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Is Southeastern Europe Doomed to Instability?: A Regional Perspective
by Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos Thanos VeremisConsidering the enormous problems of the Balkans during the 1990s, the experts who contributed to this study believe that there are solutions to the seemingly intractable situation and the legacy of the disintegration of the former Soviet Union.
Is the Canadian Housing Market Overvalued? A Post-crisis Assessment
by Evridiki TsountaA report from the International Monetary Fund.
Is the Holocaust Unique?
by Alan S RosenbaumIn essays written specifically for this volume, distinguished contributors assess highly charged and fundamental questions about the Holocaust: Is it unique? How can it be compared with other instances of genocide? What constitutes genocide, and how should the international community respond? On one side of the dispute are those who fear that if the Holocaust is seen as the worst case of genocide ever, its character will diminish the sufferings of other persecuted groups. On the other side are those who argue that unless the Holocaust's uniqueness is established, the inevitable tendency will be to diminish its abiding significance. The editor's introductions provide the contextual considerations for understanding this multidimensional dispute and suggest that there are universal lessons to be learned from studying the Holocaust. The third edition brings this volume up to date and includes new readings on the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides, common themes in genocide ideologies, and Iran's reaction to the Holocaust. In a world where genocide persists and the global community continues to struggle with the implications of international crime, prosecution, justice, atonement, reparation, and healing, the issues addressed in this book are as relevant as ever.
Is the Holocaust Unique?: Perspectives on Comparative Genocide
by Alan S RosenbaumIn essays written specifically for this volume, distinguished contributors assess highly charged and fundamental questions about the Holocaust: Is it unique? How can it be compared with other instances of genocide? What constitutes genocide, and how should the international community respond? On one side of the dispute are those who fear that if the Holocaust is seen as the worst case of genocide ever, its character will diminish the sufferings of other persecuted groups. On the other side are those who argue that unless the Holocaust's uniqueness is established, the inevitable tendency will be to diminish its abiding significance. The editor's introductions provide the contextual considerations for understanding this multidimensional dispute and suggest that there are universal lessons to be learned from studying the Holocaust. The third edition brings this volume up to date and includes new readings on the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides, common themes in genocide ideologies, and Iran's reaction to the Holocaust. In a world where genocide persists and the global community continues to struggle with the implications of international crime, prosecution, justice, atonement, reparation, and healing, the issues addressed in this book are as relevant as ever.
Is the PRGF Living Up to Expectations? An Assessment of Program Design
by Sanjeev Gupta Mark Plant Benedict Clements Thomas Dorsey Emanuele Baldacci Gabriela Inchauste Shamsuddin Tareq Nita ThackerThe creation of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) in late 1999 represented the culmination of more than two years of internal and external reviews and IMF policy discussions on the assessment and transformation of the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF). The PRGF now functions as the IMF's principal instrument to support low-income countries in implementing their poverty reduction strategies. Targets and policies embodied in PRGF-supported programs should emerge from the country's own poverty reduction strategy, as laid out in its PRSP or Interim PRSP (I-PRSP). Key features which PRGF programs have in common were identified as follows: Broad participation and greater ownership; Embedding of the PRGF in the overall strategy for growth and poverty reduction; Budgets that are more pro-poor and pro-growth; Appropriate flexibility in fiscal targets ensured; More selective structural conditionality; Emphasis on measures to improve public resource management/accountability; Social impact analysis of major macroeconomic adjustments and structural reforms. The remainder of this paper provides an assessment of the extent to which PRGF-supported programs have implemented the individual key features.
Is There a Middle East?
by Michael E. Bonine Abbas Amanat Michael Ezekiel GasperIs the idea of the "Middle East" simply a geopolitical construct conceived by the West to serve particular strategic and economic interests—or can we identify geographical, historical, cultural, and political patterns to indicate some sort of internal coherence to this label? While the term has achieved common usage, no one studying the region has yet addressed whether this conceptualization has real meaning—and then articulated what and where the Middle East is, or is not. This volume fills the void, offering a diverse set of voices—from political and cultural historians, to social scientists, geographers, and political economists—to debate the possible manifestations and meanings of the Middle East. At a time when geopolitical forces, social currents, and environmental concerns have brought attention to the region, this volume examines the very definition and geographic and cultural boundaries of the Middle East in an unprecedented way.
