- Table View
- List View
The King Over the Water: A Complete History of the Jacobites
by Desmond Seward&“An engaging look at the violent struggle of the surprisingly diverse Jacobites... Swift and cinematic with neatly sketched character portraits.&” —Financial Times This is the first modern history for general readers of the entire Jacobite movement in Scotland, England and Ireland, from the &‘Glorious Revolution&’ of 1688 that drove James II into exile to the death of his grandson, Cardinal Henry, Duke of York, in 1807. The Battle of Culloden and Bonnie Prince Charlie&’s flight through the heather are well known, but not the other risings and plots that involved half of Europe and even revolutionary America. Based on the latest research, The King over the Water weaves together all the strands of this gripping saga into a vivid, sweeping narrative, full of insight, analysis and anecdote. &“Few causes have aroused a more gallant response from the peoples of these islands than the Honest Cause,&” writes Desmond Seward, &“whether they were fighting for it at Killiecrankie, Prestonpans or Culloden, at the Boyne, Aughrim or Fontenoy, or dying for it on the scaffold.&” &“Highly readable, with brilliantly rendered characters, and thrilling tales of deceit and espionage.&”—Military History Monthly &“A bracingly revisionist history.&” —Telegraph &“Seward's detailed descriptions of the Princes, Princesses, Kings, and Queens create a sense of theatre and allow the reader to fully immerse themselves into the dramatic events of the period . . . an engaging and easy read.&” —Scottish Field &“A rollickingly, splendidly chronological history.&” –Herald &“Seward's clear-sighted examination of the Jacobite movement shows how close it came to succeeding.&” —Scotsman &“This lively book is a welcome addition.&” —BBC History
King Philip's War: Colonial Expansion, Native Resistance, and the End of Indian Sovereignty (Witness to History)
by Daniel R. Mandell2010 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice MagazineKing Philip's War was the most devastating conflict between Europeans and Native Americans in the 1600s. In this incisive account, award-winning author Daniel R. Mandell puts the war into its rich historical context.The war erupted in July 1675, after years of growing tension between Plymouth and the Wampanoag sachem Metacom, also known as Philip. Metacom’s warriors attacked nearby Swansea, and within months the bloody conflict spread west and erupted in Maine. Native forces ambushed militia detachments and burned towns, driving the colonists back toward Boston. But by late spring 1676, the tide had turned: the colonists fought more effectively and enlisted Native allies while from the west the feared Mohawks attacked Metacom’s forces. Thousands of Natives starved, fled the region, surrendered (often to be executed or sold into slavery), or, like Metacom, were hunted down and killed.Mandell explores how decades of colonial expansion and encroachments on Indian sovereignty caused the war and how Metacom sought to enlist the aid of other tribes against the colonists even as Plymouth pressured the Wampanoags to join them. He narrates the colonists’ many defeats and growing desperation; the severe shortages the Indians faced during the brutal winter; the collapse of Native unity; and the final hunt for Metacom. In the process, Mandell reveals the complex and shifting relationships among the Native tribes and colonists and explains why the war effectively ended sovereignty for Indians in New England. This fast-paced history incorporates the most recent scholarship on the region and features nine new maps and a bibliographic essay about Native-Anglo relations.
King Solomon and the Golden Fish: Tales from the Sephardic Tradition (Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropology)
by Reginetta Haboucha Matilda Koén-SaranoOrality has been central to the transmission of Sephardic customs, wisdom, and values for centuries. Throughout the Middle Ages, Spanish Jews were known for their linguistic skills, and as translators and storytellers they were the main transmitters of Eastern/Islamic culture to the Christian world. Derived from a distinguished heritage, Judeo-Spanish storytelling has evolved over a five-hundred-year historical journey. Constant contact with the surrounding societies of the past and with modern Israeli influences, making it more universal than other Sephardic oral genres. Told in order to entertain but also to teach, Judeo-Spanish folktales convey timeless wisdom and a colorful depiction of Sephardic communities up to the first half of the twentieth century.King Solomon and the Golden Fish is a selection of fifty-four folktales taken from Matilda Koén-Sarano's collection of stories recorded in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) and translated by Reginetta Haboucha into fluent and idiomatic English that preserves the flavor and oral nuances of each text. Haboucha provides commentary and annotations to the folktales that enlighten both the academic and the lay reader, making this book at once appealing to scholars and enjoyable for the general public. King Solomon and the Golden Fish is divided into six main thematic sections: Supernatural Tales, Tales of Fate, Tales of the Prophet Elijah, Romantic Tales, Tales of Cleverness and Wisdom, and Jokes and Anecdotes. These folktales remain a powerful link between modern-day Spanish Jews and the Hispano-Jewish legacy--this collection passes along that legacy and provides a source of the customs and values of Sephardic Jews.
