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Understand The Second World War: Teach Yourself (TY History)
by Alan FarmerUnderstand the Second World War will show you how one of the most important events in history developed, charting the main military campaigns and examining the path to Allied victory and its impact on the countries involved. Full of anecdotes and details which provide a personal appeal it serves as an accessible introduction to one of the most important, tragic and costly events in history. NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding. THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.
Understand the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Teach Yourself
by Stewart RossUnderstand the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is the essential guide to one of the world's most distressing confrontations. Putting the present situation into its broader context and examining all perspectives, it unravels the origins and development of issues which make the headlines daily. Each aspect of this complex conflict is explained with engaging objectivity which will ensure you can examine the issues from all perspectives and in a social, political, historical and international framework.NOT GOT MUCH TIME?One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.AUTHOR INSIGHTSLots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience.EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGEExtra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding.FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBERQuick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.TRY THISInnovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.
Understand the Middle East: Teach Yourself (since #1945)
by Stewart RossUnderstand the Middle East (since 1945)is an essential guide to one of the world's most turbulent regions. It examines the origins and development of the events which have dominated the headlines for the last six decades. Covering everything from religion and politics in the aftermath of the Second World War to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, war in Iraq and the terrorism of the present day it will change the way you think about the region. NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding. THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.
Understanding ASEAN’s Role in Asia-Pacific Order (Critical Studies of the Asia-Pacific)
by Robert YatesThis book assesses the important role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the management of regional political, security and economic relations. The author argues that ASEAN’s prominent role in the region, spanning 50 years, is largely due to the acquiescence of the great powers who endorsed ASEAN, accepted its regional position and accorded the institution a legitimacy and durability that, otherwise, it would not have. This text offers a key intervention into the debate regarding ASEAN and regional order by showing how ASEAN’s contribution to order management is part of a negotiated division of labour with the great powers. The author applies an innovative social roles analysis, which captures the dynamic interactions between ASEAN and the great powers from the Cold War to the present day.
Understanding Actors and Processes Shaping Transgender Subjectivities: A Case Study of Kazakhstan (The Steppe and Beyond: Studies on Central Asia)
by Zhanar SekerbayevaThis book introduces the policies surrounding legal gender recognition of trans people in Kazakhstan. Generally, the research in this sphere focuses on medical professions, described as gatekeepers or judges deciding who fit the prescriptions of being a woman or a man, and on trans people themselves, who are often portrayed as victims. However, this process is more complex than only describing the interaction of these two groups or by labelling them either as gatekeepers or victims. The project provides a critical approach and attempts to expand our understanding of the process, the dynamics and the actors involved. This study will be of interest to scholars of contemporary Kazakhstan, and of feminism and LGBTQ activism more generally.
Understanding Africa's Rural Households And Farming Systems
by Joyce Lewinger MoockIn this book, the difficult problems of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa are examined by the farming systems approach, which aims to improve food production under adverse conditions through agronomic and social science research conducted on the farm. Particular attention is paid to household decision-making processes that affect the way households
Understanding African Real Estate Markets (Routledge International Real Estate Markets Series)
by Aly Karam François Viruly Catherine Kariuki Victor A. AkujuruThis book brings together a broad range of research that interrogates how real estate market analysis, finance, planning, and investment for residential and commercial developments across the African continent are undertaken. In the past two decades, African real estate markets have rapidly matured, creating the conditions for new investment opportunities which has increased the demand for a deeper understanding of the commercial and residential markets across the continent. The chapters consider issues that pertain to formal real estate markets and the critical relationship between formal and informal property markets on the continent. With contributing authors from South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, the book considers the achievements of African real estate markets while also highlighting the complex central themes such as underdeveloped land tenure arrangements, the availability of finance in both the commercial and residential sectors, rapidly growing urban areas, and inadequate professional skills. This book is essential reading for students in real estate, land management, planning, finance, development, and economics programs who need to understand the nuances of markets in the African context. Investors and policy makers will learn a lot reading this book too.
Understanding American Government (Thirteenth Edition)
by Sue Thomas Susan Welch John Gruhl John Comer Susan M. RigdonUNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is highly respected and trusted for its attention to research and issues of diversity, as well as for its award-winning team of authors. While covering the foundations and features of American government, this text also moves beyond the nuts and bolts to explain why and how important features of government have evolved, their impact on government and individuals, and why these features are controversial (if they are) and worth learning. More than just narrating facts and current issues, UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT leaves students with an understanding of the "why", so their knowledge can be applied long after the course is completed. UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is a three-time winner of the American Government Textbook Award for the Best Treatment of Women in Politics, by the Women's Caucus for Political Science.
