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Vlad the Impaler: The Real Count Dracula
by Enid A. Goldberg Norman ItzkowitzLoyalty meant nothing to Vlad Dracula, a Transylvanian prince who'd sacrifice anything to stay in power. He ruled with a thirst for blood so terrible that the most famous vampire in literature was named after him.
Vladimir Putin: The World's Most Dangerous Man?
by James GreensmithGet inside the mind of Putin and discover what makes this ruthless, brutal, and amoral dictator tick. Following the celebrations of the Millennium and our entry into the 21st century, it was to be hoped that the days when a brutal dictator could bring mindless death and destruction to another country, and even to his own people, were over, and that the lessons of the past had been well and truly learned. A forlorn hope, as it transpires, for yet another monster has raised its ugly head above the slimy cesspit which such monsters inhabit, one to rival those of the past such as Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot. For now, we have Vladimir Putin, a depraved, deranged, warmongering megalomaniac who threatens the peace of the entire planet. In former times the appropriate description of Putin would have been ‘evil’; ‘a monster’; ‘the Devil incarnate’; ‘ghoulish’, ‘an excrescence’, etc, but we no longer live in the Middle Ages and such appellations no longer suffice. And anyway, what adjective exists to describe a person who has no respect for human life? In their place we have the terminology of modern-day psychiatry. So, is it possible to get inside the mind of Putin and discover what makes this ruthless, brutal, and amoral dictator ‘tick’? The answer is ‘Yes’, but it is not to be found in any textbook of psychiatry. Instead, the clues are to be found in a scientific paper, published by a female psychiatrist as long ago as the year 1997, and in the known side effects of the illness from which he is currently suffering. A new and unique insight is now offered into the mind of Putin, one which has not previously been advanced.
Vladimir Putin and Russia's Imperial Revival
by DavidE. McNabbDiscerning the early stages of the rebirth of a new Russian empire from the ashes of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin and Russia‘s Imperial Revival argues that Russia‘s recent overtly aggressive actions and foreign policy doctrines have signaled a renewal of the Cold War. At the least, Russia‘s actions represent the potential for renewal. This book explains these developments in a historical context.The book begins by describing Russia‘s initial policy of rapprochement after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its development into a foreign policy of threatened or actual armed aggression. It identifies today‘s Russia as a nation determined to re-establish itself as a political and military force. As a prominent figure in the development and continuation of its current foreign policy, Vladimir Putin plays a central role in the topics covered.Previous literature often treats Putin as an individual phenomenon examining his connections to corruption or the secret police, but here David E. McNabb examines him as the latest in a long history of Russian despots who followed similar expansionist policies. He details some of the tactics Putin uses to instill fear and dominate political policies of republics newly independent from Russia. These tactics include the use of energy as a weapon, cyber terrorism, and military support for ethnic Russian separatists in other sovereign nations, most recently exemplified by Russia‘s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine via armed invasion.In an attempt to demystify Russia‘s re-emergence as an international political force, Vladimir Putin and Russia‘s Imperial Revival grounds its analyses in history. It explores as far back as the establishment of the first Russian empire, and regards Putin as a leader determined to establish a fifth imperial incarnation. It provides a nuanced understanding of how Russia arrived at its current position through recent and distant internal and international events.
Vlakplaas: 1979-1994 (History Of Terror Ser.)
by Robin BinckesFaced with the total onslaught by its enemies, in 1979, Apartheid South Africa established Vlakplaas lit. shallow farm, a 100-hectare farm nestling in the hills outside Pretoria on the Hennops River as a secret operation under the arm of C1, a counter-terrorism division of the South African Police headed by Brigadier Schoon.The first phase of Vlakplaas operations, up until 1989, was aimed at fighting the enemy: the armed wings of the liberation movements, the African National Congresss Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK), the Pan Africanist Congresss Azanian Peoples Liberation Army (or APLA) and the South African Communist Party. The second phase was fighting organized crime in which Vlakplaas itself seamlessly adopted the mantle of organized crime in the notorious downtown area of Johannesburgs Hillbrow. The final phase, the most destructive, was as the murky Third Force that destabilized the country in an orgy of violence in the run-up to its first democratic elections, in 1994.Operating within South Africa as well as beyond the countrys borders, it will never been known how many victims can be attributed to the Vlakplaas agenda with much of the execution taking place on the farm itself but a conservative figure of 1,000 murders and assassinations has been mooted.