King Solomon the Magus: Master of the Djinns and Occult Traditions of East and West
by Claude Lecouteux• Explores the schools of Solomonic magic around the world and works such as The Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon the King and The Hygromancy of Solomon • Examines Solomon&’s magical possessions, including his famous ring that gave him command over animals, weather, demons, genies, and djinns, as well as his amulets, remedies, exorcisms, and charms • Looks at the extensive presence of Solomon in folklore around the world, including in Armenia, Malaysia, Russia, Bulgaria, Morocco, India, and Egypt Looking at the Solomonic magical tradition and Solomon&’s profound influence on esoteric traditions around the world, Claude Lecouteux reveals King Solomon not only as one of the great kings of prehistory but also as the ancient world&’s foremost magician and magus. Examining the primary sources on Solomon, such as the Bible, the Koran, and the writings of Flavius Josephus, the author explores Solomon&’s judgments, his explorations, his literary and scientific works (including an herbal), and his constructions beyond the eponymous temple, such as the copper city in Andalus built by the djinns and the baths of Sulayman. He also looks at Solomon&’s magical possessions, such as his famous ring and the Philosopher&’s Stone. The author examines the supernatural powers granted to Solomon by his ring, which he received from the angel Gabriel, including command over animals, weather, and demons, and explores in detail Solomon&’s power over genies and djinns.Following the esoteric threads hidden within the primary sources on Solomon, Lecouteux reveals the work of Solomon the Magician, exploring his amulets, remedies, exorcisms, charms, and his influence on Arab and Western magic. Providing illustrations of sigils, talismans, and other magic symbols related to Solomon, the author examines the schools of Solomonic Folkloremagic and works such as The Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon the King and The Hygromancy of Solomon. He then looks at the extensive presence of Solomon in folklore worldwide, including in Armenia, Israel, Malaysia, Eastern Europe, Russia, Morocco, India, Mongolia, and among the Abyssinians of Ethiopia and the Copts in Egypt. He also looks at Solomon&’s role within the Bulgarian tradition from which the Cathars derived. Painting an in-depth portrait of Solomon the Magician-King, Lecouteux reveals how this legendary magus left a deep impression upon the occult, magical traditions, and philosophies of the ancient world that can still be felt to this day.
King Tut: Tales From the Tomb
by Diana C. BriscoeReaders of all ability levels will want to read these high-low books from 5 high-interest nonfiction subject areas: sports, history, biography, adventure, and science. Each easy-to-read book explores a fascinating narrative account of the subject. This all-new series features historical photographs, full-color graphics, glossary words on each page, and a contemporary chapter-book format. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
King Twist: A Portrait of Frank Randle (Routledge Library Editions: Comedy)
by Jeff NuttallBorn in Wigan in 1901 and a childhood friend of George Formby, who was later to become his chief rival, Frank Randle was one of the greatest music-hall comedians of all time. His theatre career started in 1916, when he appeared as an acrobatic artist under the name of Arthur Twist. It was not until the thirties, however, that he achieved his greatest popularity and notoriety as a comedian whose wild, manic temperament introduced a fresh note of invention into popular entertainment. For ten years he ran his own touring company, Randle’s Scandals, playing to enthusiastic audiences all over the country. He also made a number of shoe-string movies and was the star of Blackpool’s most distinguished summer-season show. During the early fifties his health declined and he died in Blackpool in 1957. Originally published in 1978, Jeff Nuttall’s account of Frank Randle is both a portrait of a ‘very, very, funny man’ and the story of his own search as he pieced that portrait together by talking to Randle’s acquaintances, friends, colleagues and relations. What emerges from his narrative is a beautifully recorded analysis of the ways in which working-class values are expressed in popular entertainment and are thus ritualised by it. The image Nuttall builds of Randle also allows him to explore the perennial theme of the clown as outsider and, with the passing of Randle, he acknowledges the passing of a certain naïve optimism which Randle so expressively embodied.