Is This a Private Fight or Can Anybody Join?: The Spread of Interstate War
by Zachary C. ShirkeySome countries join interstate wars well after the war has begun, waiting months and often years, and thus changing their beliefs about the wisdom of entering a war. This volume examines why this might be so, focusing on unforeseen events in wars which cause neutral players to update their expectations about the trajectory of the war, therefore explaining why some wars spread while others do not. The author uses a combination of case studies and statistical analysis to test this theory: the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, World War I, and a study of the spread of war since World War II. Designed for courses on and research into war and other international security issues, this book is a must read.
Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election?
by Stephen J. WayneThe 2012 election is over, but the debate over the fairness and accuracy of our electoral system continues. The courts are dealing with the alleged discriminatory impact of voter ID requirements on minority voters; privacy and vote manipulation are concerns as political campaigns utilize new technology to target voters; the news media are contending with harsh public criticism of their elections coverage; the campaign finance floodgates were opened with vast resources spent on negative advertising; and the Electoral College continues to undermine a national, democratic electoral system—Is this any way to run a democratic election? This fully updated fifth edition of Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election? by Stephen J. Wayne answers that important question by looking at both recent events and recent scholarship focused on the democratic electoral process, including new data and timely illustrations from the 2012 elections.
Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election?: Debating American Electoral Politics
by Stephen J. WayneThe 2016 elections are over, but the debate over the fairness and accuracy of our electoral process has never been more contentious. Hacking, fake news, a 'rigged system,' voter ID challenges, Super PACs, and an Electoral College defying the popular vote count all lead to a common question and concern: Is this any way to run a democratic election? New to the Sixth Edition New data and timely illustrations from the 2016 elections. Social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) and their impact. Fake news vs. more objective and traditional election news coverage. Election integrity in the face of hacking, rumoring, and instantaneous news. Money—the role of Super PACs and billionaire donors as well as candidates. Updates and refinements to pedagogical features including chapter introductions, end of chapter exercises, and online references in the suggested readings.
Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election?
by Stephen J. WayneThe 2016 and 2018 elections are over, but looking ahead to the 2019–2020 election cycle, the debate over the fairness and accuracy of our electoral process has never been more contentious. Hacking, fake news, a "rigged system," voter ID challenges, Super PACs, and an Electoral College defying the popular vote count all lead to a common question and concern: Is this any way to run a democratic election? New to the Seventh Edition: New data and timely illustrations from the 2016 and 2018 elections, looking ahead to 2020 election. The growing importance of social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) and its impact, good and bad, on recent campaigns. Foreign interference in the 2016 and 2018 national elections. The integrity of campaign communications—hacking, rumoring, instantaneous news, and the effect of fact-checking. Money: the role of Super PACs and billionaire donors; the impact of campaign spending on the candidates and on election outcomes. New connections between the "Did you know that" chapter introductions to the exercises at the end. More online references in the suggested readings.
Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election?
by Stephen J. WayneThis new edition examines the theory, structure, and the contemporary electoral process, analyzing how the system has evolved, how it is working today, and its challenges for the future. Stephen J. Wayne illuminates the democratic strength and weaknesses of the American electoral system and asks, "Is this any way to run a democratic election?"Updated to included insight into the contentious 2020 and 2022 elections, the chapters look ahead to the 2024 election with detailed analysis of the impact of money, media, partisanship, misinformation, changes in electoral laws, public trust and election denial on the electorate, political parties, and the candidates for office. Each chapter opens with “Did You Know” teasers and concludes with a critical thinking section that includes Discussion Questions, Topics for Debate, Research Oriented Exercises, and Internet Resources and Selected Readings--providing a wide array of tools with which to explore alternatives to the status quo. Comparative examples from other countries are included to provide readers with a broader perspective on the issues democracies face around the world.Tackling the big questions about American politics, this is an accessible read for undergraduate students in courses on Electoral Politics, Political Parties, Campaigns and Voting and American Democracy.
Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election?
by Stephen J. WayneThe book examines American democracy in theory and practice, notes where and why practices deviate from theory, and then considers reforms to close the gap.
Is This the End of the Liberal International Order?: The Munk Debate on Geopolitics (Munk Debates)
by Niall Ferguson Fareed ZakariaThe twentieth semi-annual Munk Debate pits Niall Ferguson against Fareed Zakaria to debate the end of the liberal international order.Since the end of World War II, global affairs have been shaped by the increasing free movement of people and goods, international rules setting, and a broad appreciation of the mutual benefits of a more interdependent world. Together these factors defined the liberal international order and sustained an era of rising global prosperity and declining international conflict. But now, for the first time in a generation, the pillars of liberal internationalism are being shaken to their core by the reassertion of national borders, national interests, and nationalist politics across the globe. Can liberal internationalism survive these challenges and remain the defining rules-based system of the future? Or, are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the liberal international order?The twentieth semi-annual Munk Debate, held on April 28th, 2017, pits prominent historian Niall Ferguson against CNN’s Fareed Zakaria to debate the future of liberal internationalism.
Is This Your First War?: Travels Through the Post-9/11 Islamic World
by Michael PetrouA leading journalist travels through the hot spots of the Middle East and Central Asia, from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Syria and Egypt. Winner of the Ottawa Book Award for English Non-Fiction, 2013 Less than a year before 9/11, Michael Petrou trekked through al Qaeda’s backyard in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He was back in Central Asia within weeks of the attacks – this time as a reporter, slipping into Afghanistan as rockets and tracer bullets lit up the night sky, carrying notebooks, stolen blankets, and a satellite phone. In the decade that followed, Petrou has returned repeatedly to the greater Middle East, where political Islam, liberalism, ethnic and religious nationalism, and Western military intervention shape and batter the lives of those who live there. In the process, Petrou has established himself as one of Canada’s premier foreign correspondents. Petrou details a world in the midst of great turmoil and tells the stories of people who have long been held down by dictatorship and extremism and who are finally beginning to shake themselves free.
Is Voting for Young People?: With A Postscript On Citizen Engagement (Great Questions In Politics Ser.)
by Martin P. WattenbergIn 2008, everyone expected young people to turn out to vote in record numbers for the first youthful, hip, new media-savvy, African American presidential candidate in history. They didn't. When Obama ran for re-election, he targeted young voters and they still didn't come to the polls in overwhelming numbers. What will happen in 2016, another potential history-making election? Is Voting for Young People? explores the reasons why young people are less likely to follow politics and vote in the United States (as well as in many other established democracies) no matter who the candidates are, whether they tweet or blog, or what the issues may be. This brief, accessible, and provocative book suggests ways of changing that, and now includes a new chapter on young people's role in the 2008, 2012, and 2014 elections, looking ahead to 2016. New to the Fourth Edition: A new introduction placing current youth voting trends in context with recent elections. A new Chapter 8 covering the elections of 2008, 2012, and 2014--looking ahead to 2016. Updated voting data on 2012 and 2014 elections. A new concluding chapter offering recommendations for improving young voter turnout.
Is Voting for Young People?
by Martin P. WattenbergIn 2016, Hillary Clinton managed to win the Democratic nomination despite losing young voters to Bernie Sanders by a margin of 73 to 26 percent. The fact that senior citizens were four times more likely to vote in the primaries than young people enabled her to survive her lack of youth appeal. But in the general election, Clinton’s problems with young people turned into her Achilles heel. Young people failed to come out to vote as much as she needed, or to support her in sufficient numbers when they did vote. What will happen in 2020, another history-making election? Already in late 2019, journalists were referring to the generation gap as "the most important divide among Democratic voters." Is Voting for Young People? explores the reasons why young people are less likely to follow politics and vote in the United States (as well as in many other established democracies), no matter who the candidates are, or what the issues may be. This brief, accessible, and provocative book suggests ways of changing that. New to the Fifth Edition For the first time since its original 2006 publication, the entire text has been updated with the most recent available data and analysis. A new chapter has been added—Young People and Politics in the Trump Era. New chapter-opening vignettes illustrate one of the key points in each chapter.