Vocabularies of International Relations after the Crisis in Ukraine (Post-Soviet Politics)
by Andrey Makarychev Alexandra YatsykThe conflict in Ukraine and Russia's annexation of Crimea has undoubtedly been a pivotal moment for policy makers and military planners in Europe and beyond. Many analysts see an unexpected character in the conflict and expect negative reverberations and a long-lasting period of turbulence and uncertainty, the de-legitimation of international institutions and a declining role for global norms and rules. Did these events bring substantial correctives and modifications to the extant conceptualization of International Relations? Does the conflict significantly alter previous assumptions and foster a new academic vocabulary, or, does it confirm the validity of well-established schools of thought in international relations? Has the crisis in Ukraine confirmed the vitality and academic vigour of conventional concepts? These questions are the starting points for this book covering conceptualisations from rationalist to reflectivist, and from quantitative to qualitative. Most contributors agree that many of the old concepts, such as multi-polarity, spheres of influence, sovereignty, or even containment, are still cognitively valid, yet believe the eruption of the crisis means that they are now used in different contexts and thus infused with different meanings. It is these multiple, conceptual languages that the volume puts at the centre of its analysis. This text will be of great interest to students and scholars studying international relations, politics, and Russian and Ukrainian studies.
The Vocation Lectures
by Max Weber Rodney Livingstone Tracy B. Strong David OwenOriginally published separately, Weber's Science as a Vocation and Politics as a Vocation stand as the classic formulations of his positions on two related subjects that go to the heart of his thought: the nature and status of science and its claims to authority; and the nature and status of political claims and the ultimate justification for such claims. Together in this volume, these newly translated lectures offer an ideal point of entry into Weber's central project: understanding how, as Weber put it, "in the West alone there have appeared cultural manifestations [that seem to] go in the direction of universal significance and validity.
Vocational Education and Training in ASEAN Member States: Current Status and Future Development (Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming Education)
by Bin Bai ParyonoThis book is the first monograph to systematically introduce readers to technology and vocational education and training in ASEAN countries. It details the current state of development and key development trends regarding technology and vocational education and training in the ten ASEAN countries. For each ASEAN country, the book addresses the history, status quo, characteristics, reform and development trends in technology and vocational education and training.The content mainly focuses on technology and vocational education and training systems, vocational qualification frameworks, technology and vocational education and training related personnel, etc. All the latest data presented here is drawn from the newest official website and research reports, accurately reflecting the development status of ASEAN countries and helping us make better forecasts regarding its future.This book offers a valuable reference guide for academic research in technology and vocational education and training. It can also be used as a textbook for postgraduate courses in technology and vocational education and training, as well as training material for various vocational education teachers and managers.
Vocational Education and Training in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence Informed Practice for Unemployed and Disadvantaged Youth
by Celestin MayombeThis book analyses the accessibility and success of vocational training programmes for unemployed and disadvantaged youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Examining the implementation of vocational education and training programmes, the author assesses various internal and external enabling factors that can help foster youth employment. In doing so, the author presents a solid base for robust and evidence-informed practice and policy making for vocational training programmes, analysing such themes as employability skills, the labour market, and work-integrated learning. It also emphasises the importance of stakeholders taking into account the enabling and disabling environments found in a given local, regional or national context. It will be of interest to scholars of vocational training programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, as well as of youth poverty and unemployment.
