lengths to examine
the events through comparative narratives, investigating different
perspectives and contributings to the debate from the extensive
research of the Tokyo Trial Research Centre at Shanghai, as well as
volumes of Chinese and Japanese historical documents.
Asian industrial competition, from Japan, China but also India,
attracted greater public attention in Europe during the inter-war
period than ever before. Indian industrial employment became the
subject not only of extensive official enquiries, intensified
legislation, a growing number of academic studies and of more
popular writings, but also of debates within and between European
trade unions.
This book examines Mohism as a movement in early China, focusing on
the Mohists' endeavor to create power for themselves. Fashioning
themselves as grassroots activists who practiced transgrassroots
activism, the Mohists hoped to impact the elite by gaining entry in
its community, and by influencing it from within. To create a less
violent world, they deployed the strategies of persuasion and
strategy but did not discard counterviolence in their dealings with
the ruling class. To execute their activism, the Mohists produced
knowledge that they thought would enable them to employ their
nonviolent strategies as well as to mount armed resistance to
aggression. Moreover, to ensure that they were capable of
practicing their transgrassroots movement so as to change the elite
and the world, the Mohists paid significant attention to their
personhood, developing a self-cultivation tradition which
encouraged the Mohists to move beyond human conditions for
self-improvement. The book concludes by situating Mohism in the
history of nonviolent activism, and in that of negotiation and
conflict resolution.
This book is a study of the origins, development, and end of the
U.S.-Soviet Cold War rivalry in Iran from 1945 to 1962 and its
influence on the political and economic development of the country.
It traces the roots of this rivalry to the Anglo-Soviet occupation
of Iran in 1941 during the Second World War that subsequently led
to U.S. involvement in Iran in 1942 as part of the Allied war
effort. While analyzing the superpower rivalry, the book also
focuses on the development of U.S.-Iranian relations and U.S.
policy toward Iran, whose primary goal was to keep Iran free from
communism. The book traces the development of U.S.-Iranian
relations and U.S. policy toward Iran through the Truman,
Eisenhower, and Kennedy administrations and examines whether there
were any elements of continuity among the three administrations in
keeping Iran free from communism. The book also provides an
in-depth analysis of the response of the Shah and the Iranian
government to foreign-power rivalry in Iran.
This timely study synthesizes past history with the major military
events and dynamics of the 20th- and 21st-century Middle East,
helping readers understand the region's present-and look into its
future. The Middle East has been-and will continue to be-a major
influence on policy around the globe. This work reviews the impact
of past epochs on the modern Middle East and analyzes key military
events that contributed to forming the region and its people. By
helping readers recognize historical patterns of conflict, the book
will stimulate a greater understanding of the Middle East as it
exists today. The work probes cause and effect in major conflicts
that include the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the World Wars, the
Arab-Israeli wars, and the U.S. wars with Iraq, examining the
manner in which military operations have been conducted by both
internal and external actors. New regional groups-for example, the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-are addressed, and pertinent events
in Afghanistan and Pakistan are scrutinized. Since military affairs
are traditionally an extension of politics and economics, the three
are considered together in historical context as they relate to war
and peace. The book closes with a chapter on the Arab Awakening and
its impact on the future balance of power. Presents the evolution
of combat and military thought in the region from ancient times
into the contemporary era, summarizing the impact of the ancient
and medieval worlds on the modern Middle East Provides a synthesis
of Middle Eastern politics, geo-strategy, and military operations
Discusses key religious and cultural dynamics that have driven
events in the region Focuses on pivotal moments as catalysts for
change in the region Examines the nexus between elite interests,
factionalism, and the problem of development as it relates to
conflict and military decision making
The volume offers a timely (re-)appraisal of Seleukid cultural
dynamics. While the engagement of Seleukid kings with local
populations and the issue of "Hellenization" are still debated, a
movement away from the Greco-centric approach to the study of the
sources has gained pace. Increasingly textual sources are read
alongside archaeological and numismatic evidence, and relevant
near-eastern records are consulted. Our study of Seleukid kingship
adheres to two game-changing principles: 1. We are not interested
in judging the Seleukids as "strong" or "weak" whether in their
interactions with other Hellenistic kingdoms or with the
populations they ruled. 2. While appreciating the value of the
social imaginaries approach (Stavrianopoulou, 2013), we argue that
the use of ethnic identity in antiquity remains problematic.
Through a pluralistic approach, in line with the complex cultural
considerations that informed Seleukid royal agendas, we examine the
concept of kingship and its gender aspects; tensions between centre
and periphery; the level of "acculturation" intended and achieved
under the Seleukids; the Seleukid-Ptolemaic interrelations. As
rulers of a multi-cultural empire, the Seleukids were deeply aware
of cultural politics.
The revolutionary year of 1958 epitomizes the height of the social
uprisings, military coups, and civil wars that erupted across the
Middle East and North Africa in the mid-twentieth century. Amidst
waning Anglo-French influence, growing US-USSR rivalry, and
competition and alignments between Arab and non-Arab regimes and
domestic struggles, this year was a turning point in the modern
history of the Middle East. This multi and interdisciplinary book
explores this pivotal year in its global, regional and local
contexts and from a wide range of linguistic, geographic, academic
specialties. The contributors draw on declassified and multilingual
archives, reports, memoirs, and newspapers in thirteen
country-specific chapters, shedding new light on topics such as the
extent of Anglo-American competition after the Suez War, Turkey's
efforts to stand as a key pillar in the regional Cold War, the
internationalization of the Algerian War of Independence, and Iran
and Saudi Arabia's abilities to weather the revolutionary storm
that swept across the region. The book includes a foreword from
Salim Yaqub which highlights the importance of Jeffrey G. Karam's
collection to the scholarship on this vital moment in the political
history of the modern middle east.
Reza Shah's authoritarian and modernising reign transformed Iran,
but his rule and Iran's independence ended in ignominy in 1941. In
this book, Shaul Bakhash tells the full story of the Anglo-Soviet
invasion which led to his forced abdication, drawing upon
previously unused sources to reveal for the first time that the
British briefly, but seriously, toyed with the idea of doing away
altogether with the ruling Pahlavis and considered reinstalling on
the throne a little-regretted previous dynasty. Bakhash charts Reza
Shah's final journey through Iran and into his unhappy exile; his
life in exile, his reminiscences; his testy relationship with the
British in Mauritius and Johannesburg; and the circumstances of his
death. Additionally, it reveals the immense fortune Reza Shah
amassed during his years in power, his finances in exile, and the
drawn-out dispute over the settlement of his estate after his
death. A significant contribution to the literature on Reza Shah
and British imperialism as it played out in the case of one
critical country during World War II, the book reveals the fraught
relationship between a once powerful ruler in his final days and
the British government at a critical moment in recent history.
Folklore has been a phenomenon based on nostalgic and autochthonous
nuances conveyed with a story-telling technique with a penchant for
over-playing and nationalistic pomp and circumstance, often with
significant consequences for societal, poetic, and cultural areas.
These papers highlight challenges that have an outreaching
relationship to the regional, rhetorical, and trans-rhetorical
devices and manners in Kurdish folklore, which subscribes to an
ironic sense of hope all the while issuing an appeal for a largely
unaccomplished nationhood, simultaneously insisting on a linguistic
solidarity. In a folkloric literature that has an overarching
theory of poetics - perhaps even trans-figurative cognitive poetics
due to the multi-faceted nature of its application and the
complexity of its linguistic structure - the relationship of man
(and less frequently woman) with others takes center stage in many
of the folkloric creations. Arts are not figurative representations
of the real in the Kurdish world; they are the real.
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