Is Voting for Young People?
by Martin P. WattenbergIs Voting for Young People? explores the reasons why young people are less likely to follow politics and vote in the United States and other established democracies, no matter who the candidates are, or what the issues may be.This brief, accessible, and provocative book suggests ways of changing that. Fully updated to include statistics and analysis from the 2020 and 2022 US elections, this book argues that politics and voting have increasingly become the province of the elderly, with a growing rift between politicians and young adults that weakens democracy. Employing a wealth of cross‑national data, Martin P. Wattenberg shows how changes in media consumption, neglect from politicians, and changing attitudes towards civic duty have created a generation gap in voter turnout and ceded important decisions on youth concerns to those who have different values and interests.Illustrating the critical importance of engaging young voters, this book is an important read for students of democracy, political participation, elections, and voter behavior.
Is Voting for Young People?, CourseSmart eTextbook: With A Postscript On Citizen Engagement (Great Questions In Politics Ser.)
by Martin P. WattenbergUpdated in a 3rd edition, Is Voting for Young People? explores the reasons why the young are less likely to follow politics and vote in the United States, as well as in many other established democracies. This brief, accessible, and provocative book suggests ways of changing that, and now includes a chapter on young people's role in the 2008 and 2010 elections.
Is Wildness Over? (Where Am I?)
by Paul WapnerWildness was once integral to our ancestor’s lives as they struggled to survive in an unpredictable environment. Today, most of us live in relative stability insulated from the vicissitudes of nature. Wildness is over, right? Wrong, argues leading environmental scholar Paul Wapner. Wildness may have disappeared from our immediate lives, but it’s been catapulted up to the global level. The planet itself has gone into spasm - calving glaciers, wildfires, heatwaves, mass extinction, and rising oceans all represent the new face of wildness. Rejecting paths offered by geoengineering and de-extinction to bring the Earth under control, Wapner calls instead for ‘rewilding’. This involves relinquishing the desire for comfort at all costs and welcoming greater uncertainty into our own lives. To save ourselves from global ruin, it is time to stop sanitizing and exerting mastery over the world and begin living humbly in it.
Isaac and Isaiah
by David CauteRancorous and highly public disagreements between Isaiah Berlin and Isaac Deutscher escalated to the point of cruel betrayal in the mid-1960s, yet surprisingly the details of the episode have escaped historians' scrutiny. In this gripping account of the ideological clash between two of the most influential scholars of Cold War politics, David Caute uncovers a hidden story of passionate beliefs, unresolved antagonism, and the high cost of reprisal to both victim and perpetrator.Though Deutscher (1907-1967) and Berlin (1909-1997) had much in common--each arrived in England in flight from totalitarian violence, quickly mastered English, and found entry into the Anglo-American intellectual world of the 1950s--Berlin became one of the presiding voices of Anglo-American liberalism, while Deutscher remained faithful to his Leninist heritage, resolutely defending Soviet conduct despite his rejection of Stalin's tyranny. Caute combines vivid biographical detail with an acute analysis of the issues that divided these two icons of Cold War politics, and brings to light for the first time the full severity of Berlin's action against Deutscher.
