This enlightening new book unpacks the ascendancy of the European Union as a distinct actor in the field of international sanctions. Offering an innovative model of actorness, Kevin Urbanski establishes a coherent bridge between debates on actorness and mainstream theories of international institutions and European integration. Inspired by James S. Coleman's idea of corporate agency, Urbanski addresses the conceptual gap in scholarship by outlining a deductive, integrative and explanatory model of actorness, arguing that actorness constitutes a distinct mode of collective agency that can be modelled along the lines of corporate action. Urbanski's model of actorness explains the emergence of EU actorness and sheds light on the timing and reasoning behind this for the most commonly used European sanction instruments. Presenting an original and theoretically grounded approach to the problem of actorness, this book will be of critical use to scholars grappling with this problem, especially those working in the field of EU politics. Scholars of international sanctions and EU law, as well as practitioners working in these fields, will also benefit from Urbanski's comprehensive overview of EU restrictive measures and his unique approach to actorness.

This timely book addresses the increasingly widespread issue of online political hatred in Europe. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it examines both the contributions of new technologies, in particular social networks, to the rise of this phenomenon, and the legal and political contexts in which it is taking place. Through an analysis of online hate speech and its impacts, Giovanni Ziccardi characterizes contemporary political hatred in Europe, highlighting its victims, communication strategies, and the creation of a cross-national network of extremists enabled by technology. He compares legal and political responses to the problem at both national and EU levels, as well as the approach taken by the US, in order to examine the effectiveness of current measures. Finally, he evaluates possible remedies for the situation, including both legal and technological solutions, and outlines the potential for a unified European framework to counter the spread of hatred online. Online Political Hate Speech in Europe will be an essential read for scholars and students in law and politics looking for an in-depth analysis of this issue. It will also be useful for politicians, policy makers, and practitioners seeking to understand the mechanisms underlying the circulation of political hatred.

This book provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the nature, content and scope of the rules regulating the use of force in international law as they are contained in the United Nations Charter, customary international law and international jurisprudence. The book's scope is broad and covers the prohibition on the threat or use of force; the use of force in self-defence; the use of force as part of the United Nations collective security system; the use of force by regional organisations; the use of force in peacekeeping operations; the use of force for humanitarian purposes; the use of force by invitation; armed reprisals; the use of force by and against non-State actors; and the use of force in cyberspace. The book takes an insightful look at the rules regulating the use of force as they are called upon to apply to changing and challenging circumstances such as the emergence of non-State actors, security risks, new technologies and moral considerations. Its arguments balance the interests of stability and change in order to enhance international law's regulatory potential regarding the use of force. This book is an important resource for students and scholars of international law, the use of force and collective security and for practitioners involved in the interpretation and application of these legal frameworks.

'His name was Ibrahim. He was about five years old and the thing he wanted most in the world was to go to school.' In a tiny country on the Horn of Africa, extreme adventurer, former soldier and star of Channel 4's Hunted Jordan Wylie made an extraordinary promise to a remarkable young boy. Ibrahim's home Djibouti is a refuge from neighbouring war zones, laying host to children excluded from the basic privileges we take for granted in the West. So, armed with skills learned from a lifetime of adventures, Wylie vowed to raise funds to build a new school for those children. And thus began a series of exceptional challenges, seeing Wylie row solo across the pirate-infested Bab el-Mandeb Strait in a world first and run extreme marathons in ice-cold climates. To cap it off, he embarked on a journey stand-up paddleboarding around mainland Great Britain, along the way facing military firing ranges, crazy teenagers on jet-skis, psychotic jellyfish and, finally, Covid-19. This is the inspirational true story of the lengths one man went to fulfil a young boy's dream - and of the good that can be achieved even in the hardest of times.

This insightful book assesses emerging trends in the role of economic analysis in EU competition policy, exploring how it has substantially increased in terms of both theories and methods. Expert contributors examine the jurisprudence of the EU Court of Justice, which has become more supportive of effect-based analysis in EU competition policy. Chapters consider key topics including the role of economic analysis in relation to defining the relevant market, the challenges of competition policy enforcement in the telecom and digital markets, and economic methods to estimate damages in cases of private enforcement of EU competition law. The book also discusses the challenges faced by judges in reviewing the economic evidence relied on by competition agencies in their decisions and how these may be overcome. Providing a comparative analysis of EU competition policy at both the EU and national levels, this book will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of EU competition policy. It will also be beneficial for practitioners specialising in competition law and economics.