Understanding American Government - No Separate Policy Chapters
by Sue Thomas Susan Welch John Gruhl Susan M. RigdonUNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is highly respected and trusted for its attention to research and issues of diversity as well as for its award-winning team of authors. While covering the foundations and features of American government, this text also moves beyond the nuts and bolts to explain why and how important features of government have evolved, what their impact on government and individuals is, and why these features are controversial (if they are) and worth learning. More than just narrating facts and current issues, UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT leaves students with an understanding of the "why" so that they can apply what they've learned long after completing the course.
Understanding American Legislatures: The Need for Interpretive-Qualitative Research (Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods)
by James M. CurryIn this passionately argued book, James M. Curry introduces legislative scholars to the value and importance of interpretive research. His field guide for getting started on using an interpretive approach is designed so that the reader can understand a new methodological approach, not just new methods or “tools” within a singular approach.Weaving in his own story from student to scholar, Curry begins by demystifying the importance and value of interpretive research. He later provides background on what interpretive methodologies are and how they differ from the quantitative and positivist approaches that dominate the field. Focusing primarily on the study of the US Congress and the 50 American state legislatures, Curry employs Richard Fenno’s “soaking and poking” language as a bridge to the language of interpretivism, aiming to show legislative researchers how they can connect between the two and begin to use the richer terms of the latter in place of the former.Understanding American Legislatures is a must-read contribution to the study of legislatures and our discourse about methods in American politics.
Understanding American Political Parties: Democratic Ideals, Political Uncertainty, and Strategic Positioning
by Jeffrey M. StonecashHow do parties respond to the electorate and craft winning strategies? In the abstract parties are the vehicles to make democracy work, but it is often difficult to see the process working as well as we think it might. Indeed, voters often struggle to see parties as the valuable vehicles of representation that so many academics describe. There is a clear discrepancy between the ideal expressed in many textbooks and the reality that we see playing out in politics. Noted scholar Jeffrey Stonecash gives us a big picture analysis that helps us understand what is happening in contemporary party politics. He explains that parties behave the way they do because of existing political conditions and how parties adapt to those conditions as they prepare for the next election. Parties are unsure if realignment has stabilized and just what issues brought them their current base. Does a majority support their positions and how are they to react to ongoing social change? Is the electorate paying attention, and can parties get a clear message to those voters? This book focuses on the challenges parties face in preparing for future elections while seeking to cope with current conditions. This coping leads to indecisiveness of positioning, simplification of issues, repetition of messages, and efforts to disparage the reputation of the opposing party. Stonecash sheds much needed light on why parties engage in the practices that frustrate so many Americans.
Understanding American Politics, Second Edition
by J. Matthew Wilson Stephen Brooks Douglas KoopmanUnderstanding American Politics provides a unique introduction to the contemporary political landscape of the United States by using as its core organizing feature the idea of "American exceptionalism," a concept that is at least as old as Tocqueville's study of American democracy. The second edition of Understanding American Politics maintains the unique strengths of the first edition while offering improved coverage of political institutions. A single omnibus chapter on institutions has been reorganized and split into three separate chapters on Congress, the presidency, and the courts. A new chapter on public opinion has also been included, and the chapter on religion and politics has been completely rewritten with a deeper appreciation of religion's influential role. The book has been revised throughout, taking into account the dramatic changes that have emerged since the 2010 congressional elections and the 2012 presidential election. The text also pays close attention to what is seen as the irreversible decline in America's global influence.Visit www.utpamericanpolitics.com for additional resources.
Understanding American Politics, Third Edition
by Donald E. Abelson Stephen Brooks Melissa HaussmanUnderstanding American Politics provides a unique introduction to the contemporary political landscape of the United States. Placing the study of American politics within a broader context of other western democracies, this textbook reinforces the idea that in order to understand the American system, students need to begin by understanding their own democracy. This balanced, comparative perspective is integrated throughout to better explain and highlight the ways in which American politics and government work in relation to other democracies. Streamlined to fit easily in today’s US politics courses, the third edition is fully updated and revised to engage with key issues in American politics while providing an accessible entry to the foundations of American government that detangles the polarized analysis characterizing so much information on the study of American politics. New chapters on special interest groups and the distinct American mediascape feature alongside up-to-date analysis on civil rights and inequalities incorporated in all chapters. Ultimately, this textbook enables non-American readers to understand the how and why of American politics by relating the subject to the experience and institutions of their own countries.
