Other books that might interest you

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  The Collapse of Global...

  Philip Pilkington

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  In the 1990s, a vision emerged of a frictionless world of globalization in which the West would become ever richer on the basis of a tech-based service economy, all underpinned by a rules-based liberal international order. It became the basis for the mainstream politics of center-left and right. 
   
  Philip Pilkington argues that this vision was always delusional and is now dying. It is based on a doctrinaire and unrealistic form of liberalism and has given rise to hollowed-out financialized economies and disintegrating societies that can barely even reproduce their population or meet their energy needs. The US and UK find themselves ill-equipped to compete with China and other non-liberal states within an emerging post-liberal order in which what really matters is industrial capacity, realpolitik, and military strength. Only by abandoning our liberal delusions and advancing our own brand of hard-headed post-liberalism can the West survive. 
   
  No clearsighted observer of contemporary geopolitics can afford to miss this bracing diagnosis of the West's malaise and bold agenda for renewal.

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  War Made Invisible - How America...

  Norman Solomon

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  More than twenty years ago, 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan set into motion a hugely consequential shift in America's foreign policy: a perpetual state of war that is almost entirely invisible to the American public. War Made Invisible, by the journalist and political analyst Norman Solomon, exposes how this happened, and what its consequences are, from military and civilian casualties to drained resources at home. 
   
   
   
  From Iraq through Afghanistan and Syria and on to little-known deployments in a range of countries around the globe, the United States has been at perpetual war for at least the past two decades. Yet many of these forays remain off the radar of average Americans. Compliant journalists add to the smokescreen by providing narrow coverage of military engagements and by repeating the military's talking points. Meanwhile, the increased use of high technology, air power, and remote drones has put distance between soldiers and the civilians who die. Back at home, Solomon argues, the cloak of invisibility masks massive Pentagon budgets that receive bipartisan approval even as policy makers struggle to fund the domestic agenda. 
   
   
   
  Necessary, timely, and unflinching, War Made Invisible is an eloquent moral call for counting the true costs of war.

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  How Not to Be a Political Wife:...

  Sarah Vine

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  ‘You think you’ve married a journalist, then, horrors, he becomes a politician.' 
  'Sarah Vine is the Bridget Jones of politics.' Plum Sykes 
  'Everyone in Westminster is talking about it.' The London Standard 
  'I take it all back; she's fabulous. Nobody in Westminster can afford not to buy this book.' Rachel Johnson 
  ‘Moving and heartfelt – what a journey. I’m amazed she’s still standing.’ Imogen Edwards-Jones 
  How Not to Be a Political Wife is an unflinching account of life at the heart of politics, and what it's like to have politics rip the heart out of your life. It’s a story of high hopes and dirty tricks, broken friendships and divided loyalties, laughter and glamour. 
  Recollections, as a great woman once said, may of course vary, but this is my story, the way I remember it, written with no fear, no favour – and no fucks left to give. 
  Buckle up. 
  I thought long and hard about writing this memoir. I’ve done so not to settle old scores or plead my case, but more because I hope it’s a tale worth telling, not just for those who are interested in the political events of the past few years, but also because it’s about the people and characters behind those events, and why things ended up the way they did. 
  For nearly 20 years I was inside the rooms of government, a sanctioned eavesdropper on the rise – and fall – of the Cameroon style of Conservatism. At the same time I was building a career in journalism, raising two children and doing my best to support my own husband, Michael Gove, on his political journey. I was both an insider and an outsider; an observer – via my journalism – as well as a participant in the cut and thrust (mainly cut, if I’m honest) of frontline politics. 
  After my divorce from Michael and the demise of the Conservatives’ Old Guard, that all came to an end. I’m no longer officially a Westminster WAG, but you won’t find me mourning. Politics trampled my health, my happiness, my marriage, my sanity; it placed intolerable pressure on my loved ones, especially my children; it twisted my sense of self, and others’ sense of me; it tainted everything I did or said. I can’t say I miss it. I do, however, miss the life and the relationships I had before it all. These are the recollections of a survivor, but they are also a love letter to all that was lost in the wreck. 
  In her latest memoir, Sarah Vine, the Sunday Times bestselling author, gives us an insider's view of the political process. This is not just a biography, but a story of campaigns, elections, and the personal toll they take. 
  nan 
  HarperCollins 2025

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  Democratic Delusions - How the...

  Natalie Fenton

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  A free media is inextricably linked to a healthy democracy, but in many parts of the world liberal democracies are deemed to be dying or on the demise—a demise that many forms of media have enabled while heralding themselves as democracy's savior. The hollowing out of democracy in these ways has left many people questioning the value of (neo)liberal democratic societies. What can we do about it? 
   
      
    
  Democratic Delusions explores the potential of our media and tech systems to be democratic and contribute to a just and transformative democracy. This is only possible, Natalie Fenton argues, by first situating our political systems and mediated worlds within global capitalism. By interrogating different media and their relationship to seven key elements of democracy—power, participation, freedom, equality, public good, trust, and hope—the book asks: What is the response of society when the ability of news media to speak truth to power has been restricted by corporate logic? And, how do we tackle a deep-rooted market logic that shifts public debate towards private interest and marginalizes progressive perspectives? The book explores how these elements can be reimagined through newly conceived media and tech landscapes and, ultimately, what democracy might be in a future mediated world that places more power in the hands of more people.

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  When Left Moves Right - The...

  Maria Snegovaya

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  Over the past two decades, postcommunist countries have witnessed a sudden shift in the electoral fortunes of their political parties: previously successful center-left parties suffered dramatic electoral defeats and disappeared from the political scene, while right-wing populist parties soared in popularity and came to power. This dynamic echoed similar processes in Western Europe and raises a question: Were these dynamics in any way connected? When Right Moves Left argues that they were. And that the root of the connection between them lies in the pro-market rebranding of the ex-communist left—the key explanatory variable. This book asserts that, though the left's pro-market shift initially led to electoral rewards, it had a less straightforward impact on left-wing parties' electoral fortunes in the long run. 
   
   
   
  The book draws upon different levels of analysis: cross-country observational data, case studies, and individual-level experimental surveys. It argues that scholars should incorporate the economic policy dimension when explaining the demise of the left and the rise of the populist right in the region. It also examines important parallels between the dynamics of Western and postcommunist countries by arguing that the idiosyncrasy of Eastern European politics has been overstated in scholarly literature.

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  Vexillology - Flags of the...

  Mike Crawford

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  The history of flags is as old as civilization itself, beginning with the use of symbols to identify and distinguish groups, tribes, and nations. These symbols, initially simple and functional, later evolved into the complex designs we recognize today as flags. In their early forms, flags were not necessarily the fabric banners we use now but were often symbols or standards that represented a group or entity. These early markers were used to communicate identity, power, and territorial boundaries. 
  The earliest known use of flags dates back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese. For example, the ancient Egyptians used flags made of fabric or leather as symbols of authority, carried into battle or displayed in royal courts. These early flags often consisted of simple shapes and symbols, such as the Egyptian ankh or the scarab, representing the gods and the ruling elite. 
  Similarly, ancient Greek and Roman civilizations used banners in both military and civic contexts. In Roman times, military standards called "signa" were carried by soldiers during battles. These standards were often adorned with the images of gods, and the legions were known for their proud display of these banners, which were considered sacred. These military standards were instrumental in maintaining order and morale within the ranks and also served as a form of propaganda, displaying the power and might of the Roman Empire.

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