King Vikram and the Vampire: Classic Hindu Tales of Adventure, Magic, and Romance
by Captain Sir BurtonTranslated by the noted Victorian Orientalist, Sir Richard F. Burton, from the original Sanskrit, these ancient Indian folk tales influenced such later works as 1001 Arabian Nights and Boccaccio's Decameron. First published in 1870, these stories will entertain and delight modern readers while illuminating the life and customs of classical India.
King Warrior Magician Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine
by Robert Moore Douglas GilletteThe bestselling, widely heralded, jungian introduction to the psychological foundation of a mature, authentic, and revitalized masculinity.
The Kingdom and the Power
by Gay TaleseThe classic inside story of The New York Times, the most prestigious, and perhaps the most powerful, of all American newspapers. Bestselling author Talese lays bare the secret internal intrigues behind the tradition of front page exposes in a story as gripping as a work of fiction and as immediate as today's headlines.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Kingdom and the Republic: Sovereign Hawai'i and the Early United States (America in the Nineteenth Century)
by Noelani AristaIn 1823, as the first American missionaries arrived in Hawaiʻi, the archipelago was experiencing a profound transformation in its rule, as oral law that had been maintained for hundreds of years was in the process of becoming codified anew through the medium of writing. The arrival of sailors in pursuit of the lucrative sandalwood trade obliged the aliʻi (chiefs) of the islands to pronounce legal restrictions on foreigners' access to Hawaiian women. Assuming the new missionaries were the source of these rules, sailors attacked two mission stations, fracturing relations between merchants, missionaries, and sailors, while native rulers remained firmly in charge.In The Kingdom and the Republic, Noelani Arista (Kanaka Maoli) uncovers a trove of previously unused Hawaiian language documents to chronicle the story of Hawaiians' experience of encounter and colonialism in the nineteenth century. Through this research, she explores the political deliberations between aliʻi over the sale of a Hawaiian woman to a British ship captain in 1825 and the consequences of the attacks on the mission stations. The result is a heretofore untold story of native political formation, the creation of indigenous law, and the extension of chiefly rule over natives and foreigners alike.Relying on what is perhaps the largest archive of written indigenous language materials in North America, Arista argues that Hawaiian deliberations and actions in this period cannot be understood unless one takes into account Hawaiian understandings of the past—and the ways this knowledge of history was mobilized as a means to influence the present and secure a better future. In pursuing this history, The Kingdom and the Republic reconfigures familiar colonial histories of trade, proselytization, and negotiations over law and governance in Hawaiʻi.
The Kingdom Began in Puerto Rico: Neil Connolly's Priesthood in the South Bronx
by Angel Garcia&“A story of how a priest struggled to live the call of the Second Vatican Council, and . . . worked alongside laypeople for social justice in the Bronx.&” ―National Catholic Reporter South Bronx, 1958. Change was coming. It was a unique place and time in history where Father Neil Connolly found his true calling and spiritual awakening. Set in the context of a changing world and a changing Catholic Church, The Kingdom Began in Puerto Rico follows Fr. Neil Connolly&’s path through the South Bronx, which began with a special Church program to address the postwar great Puerto Rican migration. After an immersion summer in Puerto Rico, Fr. Neil served the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the Bronx from the 1960s to the 1980s as they struggled for a decent life. Through the teachings of Vatican II, Connolly assumed responsibility for creating a new Church and world. In the war against drugs, poverty, and crime, he created a dynamic organization and chapel run by the people, and supported Unitas, a unique peer-driven mental health program for youth. Frustrated by the lack of institutional responses to his community&’s challenges, he challenged government abandonment and spoke out against ill-conceived public plans. Ultimately, he realized that his priestly mission was in developing new leaders among people, in the Church and the world, and supporting two pioneering lay leadership programs, the Pastoral Center and People for Change. Angel Garcia ably blends the dynamic forces of Church and world that transformed Fr. Connolly as he grew into his vocation. This book presents a rich history of the South Bronx and calls for all urban policies to begin with the people. It also affirms the continuing relevance of Vatican II and Medellin for today&’s Church and world, in the US and Latin America. &“Garcia captures the spirit of the era, and the spirit of the man.&” —James Martin, S.J., author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
Kingdom Come: The Politics of Faith and Freedom in Segregationist South Africa and Beyond (Religious Cultures of African and African Diaspora People)
by Tshepo Masango ChéryIn Kingdom Come, Tshepo Masango Chéry charts a new genealogy of early twentieth-century Black Christian activists who challenged racism in South Africa before the solidification of apartheid by using faith as a strategy against global racism. Masango Chéry traces this Black freedom struggle and the ways that South African church leaders defied colonial domination by creating, in solidarity with Black Christians worldwide, Black-controlled religious institutions that were geared toward their liberation. She demonstrates how Black Christians positioned the church as a site of political resistance and centered specifically African visions of freedom in their organizing. Drawing on archival research spanning South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Masango Chéry tells a global story of the twentieth century that illuminates the formations of racial identity, state control, and religious belief. Masango Chéry’s recentering of South Africa in the history of worldwide Black liberation changes understandings of spiritual and intellectual routes of dissemination throughout the diaspora.