Understanding Apocalyptic Terrorism: Countering the Radical Mindset (Political Violence)
by Frances L. FlanneryThis book explores a cross-cultural worldview called 'radical apocalypticism' that underlies the majority of terrorist movements in the twenty-first century. Although not all apocalypticism is violent, in its extreme forms radical apocalypticism gives rise to terrorists as varied as members of Al Qaeda, Anders Behring Breivik, or Timothy McVeigh. In its secular variations, it also motivates ideological terrorists, such as the eco-terrorists Earth Liberation Front or The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. This book provides an original paradigm for distinguishing between peaceful and violent or radical forms of apocalypticism and analyses the history, major transformations, and characteristics of the apocalyptic thought system. Using an inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach, this book discusses the mechanisms of radicalization and dynamics of perceived oppression and violence to clarify anew the self-identities, motivations, and goals of a broad swath of terrorists. As conventional counter-terrorism approaches have so far failed to stem the cycle of terrorism, this approach suggests a comprehensive "cultural" method to combating terrorism that addresses the appeal of radical apocalyptic terrorist ideology itself. This book will be of much interest to students of apocalypticism, political violence, terrorism and counter-terrorism, intelligence studies, religious studies, and security studies.
Understanding Battlefield Coalitions (Cass Military Studies)
by Ryan Grauer Rosella Cappella ZielinskiThis book improves our understanding of battlefield coalitions, providing novel theoretical and empirical insight into their nature and capabilities, as well as the military and political consequences of their combat operations. The volume provides the first dataset of battlefield coalitions, uses primary sources to understand how non-state actors of varying types form such groupings, reports interviews with policymakers illuminating North Atlantic Treaty Organization operations, and uses cases studies of various wars waged throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries to understand how other such collectives have operated. Part I introduces battlefield coalitions as an object of study, demonstrating how they are distinct from other wartime collectives. Using a novel dataset of actors fighting in 492 battles during interstate wars waged between 1900 and 2003, it provides, for the first time, a comprehensive portrait of the universe of battlefield coalitions. Part II explores processes and dynamics involved in the formation of battlefield coalitions, addressing how potential coalition members prepare for future battles in peacetime (as well as the consequences of such preparations) and the dynamics of mission design. Part III focuses on how battlefield coalitions are organised and fight when combat ensues, notably their decision-making rules and practices, command structures, and learning capacities. Part IV addresses three curious tendencies observed in the operations of battlefield coalitions: partners under-providing effort in combat, rebels and terrorist networks persisting in cooperation even when their interests diverge, and members defecting from the collective. Part V concludes with a chapter outlining for future researchers what we know about battlefield coalitions and what remains to be understood. This book will be of much interest to students of military and strategic studies, defence studies and International Relations.
Understanding Biological Emergencies: From Bioterrorism to Pandemics
by Paula Stamps DustonThis book investigates the links between the main sources of biological emergencies and presents a comprehensive policy framework that seeks to achieve the ultimate goal of biological security.The work offers a new interdisciplinary approach to analyse the linkages between the three main sources of biological emergencies: intentional attacks, natural zoonotic transmission, and lab accidents. In doing so, the text describes the history of using nature to create a weapon, focusing on dispersal methods. The most important Select Agents for monitoring are described, with a special focus on anthrax and smallpox. The case studies presented include the use of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Iraq and the 2001 anthrax attack in the US. The policies that created the emergency preparedness system are analysed, and the current system is described in terms of their effectiveness in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book concludes with some ideas and specific suggestions for moving from response to risk reduction and prevention.This book will be of much interest to students of biosecurity studies, public health, public policy, political science and international relations, and to professionals working in the fields of public health, public safety, medicine, nursing, and first responders as well as military personnel.
