The term 'nation-building' has experienced a remarkable renaissance since the early 1990s. It has been used to describe and to justify the military interventions in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Linked to the idea of 'failed' or 'failing' states, the concept is used to hide and legitimise a whole range of diverse policies, allowing foreign powers to control and reshape countries in areas of conflict. Currently the international debate on nation building is heavily dominated by US actors and authors, especially by writers connected to the Bush administration or its policies. This book presents academic and political alternatives, presenting a critical view from 'Old Europe'. The book combines academic research and analysis with policy orientation, with contributors from both fields. It clarifies the terminology distinguishing developmental, peace-related, imperial and analytical approaches to nation-building. Highlighting its connections to globalization, democracy, ethnic and religious minorities, the contributors consider case studies such as Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria.

Democracy has many aspects. It can act as a tool to empower people, as well as a mechanism for assessing the legitimacy of a government. But democracy can also be used by powerful elites as a device of control. In the post-Cold War era, democratization of the Third World has been developed by Western powers as a "policy" that fuses both democratic rhetoric and support for more pluralist policies in the Third World, with the pursuit of Western interests.;In this book, 13 authors, from five continents, explore key questions on Third World democratization. Examining local elites and social movements, violence and Western foreign policy, Islamic political movements and economic preconditions - and how all of these contribute or subvert the chances of democracy in the Third World - the contributors conclude that, whilst democracy is of crucial importance for marginalized people in developing regions, it is not an easy commodity for export. Exporting democracy is more a projection of the West's own political model than the support of democracy in the Third World.;The contributors are: Claude Ake (Nigeria); Peter Schraeder (USA) ; Joel Rocamora (Philippines); Azmi Bishara (Palestine); Niala Mahara (Trinidad); Joe Stork (USA); Asgedet Ghirmazion (Eritrea); Basher Vashee (Zimbabwe); Franz Nuscheler (Germany); and Xabier Gorostiaga (Central America).

Western perceptions of the Middle East have all too often been simplified. Islamic culture can easily be stereotyped in the Western media and even into this century the orient has been romanticised and mythologised. In The Next Threat, five authors from widely differing backgrounds argue that these perceptions are maintained in the current policies of Western governments and institutions. The collection focuses on the same argument: that we dehumanise whole societies in order that we can hold our own economies together. From 1945 until 1989, the financial and military interests of the Western world were united by the 'threat' from the communist East. Now, in the post-Cold War period, the West appears to be offering a perceived rising spectre of Islam as justification for Western military budgets and to legitimise intervention. The Next Threat provides us with a unique interpretation of these Western perceptions of Islam in the modern era. This is the first English language edition and has been considerably updated with additional material