The Kingdom of Armenia: New Edition (Caucasus World)
by Mack ChahinWhile the majority of contemporary works on Armenia concentrate on the modern era, The Kingdom of Armenia takes its beginning in the third century BC, with the ancient literate peoples of Mesopotamia who had commercial interests in the land of Armenia, and continues with a comprehensive overview through to the end of the Middle Ages.
Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement (Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology #37)
by Mitchell StevensMore than one million American children are schooled by their parents. As their ranks grow, home schoolers are making headlines by winning national spelling bees and excelling at elite universities. The few studies conducted suggest that homeschooled children are academically successful and remarkably well socialized. Yet we still know little about this alternative to one of society's most fundamental institutions. Beyond a vague notion of children reading around the kitchen table, we don't know what home schooling looks like from the inside. Sociologist Mitchell Stevens goes behind the scenes of the homeschool movement and into the homes and meetings of home schoolers. What he finds are two very different kinds of home education--one rooted in the liberal alternative school movement of the 1960s and 1970s and one stemming from the Christian day school movement of the same era. Stevens explains how this dual history shapes the meaning and practice of home schooling today. In the process, he introduces us to an unlikely mix of parents (including fundamentalist Protestants, pagans, naturalists, and educational radicals) and notes the core values on which they agree: the sanctity of childhood and the primacy of family in the face of a highly competitive, bureaucratized society. Kingdom of Children aptly places home schoolers within longer traditions of American social activism. It reveals that home schooling is not a random collection of individuals but an elaborate social movement with its own celebrities, networks, and characteristic lifeways. Stevens shows how home schoolers have built their philosophical and religious convictions into the practical structure of the cause, and documents the political consequences of their success at doing so. Ultimately, the history of home schooling serves as a parable about the organizational strategies of the progressive left and the religious right since the 1960s.Kingdom of Children shows what happens when progressive ideals meet conventional politics, demonstrates the extraordinary political capacity of conservative Protestantism, and explains the subtle ways in which cultural sensibility shapes social movement outcomes more generally.
Kingdom of Children
by Mitchell L. StevensMore than one million American children are schooled by their parents. As their ranks grow, home schoolers are making headlines by winning national spelling bees and excelling at elite universities. The few studies conducted suggest that homeschooled children are academically successful and remarkably well socialized. Yet we still know little about this alternative to one of society's most fundamental institutions. Beyond a vague notion of children reading around the kitchen table, we don't know what home schooling looks like from the inside. Sociologist Mitchell Stevens goes behind the scenes of the homeschool movement and into the homes and meetings of home schoolers. What he finds are two very different kinds of home education--one rooted in the liberal alternative school movement of the 1960s and 1970s and one stemming from the Christian day school movement of the same era. Stevens explains how this dual history shapes the meaning and practice of home schooling today. In the process, he introduces us to an unlikely mix of parents (including fundamentalist Protestants, pagans, naturalists, and educational radicals) and notes the core values on which they agree: the sanctity of childhood and the primacy of family in the face of a highly competitive, bureaucratized society. Kingdom of Children aptly places home schoolers within longer traditions of American social activism. It reveals that home schooling is not a random collection of individuals but an elaborate social movement with its own celebrities, networks, and characteristic lifeways. Stevens shows how home schoolers have built their philosophical and religious convictions into the practical structure of the cause, and documents the political consequences of their success at doing so. Ultimately, the history of home schooling serves as a parable about the organizational strategies of the progressive left and the religious right since the 1960s.Kingdom of Children shows what happens when progressive ideals meet conventional politics, demonstrates the extraordinary political capacity of conservative Protestantism, and explains the subtle ways in which cultural sensibility shapes social movement outcomes more generally.
