A coruscating analysis of current international relations, setting out the dangers the world will face if the West does not succeed in reinventing itself. The West is under pressure, and it has only itself to blame. Over the past 30 years, through a mixture of naivety and arrogance, it has lost its global advantage. The challenges are profound: the rise of China, climate change, and the polarisation of society. It’s time for a new start: modernity must become sustainable if it is to survive. The triumph of the West had seemed unstoppable not that long ago. After the end of the Cold War, the democratic market economy took hold in the former Eastern Bloc, Russia went from being an enemy to a partner, and even China turned to capitalism. Then came the terrorist attacks of 9/11 that shook the world. The War on Terror destabilised an entire region; the Arab Spring only brought forth new autocracies; and, following the annexation of Crimea, the confrontation with Russia intensified. Instead of a liberal world order, a new world disorder has emerged.  Peter R. Neumann, an internationally acclaimed expert on terrorism and geopolitics, uncovers the mistakes that led to our present dire situation and outlines what must happen now. 

When ships seek safety in port, lifeboats head out to sea, no matter the weather conditions. The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service, the Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbr chiger (DGzRS), founded 1865, is probably the world's best equipped non-governmental rescue organization with a correspondingly trained and motivated personnel force dedicated to saving life and rendering assistance at sea. In May 2015 the society celebrates its 150th anniversary. RESPEKT is an homage to the lifeboat service and people securing the German North Sea and Baltic coasts. Lively English-German essays and picture captions give deep insight into the world of sea rescue. The book introduces the reader to lifeboat history, astonishing lifeboat technology and noble men and woman whose priorities are to aid people in peril at sea.

The Roots of Terrorism is the first volume in the new Democracy and Terrorism series, a three volume project intended to explore one of the most pressing issues of our time: how to reconcile the need to fight terrorism with our desire to protect and enhance democratic values.

The second of three books in the Democracy and Terrorism series, Democratic Responses to Terrorism tackles how to protect democratic societies against terrorist violence while, at the same time, making sure that the steps democracies take to protect themselves do no fundamental harm to the rule of law and the rights of citizens. This collection of essays from notable scholars assesses such elements as the role of the legal framework, human rights, democracy and civil society, as well as international cooperation. The series explores one of the most pressing issues of our time: how to reconcile the need to fight terrorism with our desire to protect and enhance democratic values. The volumes are an outgrowth of a summit conference organized by the Club de Madrid, an independent organization comprised of many former heads of state, dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world.

The Roots of Terrorism is the first volume in the new Democracy and Terrorism series, a three volume project intended to explore one of the most pressing issues of our time: how to reconcile the need to fight terrorism with our desire to protect and enhance democratic values.

"An exhilarating account of a remarkable historical moment, in which characters known to many of us as immutable icons are rendered as vital, passionate, fallible beings . . . Lively, precise, and accessible." --Claire Messud, Harper's Magazine At the turn of the nineteenth century, a steady stream of young German poets and thinkers coursed to the town of Jena to make history. In the wake of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, confidence in traditional social, political, and religious norms had been replaced by a profound uncertainty that was as terrifying for some as it was exhilarating for others. Nowhere was the excitement more palpable than among the extraordinary group of poets, philosophers, translators, and socialites who gathered in Jena. This village of just four thousand residents soon became the place to be for the young and intellectually curious in search of philosophical disruption. Influenced by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, then an elder statesman and artistic eminence, the leading figures among the disruptors--the translator August Wilhelm Schlegel; the philosophers Friedrich Schlegel and Friedrich Schelling; the dazzling, controversial intellectual Caroline Schlegel, married to August; the poet and translator Dorothea Schlegel, married to Friedrich; and the poets Ludwig Tieck and Novalis--resolved to rethink the world, to establish a republic of free spirits. They didn't just question inherited societal traditions; with their provocative views of the individual and of nature, they revolutionized our understanding of freedom and reality. With wit and elegance, Peter Neumann brings this remarkable circle of friends and rivals to life in Jena 1800, a work of intellectual history that is colorful and passionate, informative and intimate--as fresh and full of surprises as its subjects.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to embedded systems for smart appliances and energy management, bringing together for the first time a multidisciplinary blend of topics from embedded systems, information technology and power engineering. Coverage includes challenges for future resource distribution grids, energy management in smart appliances, micro energy generation, demand response management, ultra-low power stand by, smart standby and communication networks in home and building automation.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to embedded systems for smart appliances and energy management, bringing together for the first time a multidisciplinary blend of topics from embedded systems, information technology and power engineering. Coverage includes challenges for future resource distribution grids, energy management in smart appliances, micro energy generation, demand response management, ultra-low power stand by, smart standby and communication networks in home and building automation."

German submarine technologies count among the leaders in the world. The Germans were not the first to have introduced submarines into their navy, but it wasn't long before the most technically demanding boats were being designed and built in german shipyards - a pursuit which has always involved ground breaking innovations and continues to this day. The compilation ranges from the first diving boats around the turn of the century to the modern HDW class 212A and 214 of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, to tomorrow's submarine technologies as well as the HDW class 210mod and 216--still only existing on paper. The author explains different mission profiles of current submarines and also adds a list of all submarines built in Germany after 1945. The extensive documentation is completed by 130 illustrations--including many impressive pictures of the renowned photographer Peter Neumann.

A sharp condemnation of Trump's counterterrorism policy as a dangerous failure. Donald Trump promised to defeat terrorism, but there is no easy way to make sense of his war on terror. Is it a genuine strategic shift from previous administrations? Or is it all bluster, a way to score points with his base? Hamstrung by his administration's weakness, Trump hasn't actually changed much about counterterrorism. What is different is the ideological agenda-excessively militaristic and short-sighted. Foreign alliances have deteriorated, right-wing extremists feel emboldened, and the US no longer seems like a multi-cultural haven. So what is it all for? Peter Neumann compellingly argues that Trump's war on terror looks strong and powerful in the short term, but will cause damage over time. His self-serving approach has failed on its own terms, made the world less safe, and undermined the US' greatest asset-the very idea of America.

Discussion regarding the origin of the concept of monads from Pythagorean, Hermetic, and Neo-Platonistic sources took place in the context of multitude of differing debates from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. Over the course of these debates, the concept went through numerous modifications and reinterpretations. This volume examines these contexts and discusses the implications that changes in the concept of monads had for metaphysics, universal science, and theology as well as mathematics, physics, and the life sciences.

Examination of the works of Johann Arndt (1555-1621), a Lutheran author of edifying literature, reveals an understanding of piety based on natural theology and influenced by Florentine neo-Platonism, Paracelsus, Paracelsianism, and the alchemy of Heinrich Khunrath. The present study traces the relevant lines of this tradition with close reference to the sources and analyzes the way in which they were interpreted by Arndt and incorporated into his writings. It closes with a systematic discussion of the coherence existing between nature philosophy and mysticism in the early modern age.

Democratic Responses to Terrorism tackles how to protect democratic societies against terrorist violence while, at the same time, making sure that the steps democracies take to protect themselves do no fundamental harm to the rule of law and the rights of citizens. With a foreword by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil, the essays here assess such elements as the role of the legal framework, human rights, democracy and civil society, as well as international cooperation.

The series explores one of the most pressing issues of our time: how to reconcile the need to fight terrorism with our desire to protect and enhance democratic values. The volumes are an outgrowth of a summit conference organized by the Club de Madrid, an independent organization comprised of many former heads of state, dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world.