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Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history
Iraq: The Moral Reckoning applies classic just war theory to the
U.S. decision to go to war in 2003. That theory, which evolved over
several millennia, is a simple, profound tool for evaluating the
rightness and wisdom of starting a war. The Bush administration and
its supporters referred directly and indirectly to the theory in
making a pro-war case to the world. The theory provides three core
moral criteria for a just war: sovereign authority, just cause, and
right intention (which includes an aim of peace). It adds three
practical criteria: proportionality of ends, last resort, and
reasonable chance of success. For a just war, each criterion should
be substantially met. Since war is destructive and each country is
presumed to have the right to live in peace, the evidence in favor
of war must be clearly stronger than evidence against it. For each
criterion, Iraq: The Moral Reckoning painstakingly weighs Bush
administration statements, or those of its supporters, against
evidence available at the time. A wide range of viewpoints and
evidence is considered, and contrary arguments are refuted. One
full chapter is given to neoconservative arguments on just war
theory and its application from prominent war supporters. Each
criterion, except sovereign authority, is shown not to have been
met. The book concludes with a discussion of the implications of an
unjust war for the United States and the world. The intensive
weighing of each criterion against the facts and the balanced
approach make the book unique. By demonstrating a comprehensive
application of the theory to one war, it not only sets a new
standard for evaluating the 2003 Iraq war, but also shows how
present and future wars can be better evaluated in moral and
practical terms, based on knowledge available at the time.
This book places Li Ji (the Book of Rites) back in the overall
context of "books," "rites" and its research history, drawing on
the interrelations between myth, ritual and "materialized" symbols
to do so. Further, it employs the double perspectives of "books"
and "rites" to explore the sources and symbols of the capping
ceremony (rites of passage), decode the prototypes of Miao and Ming
Tang, and restore the discourse patterns of "people of five
directions." The book subsequently investigates the formation and
function of the Yue Ling calendar and disaster ritual, so as to
reveal the human cognitive encoding and metalanguage of ritual
behavior involved. In the process, it demonstrates that Li Ji, its
textual memories, archaeological remains and "traditional ceremony"
narratives are all subject to the latent myth coding mechanism in
China's cultural system, while the "compilation" and "materialized"
remains are merely forms of ritual refactoring, interpretation and
exhibition, used when authority seeks the aid of ritual
civilization to strengthen its legitimacy and maintain the social
order.
Laos has the smallest population, the weakest military, and despite
rapid economic growth in recent years, one of the lowest levels of
per capita income in mainland Southeast Asia. Yet a glance at the
map reveals its strategic location, between China and Cambodia and
between Thailand and Vietnam. As Laos was formerly a crossroads for
trade routes, the socialist government of the Lao People's
Democratic Republic today seeks to transform the country into a
prosperous crossroads at the heart of this rapidly developing
region. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Laos, Fourth
Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive
bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 1.000
cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as
aspects of the country's politics, economy, foreign relations,
religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for
students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Laos.
Egypt is known for its educational influence over other
civilizations and countries. As one of the earliest creators of
systems of literacy, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, and
science, Egyptians led much of the world in acquiring and applying
their knowledge throughout their 5,500 years of recorded history.
Egyptian education figured prominently in the formation and spread
of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions. Modern Egypt is the
most populous Arab state and has continued to lead the region in
education, literature, music, architecture, cinema, radio, and
television. There are few middle Eastern political issues-from the
War on Terrorism to the Palestinian Israeli conflict-that can be
discussed without involving the impact of Egyptian education and
its leadership. Contemporary Egypt and its connections to antiquity
are not always well understood. Educational Roots of Political
Crisis in Egypt explores Egypt's political, economic, social, and
cultural leadership from the remarkable civilization of the past to
the unique socialistic/capitalistic educational conglomerate of
today. Cochran details the outcomes of over thirty years of
enormous foreign aid allocated to education, particularly from the
World Bank and the United States, in never before documented
descriptions. Foreign and Egyptian development of education enables
readers familiar with some aspects of politics of the Middle East
to make predictions about the future.
As the world's only English-language historical dictionary of the
Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), this book offers a
comprehensive coverage of major historical figures, events,
political terms, and other matters relevant to this unique period
of modern Chinese history that had profound influence on social and
cultural movements of the world in the 1960s and 1970s. This second
edition of Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution
covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay,
glossary, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has
over 400 cross-referenced entries on important personalities,
politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This
book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and
anyone wanting to know more about this important period in Chinese
history.
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.
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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 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.
A Compelling Journey from Peking to Washington follows the life of
Chi Wang. We are first introduced to Wang as a young child fleeing
with his family through China from encroaching Japanese forces. We
see the ravages of the Sino-Japanese war from the eyes of someone
who lived through it, only to have the post-war peace quickly
overshadowed by a growing civil war between the Nationalists and
Communists. During this tumultuous period, Wang's father served as
an important Nationalist general, allowing a deeper picture of
these conflicts to emerge. Wang then decides to leave China for the
United States just before the People's Republic of China is formed.
His new life in America begins as the China he grew up in is
changed forever. As Wang adapts to living in America, he also has
to come to terms with the increasing distance from his homeland due
to the ongoing Cold War. He yearns to stay connected with the land
where his family still lives while giving back to his adopted home.
He accomplishes this through a long career where he is actively
involved in fostering U.S.-China understanding and educational
exchanges. Some of the major highlights of his career include a
groundbreaking trip to China on behalf of the U.S. State Department
in 1972, shortly after Nixon's own trip; nearly 50 years working at
the U.S. Library of Congress where he became the head of the
Chinese and Korean Section, successfully growing its collection
from 300,000 volumes to over 1 million; and the founding of the
U.S.-China Policy Foundation in 1995.
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.
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.
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.
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