Drawing critically on the UN concept of 'human security', this book offers a transformative understanding of security in responding to the Mediterranean refugee crisis. From a range of arts, humanities and social science disciplines, and through case studies incorporating key governmental, NGO and refugee perspectives, the book critiques the major geopolitical, economic and social issues of the crisis. It documents the prioritization of population management techniques that are underpinned by conventional territorial logics of security, before reflecting on the alternative priorities of human security that can facilitate an active human rights framework and a more holistic and humanitarian interventionism. In advancing a human security approach to the crisis, the book insists upon our interconnected global sense of precarity, interrogates the human consequences of the endless cycles of conflict and displacement, and challenges the impoverished thinking of statist security agendas that divide the world into zones of sanctuary and abandonment. Of broad appeal and relevance across the social sciences, from geography and migration studies to international relations and critical security studies, this book will also be a timely read for people working for NGOs and policy makers looking for a more holistic response to the ongoing refugee crisis. Contributors include: T. Bicchieri, A. Bilgic, J. Bloomer, M. Brehony, R. Browne, M. Brunicardi, V. Cirefice, C. Dorrity, L. Elliott, D. Estrada-Tanck, D. Gasper, T.J. Hughes, J. Hyndman, G. Kearns, V. Ledwith, J. Morrissey, A. Mountz, K. Reilly, C. Wilcock

For almost a decade, Col. Ryszard Kuklinski betrayed the Communist leadership of Poland, cooperating with the CIA in one of the most extraordinary human intelligence operations of the Cold War. But even after freedom came to Poland a riddle remained - was Kuklinski a patriot or a traitor? In August 1972, Ryszard Kuklinski, a highly respected colonel in the Polish Army, embarked on what would become one of the most extraordinary human intelligence operations of the Cold War. Despite the extreme risk to himself and his family, he contacted the American Embassy in Bonn, and arranged a secret meeting. From the very start, he made clear that he deplored the Soviet domination of Poland, and believed his country was on the wrong side of the Cold War. Over the next nine years, Kuklinski rose quickly in the Polish defense ministry, acting as a liaison to Moscow, and helping to prepare for a hot war with the West. But he also lived a life of subterfuge - of dead drops, messages written in invisible ink, miniature cameras, and secret transmitters. In 1981, he gave the CIA the secret plans to crush Solidarity. the West. He still lives in hiding in America. Kuklinski's story is a harrowing personal drama about one man's decision to betray the Communist leadership in order to save the country he loves. Through extensive interviews and access to the CIA's secret archives on the case, Benjamin Weiser offers an unprecedented and richly detailed look at this secret history of the Cold War.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. The power of borders emerges not only from their institutional and legal nature but also from their symbolic and identity-forming significance. This innovative Research Agenda uncovers links between different levels of border-making processes, or bordering, from the political to the cognitive, and connects everyday processes and experiences of border-making to the wider social world. Grounded in their original research, contributors offer a variety of discussions on future directions for border studies, including two areas which may prove particularly fruitful; firstly, the question of the broader political salience of borders and secondly, the ways in which the border studies paradigm increasingly connects ontological and ethical questions to processes of border-making. Taken together, these address the question of how everyday bordering practices and discourses can be productively linked to different aspects of social relations. This timely book will be an invigorating read for those studying borders across a wide range of disciplines including human geography, political science, sociology, anthropology, history, international law as well as the humanities, notably art, media studies and philosophy.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the opportunity to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Space policy is now a top priority in international relations. This timely Research Agenda takes the definition of space policy itself as an object of analysis rather than as an unquestioned premise. It presents the multi-faceted spectrum of elements combined within space policy which are crucially relevant to security, welfare and modern society. Chapters demonstrate why space matters and how space policy research has reflected this during the past half-century. Expert international contributors set out a forward-looking research agenda for the 2020s, identifying key problems and conflicts related to the topic and exploring policy, regulatory approaches and diplomatic mechanisms to reach possible solutions. The types of actors and institutions playing a key role in space policy are also examined through an interdisciplinary lens. Scholars and students of political science, international relations and law will find this to be a sophisticated, cutting-edge resource for analysing and understanding the multi-dimensional impacts of space policy.