The Kingdom of Children: A Liberation Theology
by R. L. StollarEmpower the children in your faith community. Children are marginalized in our churches, dismissed into Sunday school or silenced for lengthy sermons aimed at adults. R. L. Stollar has spent his career advocating for the rights of children, and he thinks it&’s time to stop talking down to children and start listening to them.In The Kingdom of Children, Stollar proposes a liberation theology of the child. Stollar begins with a theoretical framework that centers children in our theology and ecclesial life. Reframing biblical stories to center children, we can see how the binding of Isaac reflects the spiritual effects of child abuse, or how children like Miriam can serve as leaders in their communities. Using scriptural examples as well as real studies of children&’s spiritual lives, Stollar asserts that children can be priests, prophets, and theologians in our communities. Each chapter concludes with activities and discussion points for introducing the book&’s concepts to children.The Kingdom of Children is a must-read for youth ministers, parents, and anyone who works with children. By embracing the liberation of children, we can avoid stunting their spiritual growth and passing on trauma. And when we lift up children—truly value and learn from them—we build up the kingdom of God here in our communities.
Kingdom Of Georgia: Notes Of Travel In A Land Of Woman, Wine And Song, To Which Are Appended Historical, Literary, And Political Sketches, Specimens Of The National Music, And A Compendious Bibliography (classic Reprint)
by WardropFirst published in 2008. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Kingdom of Lies: Unnerving adventures in the world of cybercrime
by Kate FazziniWould you say your phone is safe, or your computer? What about your car? Or your bank? There is a global war going on and the next target could be anyone – an international corporation or a randomly selected individual. From cybercrime villages in Romania to intellectual property theft campaigns in China, these are the true stories of the hackers behind some of the largest cyberattacks in history and those committed to stopping them. You&’ve never heard of them and you&’re not getting their real names. Kate Fazzini has met the hackers who create new cyberweapons, hack sports cars and develop ransomware capable of stopping international banks in their tracks. Kingdom of Lies is a fast-paced look at technological innovations that were mere fantasy only a few years ago, but now make up an integral part of all our lives.
Kingdom of Lies: Unnerving Adventures in the World of Cybercrime
by Kate Fazzini“Wow. Kate Fazzini is the rare top-level reporter who can make you see, smell and feel a hidden world, not just understand it. Cybercrime (and security) has found its Michael Lewis.” —Bret Witter, co-author of the #1 NYT bestseller The Monuments MenOne of BookRiot's "50 of the Best Books to Read This Summer"In the tradition of Michael Lewis and Tom Wolfe, a fascinating and frightening behind-the-scenes look at the interconnected cultures of hackers, security specialists, and law enforcementA 19-year-old Romanian student stumbles into a criminal ransomware ring in her village. Soon she is extorting Silicon Valley billionaires for millions--without knowing the first thing about computers.A veteran cybersecurity specialist has built a deep network of top notch hackers in one of the world’s largest banks. But then the bank brings in a cadre of ex-military personnel to “help.” A cynical Russian only leaves his tiny New Jersey apartment to hack sports cars at a high performance shop in Newark. But he opens his door to a consultant who needs his help. A hotel doorman in China once served in the People’s Army, stealing intellectual property from American companies. Now he uses his skills to build up a private side-business selling the data he takes from travelers to Shanghai’s commercial center. Kingdom of Lies follows the intertwined stories of cybercriminals and ethical hackers as they jump from criminal trend to criminal trend, crisis to crisis. A cybersecurity professional turned journalist, Kate Fazzini illuminates the many lies companies and governments tell us about our security, the lies criminals tell to get ahead, and the lies security leaders tell to make us think they are better at their jobs than they are.Like Traffic set in the cybercrime world, Kingdom of Lies is as entertaining as it is eye opening.
Kingdom of Night: Witnesses to the Holocaust
by Mark CelinscakIn April 1945, when the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was surrendered and handed over to the British Army, Canadian forces arrived on scene to provide support, to bear witness, and to document the crimes. They were overwhelmed, understaffed, and left without adequate supplies, equipment, and medicine. Their encounters at the camp were haunting, transformative experiences that forever changed their lives. In Kingdom of Night, Mark Celinscak reveals the engagement of Canadian troops and other personnel at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The book brings together a series of gripping, often deeply moving accounts that demonstrate the critical relief work carried out by Canadians who have been largely overlooked for more than seventy-five years. It outlines in both stark and moving detail what a cross-section of Canadians both said and did during the liberation efforts at one of the most notorious sites in Hitler’s camp system. In addition, biographical overviews are presented for each Canadian featured in the book, not only highlighting some of their life-saving and humanitarian work, but also revealing what ultimately became of their lives after the war. Kingdom of Night depicts the gruelling efforts by those who assisted the victims of one of the greatest crimes in history.