Vocational Education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Education and Employment in a Post-Work Age
by James AvisThis book examines the concept of the fourth industrial revolution and its potential impact on vocational education and training. Broadly located in a framework rooted in critical/radical theory, the book argues that the affordance of technologies surrounding the fourth industrial revolution are constrained by their location within a neoliberal, if not capitalist, logic. Thus, the impact of this revolution will be experienced differently across European regions as well as low and middle income economies. In order to break this impasse, this book calls for a politics based on non-reformist reforms, premised on an aspiration towards a socially just society that transcends capitalism.
Vocationalism in Further and Higher Education: Policy, Programmes and Pedagogy (Routledge Research in Education)
by Jill Jameson Sai LooVocationalism in Further and Higher Education presents a collection of research-based papers on the ‘English model’ of vocationalism and higher education. It argues that negative societal and political perceptions have hindered the debate about the significance and relevance of vocational education and training provision to learning, work and the economy. In this book, the writers offer unique solutions to the difficult questions that have emerged from their investigations into vocationalism in England. This edited collection brings together a group of academic experts to report and discuss their findings from many years of evidence-based research on vocationalism at three levels: macro (national and policy-making), meso (programmes and organization), and micro (individual learning and teaching). Chapters explore the key issues relating to the topic, such as policies, curriculum, learning and teaching, and work contexts. The book reflects on the diversity of related programmes, and discusses the applicability and relevance of the term ‘vocationalism’ in the light of current developments relating to higher vocational education, including occupation, employability and professionalism. This book is a timely contribution to the debate on the ‘English model’ of vocational education and will be an essential resource for researchers, practitioners and postgraduate students in the fields of vocational education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), work-based learning, politics and policy of education, teaching and learning, higher education, and curriculum and pedagogy.
Voces de Iberoamérica
by Juan Ramón de la FuenteLa actualidad y resonancias futuras de Voces de Iberoamérica resultan incuestionables. Para los países en desarrollo, tres parecen ser los temas pendientes o principales en su agenda política, económica y social: reforma del Estado; participación empresarial en el desarrollo nacional; formación integral de estudiantes universitarios comprometidos con su entorno social. En torno a estos tres ejes discurren las entrevistas que Juan Ramón de la Fuente hizo a seis destacadas personalidades participantes en el séptimo Foro Iberoamérica celebrado en México en diciembre de 2006. Como explica en su entrevista Carlos Fuentes, creador del Foro, la idea fundacional fue que, "por primera vez en América Latina, y quizá en el mundo hubiera un encuentro anual en el que intelectuales, empresarios y estadistas pudieran reunirse, cambiar puntos de vista y convertirse en correas de transmisión entre lo que aquí se dice y sus respectivas comunidades". Los asuntos abordados tienen una dimensión civilizatoria, preguntar por los nudos de la vida pública de nuestros países y por sus retos, el mayor de los cuales es el más viejo de todos: la desigualdad. Las entrevistas son: 1. Educación y desarrollo, Carlos Fuentes; 2. El Estado y la seguridad, Julio María Sanguinetti (ex presidente de Uruguay); 3. Los retos de la democracia, Felipe González (ex presidente de España); 4. Diálogo de civilizaciones, Ricardo Lagos (ex presidente de Chile); 5. Los retos de la universidad, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (ex presidente de Brasil); 6. Economía, sociedad y reformas sociales, Enrique Iglesias (Uruguay, ex presidente del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo).