This collection addresses human rights and development for researchers, policymakers and activists at a time of major challenges. 'Critical issues' in the title signifies both the urgency of the issues and the need for critical rethinking. After exploring the overarching issues of development and economic theory, gender, climate change and disability, the book focuses on issues of technology and trade, education and information, water and sanitation, and work, health, housing and food. The chapters then examine how to operationalize human rights in development through accountability, the right to development, indicators and the Sustainable Development Goals. The conclusion proposes international standards and social mobilization for human rights and sustainable development as normative and policy-oriented tools for addressing the climate emergency, the coronavirus pandemic, social inequality, racial injustice, and the rise of populist authoritarianism and for advancing social justice and the equal value of all human beings. This book is of interest to students of development and human rights studies, international relations, international law and contemporary social issues, as well as professionals working at government, intergovernmental and civil society organizations dealing with these issues.

Over the course of more than three decades as an American diplomat, William J. Burns played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his time-from the bloodless end of the Cold War to the collapse of relations with Putin's Russia, from post-9/11 tumult in the Middle East to the secret nuclear talks with Iran. Burns draws on a treasure trove of newly declassified cables and memos to offer rare insight into US diplomacy in action. He illuminates the back channels of his profession, and its value in a world that resembles neither the zero-sum Cold War of his early career, nor the 'unipolar moment' of American primacy that followed. The Back Channel recounts with vivid detail and incisive analysis the seminal moments of a legendary career and makes an eloquent and impassioned argument for diplomacy in an increasingly volatile world.

This timely book explores the current state of EU-Africa relations from a multidisciplinary perspective, placing emphasis on recent developments in five areas that are crucial for EU-Africa relations: development cooperation, trade, migration, security and democratization. It considers how Africa's dependence on the EU has decreased due to the declining importance of development cooperation, and increasing cooperation with emerging powers, notably the BRIC nations. The book asks two key questions in relation to these areas: first, whether the EU effectively pursues a forward-looking strategy suggested in the official discourse or is following a strategy that still reflects asymmetrical postcolonial relations; and second, whether Africa will be able to push for a more balanced relationship with Europe by using the leverage provided by emerging powers. To answer these questions, expert contributors explore the impact of African migration on the domestic policy of EU member states, security and conflict resolution in Africa, EU trade policy and African economic development, and how local dynamics and international pressures affect democratisation in Africa. Offering new directions of research on EU-Africa relations, this book will be critical reading for scholars and students of international relations, European policy and international politics. It will also be a useful resource for policy makers, activists and civil society groups interested in EU-Africa cooperation.

Breaking into the Russian market has always been a challenging task, particularly for Western organisations, and personal networks play a crucial role in achieving this. However, personal networks that exist in Russian business remain a mystery. The aim of this book is to address the role of informal relations and trust in Russian society and business. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between Russian business and personal relations, thus helping foreign practitioners and investors to enter the Russian market and develop strong business-stakeholder relationships. With the intention not to criticise or dress up the image of Russia but to provide coherent analysis and discussion on how things work in Russia or describe "the rules of the relationships game", this book discussed ten personal networks existing in Russian society and business, nature and structure of relations, local social norms and codes, trust development process, knowledge and information sharing, entry and exit rules, and provides practical suggestions. This book is essential for anybody intending to do business in Russia and particularly suitable for practitioners, investors, researchers and business students.

This insightful book analyses EU foreign policy vis-a-vis Turkey over the last institutional cycle, uncovering how its internal functioning and structural context affects the decisions made by the EU, in both day-to-day and crisis situations. It reconstructs and interprets EU--Turkey relations since 2014, arguing that Turkey has, overall, become a key strategic partner to the EU. Acknowledging that EU enlargement policy is part of a broader foreign policy framework, which also includes other domains such as the external dimension of migration and CFSP, Elena Baracani adopts a unique approach, combining more actor-oriented factors with structural factors to analyse EU--Turkey relations. Special features include the use of first-hand empirical material, an introduction to the concept of different shades of EU foreign policy, and a new, comprehensive evaluation of EU foreign policy actorness. Original and perceptive, EU--Turkey Relations will be of special interest to scholars and students in the field of EU studies and foreign policy, who are looking to further their understanding of the foreign policy contributions of different institutions and bureaucratic actors.