Understanding Boko Haram: Terrorism and Insurgency in Africa (Contemporary Terrorism Studies)
by Hussein Solomon James J. HentzThe primary objective of this book is to understand the nature of the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria. Boko Haram’s goal of an Islamic Caliphate, starting in the Borno State in the North East that will eventually cover the areas of the former Kanem-Borno Empire, is a rejection of the modern state system forced on it by the West. The central theme of this volume examines the relationship between the failure of the state-building project in Nigeria and the outbreak and nature of insurgency. At the heart of the Boko Haram phenomenon is a country racked with cleavages, making it hard for Nigeria to cohere as a modern state. Part I introduces this theme and places the Boko Haram insurgency in a historical context. There are, however, multiple cleavages in Nigeria ̶ ethnic, regional, cultural, and religious ̶ and Part II examines the different state-society dynamics fuelling the conflict. Political grievances are common to every society; however, what gives Boko Haram the space to express such grievances through violence? Importantly, this volume demonstrates that the insurgency is, in fact, a reflection of the hollowness within Nigeria’s overall security. Part III looks at the responses to Boko Haram by Nigeria, neighbouring states, and external actors. For Western actors, Boko Haram is seen as part of the "global war on terror" and the fact that it has pledged allegiance to ISIS encourages this framing. However, as the chapters here discuss, this is an over-simplification of Boko Haram and the West needs to address the multiple dimension of Boko Haram. This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism and political violence, insurgencies, African politics, war and conflict studies, and IR in general.
Understanding Brecht
by Walter BenjaminA collection of essays of political philosophy by the renowned mid 20th-century critical theorist and literary criticThe relationship between philosopher-critic Walter Benjamin and playwright-poet Bertolt Brecht was both a lasting friendship and a powerful intellectual partnership. Having met in the late 1920s in Germany, Benjamin and Brecht, both independently minded Marxists with a deep understanding of and passionate commitment to the emancipatory potential of cultural practices, continued to discuss, argue and correspond on topics as varied as Fascism and the work of Franz Kafka. Faced by the onset of the &‘midnight of the century&’, with the Nazi subversion of the Weimar Republic in Germany and the Stalinist degeneration of the revolution in Russia, both men, in their own way, strove to keep alive the tradition of dialectical critique of the existing order and radical intervention in the world to transform it.In Understanding Brecht we find collected together Benjamin&’s most sensitive and probing writing on the dramatic and poetic work of his friend and tutor. Stimulated by Brecht&’s oeuvre and theorising his particular dramatic techniques—such as the famous &‘estrangement effect&’—Benjamin developed his own ideas about the role of art and the artist in crisis-ridden society.This volume contains Benjamin&’s introductions to Brecht&’s theory or epic theatre and close textual analyses of twelve poems by Brecht (printed in translation here) which exemplify Benjamin&’s insistence that literary form and content are indivisible. Elsewhere Benjamin discusses the plays The Mother, Terror and Misery of the Third Reich, and The Threepenny Opera, digressing for some general remarks on Marx and satire.Here we also find Benjamin&’s masterful essay &“The Author as Producer&” as well as an extract from his diaries that records the intense conversations held in the late 1930s in Denmark (Brecht&’s place of exile) between the two most important cultural theorists of this century. In these discussions, the two men talked of subjects as diverse as the work of Franz Kafka, the unfolding Soviet Trials, and the problems of literary work on the edge of international war.
Understanding Brexit Options: What future for Britain?
by David KaudersIs the existing trade agreement good enough? Get facts, not spin! The basic trade and cooperation agreement has proved woefully insufficient for Britain's needs. It has reduced the supply of doctors, nurses, lorry drivers, agricultural and hospitality workers, bringing pressure and chaos to everyday life. It has hit or will damage exports and employment in fishing, food, artistic and other services and it threatens the peace in Ireland. Leaving the EU internal energy market has increased energy prices relative to the rest of Europe. Promised new trade opportunities have vanished. This book explains alternative relationships with Europe. The detrimental effect on trade in both goods and services that has been caused by leaving the single market was entirely foreseeable. As the United Kingdom's relationship with Europe changes and evolves, the book documents better options that Britain needs but are rejected by its politicians. Reviews “The need for a reasoned and sensible debate about the impact of Brexit has never been higher, with continued Government obfuscation about what Britain’s exit from the EU will entail. David Kauders’ well-researched book concisely explains the different Brexit options available and details their implications, with the case for Britain’s continued access to the single market shining through. Kauders’ work should be required reading for all those wishing to quickly grasp the consequences of Brexit” - Lord Bilimoria, Chairman, Cobra Beer Partnership and Cross Bench member of the House of Lords
Understanding Brexit: A Concise Introduction
by Tim OliverUnderstanding Brexit provides a concise introduction to the past, present and future of one of the most important and controversial topics in modern British politics. Written for both those familiar with the topic and those new to it, the book sets out in a clear and accessible way many of the fundamentals for understanding why Britain voted to leave the European Union and what happens next.