Voces de la democracia: Los Discursos Que Hicieron Historia 1983- 2013
by Gabriel Di Meglio Gustavo ÁlvarezUna sucesión de voces que construyen un diálogo de treinta años que, ojalá, sea cada vez más profundo, más inclusivo y más plural. La Historia se conforma por hechos mínimos y actos grandiosos, luchas populares, revoluciones, victorias y derrotas, muertes, ideas y discursos. Nuestra historia, que encierra todos esos hechos, celebra, por primera vez, treinta años ininterrumpidos de ejercicio democrático. Una ocasión perfecta para analizar, recordar y hacer un balance del camino recorrido. Para acompañar ese ejercicio reflexivo, los historiadores Gabriel Di Meglio y Gustavo Álvarez seleccionaron los discursos más importantes de estas tres décadas, aquellos que nos marcaron a fuego. Los agruparon y agregaron una breve pero aguda contextualización que permite entender cabalmente el momento histórico en que esas palabras se volvieron fundamentales. Reynaldo Bignone anunciando el llamado a elecciones tras los años más trágicos de nuestro país; Raúl Alfonsín convocando a recitar el Preámbulo de la Constitución Nacional; Julio César Strassera exigiendo "nunca más" en su alegato en el juicio a las Juntas; Carlos Menem prometiendo una revolución productiva y una cirugía mayor sin antestesia; Fernando de la Rúa comunicando el estado de sitio que iba a prologar su renuncia; Néstor Kirchner anunciando la anulación de las leyes de Obediencia Debida y Punto Final, y, llegando al presente, Cristina Fernández defendiendo la Ley de Medios y anunciando la estatización de YPF, son algunas de las marcas orales de esta trayectoria intensa, dramática, en algunos momentos trágica y en otros, emocionante.
Vodka and Apple Juice: Travels of an Undiplomatic Wife in Poland
by Jay MartinWhen Jay's husband lands a diplomatic job in Warsaw, she jumps at the chance to escape a predictable life in Canberra for adventure in the heart of central Europe. From glamorous cocktail parties and dining with presidents, to snowy sleigh rides and drinking vodka in smoky bars, Jay is thrown into all that embassy life has to offer. She comes to realize that three things in Poland are certain: death, taxes, and that shop assistants won't have any change. What is less certain is whether her marriage will survive its third Polish winter.
The Voegelinian Revolution: A Biographical Introduction
by Lynda Lytle HolmstromOver the past half-century, Eric Voegelin has produced a demanding body of writing on the philosophy of history and the history of political theory since antiquity. This is the first full-scale treatment of his inquiry into the reality of man's political existence. It includes close readings of the texts, with Voegelin's own comments on them interspersed, offering a thorough explication of the philosopher's quest.Incorporating an "Autobiographical Memoir" prepared in collaboration with Voegelin especially for the volume, Ellis Sandoz interweaves the events of this great thinker's life with the philosophical inquiry to which that life has been devoted. Among the uniquely engaging biographical subjects covered are Voegelin's reminiscences of his involvement with such seminal minds as Max Weber, and with Karl Kraus, Hans Kelsen, and other lights of Vienna's intellectual community of the 1920s and 1930s; a full discussion of his early responses to national socialism and his escape from the Anschluss in 1938; and a summary of his early years in America, with particular attention to the years at Louisiana State University with Cleanth Brooks, Robert Penn Warren, and Robert Heilman.Carefully analyzing Voegelin's contribution to our understanding of ourselves, Sandoz convincingly argues that Voegelin's achievement is revolutionary. He emphasizes the common sense running through Voegelin's thought, and reveals how Voegelin reached a new analysis of reality and provides us with a new science of human affairs. Sandoz does not reveal the "truth to end the quest for truth," but shows how such "stop history" answers are defective. Exploring the meaning of that "first truth" as it has been intellectually and spiritually unraveled by one of our century's leading thinkers, Voegelinian Revolution shows anyone interested in politics and human affairs how to follow Voegelin's path. This book will be of interest to historians, political theorists, students of philosophy and religion, and educated readers concerned about the plight of American/Western civilization and looking for a new view on our current "crisis."
Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics
by Sidney VerbaThis book confirms Alexis de Tocqueville’s idea, dating back a century and a half, that American democracy is rooted in civil society. Citizens’ involvement in family, school, work, voluntary associations, and religion has a significant impact on their participation as voters, campaigners, donors, community activists, and protesters. The authors focus on the central issues of involvement: how people come to be active and the issues they raise when they do. They find fascinating differences along cultural lines, among African-Americans, Latinos, and Anglo-Whites, as well as between the religiously observant and the secular. They observe family activism moving from generation to generation, and they look into the special role of issues that elicit involvement, including abortion rights and social welfare. This far-reaching analysis, based on an original survey of 15,000 individuals, including 2,500 long personal interviews, shows that some individuals have a greater voice in politics than others, and that this inequality results not just from varying inclinations toward activity, but also from unequal access to vital resources such as education. Citizens’ voices are especially unequal when participation depends on contributions of money rather than contributions of time. This deeply researched study brilliantly illuminates the many facets of civic consciousness and action and confirms their quintessential role in American democracy.
Voice And Equality: Civic Voluntarism In American Politics
by Sidney Verba Henry E. Brady Kay Lehman SchlozmanThis book confirms Alexis de Tocqueville’s idea, dating back a century and a half, that American democracy is rooted in civil society. Citizens’ involvement in family, school, work, voluntary associations, and religion has a significant impact on their participation as voters, campaigners, donors, community activists, and protesters. The authors focus on the central issues of involvement: how people come to be active and the issues they raise when they do. They find fascinating differences along cultural lines, among African-Americans, Latinos, and Anglo-Whites, as well as between the religiously observant and the secular. They observe family activism moving from generation to generation, and they look into the special role of issues that elicit involvement, including abortion rights and social welfare. This far-reaching analysis, based on an original survey of 15,000 individuals, including 2,500 long personal interviews, shows that some individuals have a greater voice in politics than others, and that this inequality results not just from varying inclinations toward activity, but also from unequal access to vital resources such as education. Citizens’ voices are especially unequal when participation depends on contributions of money rather than contributions of time. This deeply researched study brilliantly illuminates the many facets of civic consciousness and action and confirms their quintessential role in American democracy.
Voice and Participation in Global Food Politics (Routledge Studies in Food, Society and the Environment)
by Alana MannAs awareness of the commodification of food for profit at the expense of our health and the planet grows, this book foregrounds the communicative dimensions of resistance by food movements. Voice and participation are argued by the author to be the means through which rural and urban communities can, and in many cases do, resist the capture of value by corporate actors and work to democratise their foodscapes. Her critical analysis of meaning-making under neo-liberalism suggests that agroecology, as a socially activating form of agriculture within a food sovereignty framework, provides an example of social learning relevant across rural/urban and North/South divides. Embracing indigenous knowledge, gender equity and postcolonial theory, this approach mobilises growers and eaters to contest the power structures that shape their food environments, and also to focus on social and economic justice within their communities, particularly in the context of climate change. Participatory ecologies that incorporate these forms of social learning encourage the co-creation of inclusive foodscapes and politicise food justice. Such a positive framing of resistance through horizontal pedagogy, participation, communication and social learning processes contrasts with the vertical dissemination structure of the corporatised food regime and takes vital steps towards a more democratic food system. Voice and Participation in Global Food Politics will be of interest to scholars of agri-food, transdisciplinary food studies and political economy of food systems. It will also be of relevance to NGOs and policymakers.
Voice and Power in Africa's Democracy: Institutions, Participation and Accountability (Contemporary African Politics)
by Said AdejumobiAfrica has made notable progress in its nascent democracy but with uneven performance across countries. However, across the board, challenges abound. Central to Africa’s checkered democratic narrative is the weakness of its democratic institutions, participatory mechanisms and accountability platforms. This book interrogates these elements with the role and capacity of the parliament, political parties, media, freedom of information law, trade union movements, gender empowerment mechanisms and accountability methods and processes all under examination. The weakness of democratic institutions has had a corrosive effect on political accountability and limits the scope for popular participation in governance. In many countries, innovative practices, and new social and political encounters are emerging that challenge old institutional cultures, promote reforms and demand accountability from the governing elite. The book captures these varied, innovative patterns of democratic change. With first hand knowledge and expertise of the continent, the contributors analyze the issues, trends, problems and challenges in these critical areas of Africa’s democratic growth. The conclusion is that strengthening democratic institutions, opening up the political space for enhanced political participation and ensuring political accountability will determine the course, prospects and quality of Africa’s budding democracy.
Voice and Vote
by Stephanie L. McnultyIn the months following disgraced ex-President Alberto Fujimori's flight to Japan, Peru had a political crisis on its hands. The newly elected government that came together in mid-2001 faced a skeptical and suspicious public, with no magic bullet for achieving legitimacy. Many argued that the future of democracy was at stake, and that the government's ability to decentralize and incorporate new actors in decision-making processes was critical. Toward that end, the country's political elite devolved power to subnational governments and designed new institutions to encourage broader citizen participation. By 2002, Peru's participatory decentralization reform (PDR) was finalized and the experiment began. This book explores the possibilities and limitations of the decision to restructure political systems in a way that promotes participation. The analysis also demonstrates the power that political, historical, and institutional factors can have in the design and outcomes of participatory institutions. Using original data from six regions of Peru, political scientist Stephanie McNulty documents variation in PDR implementation, delves into the factors that explain this variation, and points to regional factors as prime determinants in the success or failure of participatory institutions.
A Voice but No Power: Organizing for Social Justice in Minneapolis
by David ForrestExamining the work of social justice groups in Minneapolis following the 2008 recession Since the Great Recession, even as protest and rebellion have occurred with growing frequency, many social justice organizers continue to displace as much as empower popular struggles for egalitarian and emancipatory change. In A Voice but No Power, David Forrest explains why this is the case and explores how these organizers might better reach their potential as advocates for the abolition of exploitation, discrimination, and other unjust conditions.Through an in-depth study of post-2008 Minneapolis—a center of progressive activism—Forrest argues that social justice organizers so often fall short of their potential largely because of challenges they face in building what he calls &“contentious identities,&” the public identities they use to represent their constituents and counteract stigmatizing images such as the &“welfare queen&” or &“the underclass.&” In the process of assembling, publicizing, and legitimating contentious identities, he shows, these organizers encounter a series of political hazards, each of which pushes them to make choices that weaken movements for equality and freedom. Forrest demonstrates that organizers can achieve better outcomes, however, by steadily working to remake their hazardous political terrain.The book&’s conclusion reflects on the 2020 uprising that followed the police killing of George Floyd, assessing what it means for the future of social justice activism. Ultimately, Forrest&’s detailed analysis contributes to leading theories about organizing and social movements and charts possibilities for further emboldening grassroots struggles for a fairer society.
Voice, Choice, and Action: The Potential Of Young Citizens To Heal Democracy
by Felton Mary Earls CarlsonCompiling decades of fieldwork, two acclaimed scholars offer strategies for strengthening democracies by nurturing the voices of children and encouraging public awareness of their role as citizens. Voice, Choice, and Action is the fruit of the extraordinary personal and professional partnership of a psychiatrist and a neurobiologist whose research and social activism have informed each other for the last thirty years. Inspired by the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Felton Earls and Mary Carlson embarked on a series of international studies that would recognize the voice of children. In Romania they witnessed the consequences of infant institutionalization under the Ceaușescu regime. In Brazil they encountered street children who had banded together to advocate effectively for themselves. In Chicago Earls explored the origins of prosocial and antisocial behavior with teenagers. Children all over the world demonstrated an unappreciated but powerful interest in the common good.On the basis of these experiences, Earls and Carlson mounted a rigorous field study in Moshi, Tanzania, which demonstrated that young citizens could change attitudes about HIV/AIDS and mobilize their communities to confront the epidemic. The program, outlined in this book, promoted children’s communicative and reasoning capacities, guiding their growth as deliberative citizens. The program’s success in reducing stigma and promoting universal testing for HIV exceeded all expectations.Here in vivid detail are the science, ethics, and everyday practice of fostering young citizens eager to confront diverse health and social challenges. At a moment when adults regularly profess dismay about our capacity for effective action, Voice, Choice, and Action offers inspiration and tools for participatory democracy.