In 1963, a frustrated President Kennedy turned to the Pentagon for help in carrying out subversive operations against North Vietnam- a job the CIA had not managed to handle effectively. Thus was born the Pentagon's Special Operations Group(SOG). Under the cover name"Studies and Observation Group," SOG would, over the next eight years, dispatch numerous spies to North Vietnam, create a triple-cross deception program, wage psychological warfare by manipulating North Vietnamese POW's and kidnapped citizens, and stage deadly assaults on enemy soldiers traveling the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Written by the country's leading expert on SOG, here is the story of that covert war-one that would have both spectacular and disastrous results.

This authoritative Handbook presents a comprehensive analysis of the spatial transformation of the state; a pivotal process of globalization. It explores the state as an ongoing project that is always changing, illuminating the new spaces of geopolitics that arise from these political, social, cultural, and environmental negotiations. Drawing together a diverse set of expert contributors, this book showcases compelling scholarship on the changing geographies of the state. Chapters examine the state from a range of theoretical angles and analyse a variety of relevant themes, including feminist geographies, the relationship between state and environment, urbanization, security geographies, nation-building, and geographical political economies. The book considers the state as spatial in both form and outlook, illustrating how it occupies existing and constantly-changing political geographic conditions, and how it is maintained by the practices of categorizing and managing territory. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this Handbook will be a valuable resource for academics and students across a range of subjects, including human geography, international relations, political science, spatial planning, and urban studies. The key case studies explored will also provide valuable examples for scholars and policy-makers seeking a better understanding of the broad scope of geopolitics in a globalizing world.

This innovative book examines why national courts refer preliminary references to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), and what the referring court does with the answers. Jasper Krommendijk highlights the three core stages in the interaction between national courts and the ECJ: question, answer and follow-up, shedding new light on this under-explored area. Closing the gap between empirical interview data, and case law analysis, chapters use a unique combination of the two research methods to consider two current, and one former, EU Member States. The book demonstrates that judges extensively use the procedure and follow its outcome almost without exception, despite dissatisfaction and criticism regarding the absence of a true dialogue. By embedding the examples in the book in appropriate theory, this study will provide a useful read for students of EU law, particularly those wanting to better understand its consequences in the national legal order. Its recommendations for good practices in the ECJ and national courts will also be helpful to legal practitioners, judges and legal secretaries.

This timely book sets out a shrewd and comprehensive policy programme, for both 'microeconomic' supply-side settings of tax and regulatory systems, and 'macroeconomic' policies for fiscal and monetary policies to regulate demand and support the supply-side growth agenda. Explaining the numerous benefits of free trade after Britain's exit from the EU, and challenging the anti-Brexit argument, Patrick Minford builds on his extensive research into economic modelling to quantify the effects of Brexit and propose policies for the aftermath. Laying out an agenda for replacing social interventionist EU regulation with a robust free market framework, Minford proposes a radical tax reform programme to broaden the tax base and flatten marginal rates. This incisive book looks to the future of the UK beyond Brexit, addressing the effects of coronavirus and proposing an avenue of policies for recovery. Featuring key empirical analysis and insightful arguments, this book will be crucial reading for economists and policymakers investigating and overseeing the future of UK economic policy. It will also benefit scholars of economics and political economy, particularly those interested in tax reform programmes.

This timely book offers a critical account of key governance challenges of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Illustrating China's efforts to expand its idea of a sustainable eco-civilization, thereby 'greening' the BRI, it explores the disputes that have emerged from this process and subsequent complications resulting from geopolitical competition. R. James Ferguson presents a critical analysis of China's Green BRI, discussing the environmental impact of BRI corridors and its overall importance in harmonising the twin policy agendas of human development and environmental preservation. The author evaluates security and geopolitical challenges for the BRI in the context of China's new globalism and emerging asymmetric co-governance. Demonstrating the need for improved governance of the BRI for a sustainability transition in global affairs, Ferguson suggests a range of strategies to compete with, complement or transform the BRI into a more multilaterized Green BRI. This cutting-edge book is crucial reading for academics and researchers in political science and international relations focusing on contemporary Chinese governance and the significance of sustainable development for the BRI. Its unique practical insights and policy recommendations will also benefit policy advisors and environmental organizations that are engaging with green governance issues.