The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food (California Studies in Food and Culture #77)
by Darra GoldsteinCelebrated food scholar Darra Goldstein takes readers on a vivid tour of history and culture through Russian cuisine. The Kingdom of Rye unearths the foods and flavors of the Russian land. Preeminent food studies scholar Darra Goldstein offers readers a concise, engaging, and gorgeously crafted story of Russian cuisine and culture. This story demonstrates how national identity is revealed through food—and how people know who they are by what they eat together. The Kingdom of Rye examines the Russians' ingenuity in overcoming hunger, a difficult climate, and a history of political hardship while deciphering Russia's social structures from within. This is a domestic history of Russian food that serves up a deeper history, demonstrating that the wooden spoon is mightier than the scepter.
The Kingdom of Speech
by Tom Wolfe<P>The maestro storyteller and reporter provocatively argues that what we think we know about speech and human evolution is wrong. <P>Tom Wolfe, whose legend began in journalism, takes us on an eye-opening journey that is sure to arouse widespread debate. THE KINGDOM OF SPEECH is a captivating, paradigm-shifting argument that speech--not evolution--is responsible for humanity's complex societies and achievements. <P>From Alfred Russel Wallace, the Englishman who beat Darwin to the theory of natural selection but later renounced it, and through the controversial work of modern-day anthropologist Daniel Everett, who defies the current wisdom that language is hard-wired in humans, Wolfe examines the solemn, long-faced, laugh-out-loud zig-zags of Darwinism, old and Neo, and finds it irrelevant here in the Kingdom of Speech. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Kingdom of the Sun
by Jacqueline MittonChildren take a wondrous tour of our solar system in this stunning new book that weaves mythology and astronomy in magical ways. Jacqueline Mitton's poetic text explores each planet, comparing its features to those of the Roman god or goddess for whom it was named. Although this naming occurred long before humans had accurate information about the planets, the book points out some remarkable coincidences based on what we know today. The veiled goddess Venus, for example, lends her name to a cloud-veiled planet. And the blue, stormy planet Neptune is named for the god of the sea. This intriguing and highly informative book--a sequel to the same team's best-selling Zoo in the Sky--presents the most up-to-date, scientific details about the planets in an artful way that will stir the minds and imaginations of young readers.
A Kingdom of Their Own: The Family Karzai and the Afghan Disaster
by Joshua PartlowThe Afghan war will be remembered for its politics more than its combat. There were few, if any, major battles. The longest war in American history has left 1,800 U.S. troops dead, fewer than half the number killed in Iraq. The violence is mostly confined to the farmlands, deserts, and mountains, playing out in small ambushes, hit-and-run attacks, and assassinations. The United States came to Afghanistan on a simple mission: to avenge the September 11 attacks and drive the Taliban from power. This took less than two months. The story of the next decade is about how the ensuing fight for power and money - the power and money supplied to one of the poorest nations on earth in ever-greater amounts - left the region even more dangerous than before the first troops arrived. At the centre of this story is the Karzai family. The president and his brothers began the war as symbols of a new Afghanistan - moderate, educated, fluent with East and West - the antithesis of the brutish and backwards Taliban regime. Now, with the war in shambles, they are in open conflict with each other and their Western allies. In their experience one can find a war's worth of mistakes, squandered hopes, and wasted chances. Nothing encapsulates the essence of the war's trajectory - and the descent from optimism to despair, friends to enemies - as neatly as the story of the Karzai family itself.
The Kingdom of Toro in Uganda (Routledge Revivals)
by Kenneth InghamFirst published in 1975, The Kingdom of Toro in Uganda describes the foundation of the Toro kingdom in the nineteenth century by the rebel prince Kaboyo, and investigates how Kasagama, Kaboyo’s grandson, was able to recreate, with little local support, a kingdom far more extensive than Kaboyo had ever envisaged. His personal authority was established by his insistence that its root were traditional, thus satisfying the requirements of ‘indirect rules’ at a time when this ill-defined concept served both as the shibboleth and the escape clause for an overstretched British colonial administration. Although Kasagama’s son, Rukidi, was able to combine authority with personal popularity and to take advantage of colonial innovations without losing control of his kingdom, the ending of colonial rule brought an end to Toro as he knew it. In an independent Uganda the particularism stressed by Toro’s rulers could not survive. This book will be of interest to students of history, colonialism, African studies and ethnic studies.