A Voice for Human Rights
by Kevin Boyle Kofi Annan Mary Robinson Louise ArbourFew names are so closely connected with the cause of human rights as that of Mary Robinson. As former President of Ireland, she was ideally positioned for passionately and eloquently arguing the case for human rights around the world. Over five tumultuous years that included the tragic events of 9/11, she offered moral leadership and vision to the global human rights movement. This volume is a unique account in Robinson's own words of her campaigns as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.A Voice for Human Rights offers an edited collection of Robinson's public addresses, given between 1997 and 2002, when she served as High Commissioner. The book also provides the first in-depth account of the work of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights. With a foreword by Kofi Annan and an afterword by Louise Arbour, the current High Commissioner for Human Rights, the book will be of interest to all concerned with international human rights, international relations, development, and politics.
The Voice from China
by An ChenIn short, the 24 selected and representative articles written in English by the author over the past 30-odd years, mainly published in international leading journals and now collected and compiled in this monograph, could be deemed the products of international academic debates. They record, reflect and embody the author's personal views on a number of contemporary basic issues in international economic law & the international economic order. These personal views with Chinese characteristics are deeply rooted in China's specific national situation and the common position of the world-wide weak groups, and are significantly and substantially different and independent from some existing voices from strong western powers, which is why the book bears the title "The Voice from China". On the basis of their specific themes and content, the 24 representative articles are divided into six parts: 1) Jurisprudence of Contemporary International Economic Law; 2) Great Debates on Contemporary Economic Sovereignty; 3) China's Strategic Position on Contemporary International Economic Order Issues; 4) Divergences on Contemporary Bilateral Investment Treaty; 5) Contemporary China's Legislation on Sino-Foreign Economic Issues; and 6) Contemporary Chinese Practices on International Economic Disputes (Case Analysis).
Voice from the North: Resurrecting Regional Identity Through the Life and Work of Yi Sihang (1672-1736)
by Sun Joo KimVoice from the Northresurrects the forgotten historical memory of the people and region in late Choson Korea while also enriching the social history of the country. Sun Joo Kim accomplishes this by examining the life and work of Yi Sihang, a historically obscure person from a hinterland in Korea's northwestern region who was also a member of the literati. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Yi Sihang left numerous writings on his region's history and culture, and on the political and social discrimination that he and others in his region faced from the central elite. This work explores a regional history and culture through the frames of microhistory and historical memory. Kim criticizes the historiographical problem of "otherizing" the northern region and fills a gap in Korean historiography—the lack of historical study of the northern region from a regional perspective, P'yongan Province in particular. The biographical format of this work engages readers in the investigation of a person's life within the changing world of his time and also creates a space where private and public intersect. Kim places Yi Sihang at the center of the historical stage while describing, analyzing, and reconstructing the world around him through his life story.
Voice of Business: The Man Who Transformed the United States Chamber of Commerce
by Dave Scheiber Richard LesherFrom small-town life to the world stage, Richard Lesher’s inspiring tale is one of dogged determination. The son of an alcoholic and violent father in Depression-era Pennsylvania, Lesher worked his way through school, eventually overseeing NASA’s vital technological transfer program during the race to the moon. His greatest achievement, however, was serving as president of the US Chamber of Commerce from the Ford through the Clinton administrations. Working closely with the presidents—especially Reagan—he modernized the Chamber over 22 years and dramatically expanded its national and international outreach. Believing strongly in the power of the free enterprise system, Lesher became a key voice and agent of economic change in former communist countries in the 1990s. Respected and admired by presidents, officials, and world leaders on both the left and right, Lesher has lived a hopeful and uniquely American story, a remarkable testament to personal perseverance and the ever-present opportunities in a free society.