Isabel: Jewel of Castilla (The Royal Diaries)
by Carolyn MeyerWhile waiting anxiously for others to choose a husband for her, Isabel, the future Queen of Spain, keeps a diary account of her life as a member of the royal family
Isabel la Católica: La primera gran reina de Europa
by Giles TremlettLa biografía definitiva de Isabel la Católica, la reina que definió y consolidó las bases del imperio español en el siglo XV. En 1474, una mujer culta, inteligente y fervientemente religiosa de apenas veintitrés años ascendió al trono de Castilla, el reino más poderoso y extenso de España. Tenía por delante el considerable reto de gobernar una corte dominada por hombres y reformar uno de los principales reinos europeos acosado por el crimen, la corrupción y el violento faccionalismo político. En esta biografía definitiva, Giles Tremlett nos presenta a una controvertida mujer que consiguió cambiar el rumbo de la historia sacando a su país del oscurantismo medieval para dotarlo de las herramientas que lo convertirían en uno de los mayores imperios donde nunca se ponía el sol. Como sostiene Tremlett, Isabel la Católica es la reina más importante de la historia de Europa, y este libro por fin la hace justicia, con sus luces y sus sombras.
Isabella
by Kirstin DowneyAn engrossing and revolutionary biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in historyBorn at a time when Christianity was dying out and the Ottoman Empire was aggressively expanding, Isabella was inspired in her youth by tales of Joan of Arc, a devout young woman who unified her people and led them to victory against foreign invaders. In 1474, when most women were almost powerless, twenty-three-year-old Isabella defied a hostile brother and a mercurial husband to seize control of Castile and León. Her subsequent feats were legendary. She ended a twenty-four-generation struggle between Muslims and Christians, forcing North African invaders back over the Mediterranean Sea. She laid the foundation for a unified Spain. She sponsored Columbus's trip to the Indies and negotiated Spanish control over much of the New World with the help of Rodrigo Borgia, the infamous Pope Alexander VI. She also annihilated all who stood against her by establishing a bloody religious Inquisition that would darken Spain's reputation for centuries. Whether saintly or satanic, no female leader has done more to shape our modern world, in which millions of people in two hemispheres speak Spanish and practice Catholicism. Yet history has all but forgotten Isabella's influence, due to hundreds of years of misreporting that often attributed her accomplishments to Ferdinand, the bold and philandering husband she adored. Using new scholarship, Downey's luminous biography tells the story of this brilliant, fervent, forgotten woman, the faith that propelled her through life, and the land of ancient conflicts and intrigue she brought under her command.From the Hardcover edition.
Isaiah Berlin
by Arie M. DubnovThis study offers an intellectual biography of the philosopher, political thinker, and historian of ideas Sir Isaiah Berlin. It aims to provide the first historically contextualized monographic study of Berlin's formative years and identify different stages in his intellectual development, allowing a reappraisal of his theory of liberalism.
Isaiah Berlin: An Interpretation of His Thought
by John GrayIsaiah Berlin (1909-1997) was the greatest intellectual historian of the twentieth century. But his work also made an original and important contribution to moral and political philosophy and to liberal theory. In 1921, at the age of eleven, Isaiah Berlin arrived in England from Riga, Latvia. By the time he was thirty he was at the heart of British intellectual life. He has remained its commanding presence ever since, and few would dispute that he was one of Britain's greatest thinkers. His reputation extends worldwide--as a great conversationalist, intellectual historian, and man of letters. He has been called the century's most inspired reader. Yet Berlin's contributions to thought--in particular to moral and political philosophy, and to liberal theory--are little understood, and surprisingly neglected by the academic world. In this book, they are shown to be animated by a single, powerful, subversive idea: value-pluralism which affirms the reality of a deep conflict between ultimate human values that reason cannot resolve. Though bracingly clear-headed, humane and realist, Berlin's value-pluralism runs against the dominant Western traditions, secular and religious, which avow an ultimate harmony of values. It supports a highly distinctive restatement of liberalism in Berlin's work--an agnostic liberalism, which is founded not on rational choice but on the radical choices we make when faced with intractable dilemmas. It is this new statement of liberalism, the central subject of John Gray's lively and lucid book, which gives the liberal intellectual tradition a new lease on life, a new source of life, and which comprises Berlin's central and enduring legacy. In a new introduction, Gray argues that, in a world in which human freedom has spread more slowly than democracy, Berlin's account of liberty and basic decency is more instructive and useful than ever.