In an absorbing mixture of poignant biography and wonderfully entertaining social history, Daughters of Britannia offers the story of diplomatic life as it has never been told before.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Vita Sackville-West, and Lady Diana Cooper are among the well-known wives of diplomats who represented Britain in the far-flung corners of the globe. Yet, despite serving such crucial roles, the vast majority of these women are entirely unknown to history.

Drawing on letters, private journals, and memoirs, as well as contemporary oral history, Katie Hickman explores not only the public pomp and glamour of diplomatic life but also the most intimate, private face of this most fascinating and mysterious world.

Touching on the lives of nearly 100 diplomatic wives (as well as sisters and daughters), Daughters of Britannia is a brilliant and compelling account of more than three centuries of British diplomacy as seen through the eyes of some of its most intrepid but least heralded participants.

This comprehensive and innovative book demonstrates the dynamics of welfare policies in different socioeconomic settings by providing comparative analyses of the Baltic and Nordic welfare state systems. The book contributes to finding and reflecting upon innovative solutions to common challenges in European welfare states. Challenging conventional welfare state research, the authors compare the Nordic countries with the welfare states of the market-oriented democracies of the Baltic area, discussing welfare state theories, family policy regimes and welfare state models. Top international contributors provide a better understanding of the complex inequalities that families and individuals are facing in the 21st century, and cover important topics such as poverty, social insurance and family policy in the Nordic and Baltic areas. Challenges to the Welfare State will be of great interest to social policy scholars and policy makers, particularly those with an interest in the Baltic and Nordic countries. It will also be a welcome addition to the literature for students interested in family policy and pension protection reforms, and those with a general interest in the contemporary welfare state studies in Europe.

Since its establishment the work of the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has been subject to many interpretations, with differing theories proffered and conclusions drawn. This comprehensive guide, from an author with an intimate knowledge of the organisation, dissects every aspect of the UNHRCs work examines the efficiency of, and interactions between, its mechanisms. The book also offers a meticulous overview of the structure and functions of the Council and its processes, providing readers not only with a clear and practical guide, but a platform from which to formulate their own opinions and conclusions. Key Features: Authored by the first Secretary of the UNHRC Unique practical insights from a UN insider Explanation of the complex decision-making processes of the Council UNHRC procedures described within the overall context in which they operate Highlights vital, but hard to access, UN and UNHRC documents and references Clear and accessible, this informative book will be a key resource for NGO's, diplomats, UN officials and other participants in UNHRC proceedings, whilst also being valuable to human rights students and academics seeking to broaden their understanding of UNHRC operations.

Preventable uses the spellbinding story of the COVID-19 pandemic to show how global politics shape our health.

Professor Devi Sridhar has risen to prominence for her vital roles in communicating science to the public and speaking truth to power. In Preventable she highlights lessons learned from outbreaks past and present in a narrative that traces the COVID-19 pandemic - including her personal experience as a scientist - and sets out a vision for how we can better protect ourselves from the inevitable health crises to come.

In gripping and heartfelt prose, Sridhar exposes the varied realities of those affected (from the jailed doctor in Wuhan who sounded the alarm, and the bored passengers marooned on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, to the daily nightmares of exhausted healthcare workers), and puts you in the room with key decision makers at crucial moments (from over-confident heads of states and their hesitant scientific advisors, to the beleaguered leaders of global health organisations).

Sridhar vibrantly conveys the twists and turns of a plot that saw: deadlier variants emerge (contrary to the predictions of social media pundits who argued it would mutate to a milder form); the Pyrrhic victory in many countries of the false narrative of health versus the economy (those countries which controlled the virus, like Taiwan and Denmark, had a steadier recovery); countries with weak health systems like Senegal and Vietnam fare better than countries like the US and UK (which were consistently ranked as the most prepared); and the quickest development of game-changing vaccines in history (and their unfair distribution).

Combining science, politics, ethics and economics, this definitive book dissects the global structures that determine our fate, and reveals the deep-seated economic and social inequalities at their heart - it will challenge, outrage and inspire.