Understanding CCI through Chinese Theatre
by Haili MaThis book examines the development of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) in China through the angle of Chinese Theatre, xiqu. It focuses on the political and socio-economic transition period at the turn of the 21st century, as China evolves from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Created in China’, highlighting associated class reconstruction and cultural production and consumption. There are many forms of Chinese Theatre, the most popular one throughout Chinese history to date is the sing-song drama, collectively refers to as xiqu, which currently has over 300 regional styles across China. In 2014, President Xi Jinping’s Beijing Talk on Arts and Literature, which serves as China’s latest Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideological direction and cultural policy, stressed that ‘the future of Chinese cultural and creative industries is to be anchored on traditional art forms, such as xiqu’. Such Chinese cultural and creative industry distinction will be addressed in this book.
Understanding Campus-Community Partnerships in Conflict Zones: Engaging Students for Transformative Change
by Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian Dalya Yafa Markovich Daphna GolanThis book explores the opportunities and limitations of campus-community partnerships in Israel. In a conflict-ridden society with a struggling civic culture, the chapters examine partnerships at ten academic institutions, focusing on the micro-processes through which these partnerships work from the perspectives of students, NGOs, and disadvantaged communities. The editors and contributors analyse the range of strategies and cultural repertoires used to construct, maintain, negotiate and resist the various partnerships. Evaluating the various challenges raised by campus-community partnerships exposes the institutional and epistemological divides between academia and the community, and thus offers valuable insights into the ways partnerships can contribute to transformative change in conflict zones. This book will be of interest and value to researchers and students of campus-community partnerships as well as the anthropology of inclusion-exclusion and civic culture.
Understanding Canadian Public Administration: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, Fifth Edition
by Gregory J. InwoodUnderstanding Canadian Public Administration introduces students to both the theory and the practice of public administration in Canada. It surveys the basic elements of the field in a historical context, but with close attention to contemporary issues and developments, to emphasize the real, day-to-day impacts of public administration. The text provides an overview of the field in the context of democratic government, including a comparison of the roles of the private and public sectors. The real world of government is examined, with a focus on how theoretical ideas are translated into practice. This fifth edition features updates on topical issues and new developments in the field, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on governmental policy and action, as well as new and updated sections on Aboriginal self-government, human resources, accountability, financial management, and intergovernmental administrative relations. Understanding Canadian Public Administration invites students to examine the issues of public administration from their own viewpoints and through their own experiences, bringing the field to life and making it immediately relevant to their current context.
Understanding Central America
by Thomas W. Walker Christine J. Wade John A. BoothIn this new edition of a widely praised book, two of the most respected writers on Central American politics explore the origins and development of the region's political conflicts and efforts to resolve them. Highlights of the third edition include an analysis of the 1992 Salvadoran peace accord, the 1996 Nicaraguan national election and prospects for consolidation of democracy in Nicaragua, and Guatemala's troubled transition toward greater democracy, as well as a new chapter that examines how U. S. foreign policy during the 1970s and 1980s was shaped by the Cold War.
Understanding Central America
by Thomas W. Walker Christine J. Wade John A. BoothThe fifth edition of Understanding Central America explains how domestic and global political and economic forces have shaped rebellion and regime change in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. John A. Booth, Christine J. Wade, and Thomas W. Walker explore the origins and development of the region's political conflicts and its efforts to resolve them. Covering the region's political and economic development from the early 1800s onward, the authors provide a background for understanding Central America's rebellion and regime change of the past forty years. This revised edition brings the Central American story up to date, with special emphasis on globalization, evolving public opinion, progress toward democratic consolidation, and the relationship between Central America and the United States under the Obama administration, and includes analysis of the 2009 Honduran coup d'état. A useful introduction to the region and a model for how to convey its complexities in language readers will comprehend, Understanding Central America stands out as a must-have resource.