Only recently have international relations scholars started to seriously examine the influence of collective memory on foreign policy formation and relations between states and peoples. The ways in which the memories of past events are interpreted, misinterpreted, or even manipulated in public discourse create the context that shapes international relations.

"Power and the Past" brings together leading history and international relations scholars to provide a groundbreaking examination of the impact of collective memory. This timely study makes a contribution to developing a theory of memory and international relations and also examines specific cases of collective memory's influence resulting from the legacies of World War II, the Holocaust, and September 11. Addressing concerns shared by world leaders and international institutions as well as scholars of international studies, this volume illustrates clearly how the memory of past events alters the ways countries interact in the present, how memory shapes public debate and policymaking, and how memory may aid or more frequently impede conflict resolution.

The bottom-line message of this book is democracy resurgent - but not triumphant. There are any number of conceivable anti-democratic threats and no prospect of ever achieving either a satisfactory or a permanent level of democracy in all countries and societies. Any lowering of the guard by democracy's defenders in academia or real world politics risks the danger of democracy once again falling upon hard times or even regressing.

The bottom-line message of this book is democracy resurgent - but not triumphant. There are any number of conceivable anti-democratic threats and no prospect of ever achieving either a satisfactory or a permanent level of democracy in all countries and societies. Any lowering of the guard by democracy's defenders in academia or real-world politics risks the danger of democracy once again falling upon hard times or even regressing.

This book examines the interaction of domestic and foreign issues in the lives of ethnic Americans. Arguing that the damaging impact of ethnic influences on U.S. foreign affairs has been overstated and misrepresented, Shain brings a new dimension to the public debate on multiculturalism by exploring its transnational aspects. Ethnic groups, despite residual attachments to their homelands, do not betray American political values and ideals, but, on the contrary, their involvement in homeland related affairs has been instrumental in their dissemination inside and outside the U.S.. Shain evaluates ethnic groups in the U.S. from a broad theoretical and comparative perspective, and his case studies include, among others, Arab-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and African-Americans.

Between States is a two-part study compiled in one book. It is the first book to assess systematically the broad implications of interim governments in the establishment of democratic regimes and on the existence of states. Drawing on historical and contemporary democratization experiences, Shain and Linz, the principal authors, explore four ideal types of interim government: opposition-led provisional governments, power-sharing interim governments, incumbent-led caretaker governments, and international interim government by the United Nations. In the second part of this book, other contributors evaluate the subject further in extensive case studies.

In the face of globalization, the War on Terror, and massive shifts in migration patterns, analysts and scholars are finally being forced to reckon with the limitations of the old territorial models of global politics. As these and other political and economic changes continue to defy national borders, interested readers owe it to themselves to appreciate the power of kinship and diaspora---two of the most powerful factors in transnational politics today.

Yossi Shain's essential new work replaces the old, nationally bounded image of international politics (a vestige of the age of empire and the rise of the nation-state) with a new, more fluid vision, in which borders are understood to be permeable and formal institutions mingle with informal networks of blood and belief. Shain's "politics of belonging" provides the much-needed framework within which analysts can better understand the power of pan-Islamism, organized crime syndicates, even regional security organizations and other transnational political phenomena. This concise, visionary work demands nothing less than a total reassessment of standard ideas about the international political order.

Yossi Shain heads the Hartog School of Government at Tel Aviv University and is Professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University.

Jacket design by Don Hammond

"An astute and provocative analysis of the changing role of diasporas in international relations. Drawing on the rich experience of the Jewish people, Shain trenchantly suggests ways in which diaspora groups can strengthen their former homelands politically and economically. Essential reading for our globalized world!"
---David A. Harris, ExecutiveDirector, American Jewish Committee

"This book will be required reading for anyone interested in how and why diasporas support homeland political violence, including terrorism."
---Clark McCauley, Professor of Psychology, Bryn Mawr College; Co-director, National Consortium for Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)

"An important contribution to understanding how collective identities of diasporas are being shaped by and in turn affecting international relations as well as domestic politics."
---Devesh Kapur, Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania