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  The Living Flame - The...

  Paul LeBlanc

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  A collection of essays illuminating the historic Polish philosopher, economist, and activist’s tremendous contributions to revolutionary struggle. Rosa Luxemburg, brilliant early twentieth century German revolutionary, comes alive in a rich set of essays on her life, ideas, and lasting influence. The essays deal not only with her remarkable contributions to political, social and economic theory, but also touch on her vibrant personality and intimate friendships. This collection, the fruit of more than four decades of involvement with Luxemburg's work, simultaneously showcases her penetratingly intellectual, political and deeply humanistic qualities.“An indispensable contribution to our understanding of Rosa Luxemburg, who emerges as formidable theorist, principled activist, and above all, a fully realized human being . . . . The Living Flame affirms Luxemburg’s lasting contribution and underscores the relevance of her legacy for our own, very different, age.” —Helen Scott, author, The Storm of History: Shakespeare’s Tempest and Capitalism“A profound and multidimensional investigation of a giant thinker and revolutionary. These [essays] show meticulous historical and theoretical attentiveness and at the same time are hugely timely; a significant contribution to Rosa Luxemburg studies and Marxist theory and history.” —Dana Mills, author, Rosa Luxemburg: Critical Lives“Uncommonly nuanced, probing, and also deeply principled explorations. [Le Blanc’s] mode of engagement nicely compliments that of Rosa Luxemburg and shows us her thoughts as a living and breathing work in progress, not merely echoes from an increasingly distant past. In addition, Le Blanc models how Marxists and Leftists in general might want to relate to one another when we debate complex issues and at times disagree.” —Axel Fair-Schulz, associate professor at SUNY Potsdam

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  The Finance Curse - How Global...

  Nicholas Shaxson

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  An “artfully presented [and] engaging” look at the insidious effects of financialization on our lives and politics by the author of Treasure Islands (The Boston Globe). 
   
  How didthe banking sector grow from a supporter of business to the biggest business in the world? Financial journalist Nicholas Shaxson takes us on a terrifying journey through the world economy, exposing tax havens, monopolists, megabanks, private equity firms, Eurobond traders, lobbyists, and a menagerie of scoundrels quietly financializing our entire society, hurting both business and individuals. 
   
  Shaxson shows how we got here, telling the story of how finance re-engineered the global economic order in the last half-century, with the aim not of creating wealth but extracting it from the underlying economy. Under the twin gospels of “national competitiveness” and “shareholder value,” megabanks and financialized corporations have provoked a race to the bottom between states to provide the most subsidized environment for big business, encouraged a brain drain into finance, fostered instability and inequality, and turned a blind eye to the spoils of organized crime. From Ireland to Iowa, he shows the insidious effects of financialization on our politics and on communities who were promised paradise but got poverty wages instead. 
   
  We need a strong financial system—but when it grows too big it becomes a monster. The Finance Curse is the explosive story of how finance got a stranglehold on society, and reveals how we might release ourselves from its grasp. 
   
  Revised with new chapters 
   
  “[Discusses] corrupt financiers in London and New York City, geographically obscure tax havens, the bizarre realm of wealth managers in South Dakota, a ravaged newspaper in New Jersey, and a shattered farm economy in Iowa . . . A vivid demonstration of how corruption and greed have become the main organizing principles in the finance industry.” —Kirkus Reviews

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  Crimes Against Nature - How...

  Robert F. Kennedy

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  Crimes against Nature reveals the hidden history behind three of the nation's first parklands: the Adirondacks, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. Focusing on conservation's impact on local inhabitants, Karl Jacoby traces the effect of criminalizing such traditional practices as hunting, fishing, foraging, and timber cutting in the newly created parks. Jacoby reassesses the nature of these "crimes" and provides a rich portrait of rural people and their relationship with the natural world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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  A Troubled Peace

  Chae-Jin Lee

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  This “excellent study of foreign policy-making” explores the changing nature of US-Korea relations since 1948 (David Hundt, Political Studies Review). 
   
  In A Troubled Peace, Professor Chae-Jin Lee examines the evolution of U.S. policy toward South and North Korea beginning in the mid-twentieth century, when rival regimes were installed on the Korean peninsula. He presents an enlightening analysis of the goals the United States has sought for Korea, how these goals have been articulated, and the methods used to implement them. 
   
  Drawing on declassified diplomatic documents; primary materials in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese; and extensive interviews with American and Korean officials, Lee sheds light on critical factors that have affected U.S. policy: the functions of U.S. security policy in Korea, the role of the United States in South Korean democratization, President Clinton’s policy of constructive engagement toward North Korea, President Bush’s hegemonic policy toward North Korea, and the hexagonal linkages among the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas. 
   
  Discussing the concepts of containment, deterrence, engagement, preemption, and appeasement, Lee’s balanced approach reveals the frustrations of all players in their attempts to arrive at a modicum of coexistence. His objective, comprehensive, and definitive study reveals a dynamic—and incredibly complex—series of relationships underpinning a troubled and tenuous peace.

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  Transformation Index BTI 2012:...

  Bertelsmann Stiftung

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  Der politische und wirtschaftliche Entwicklungsstand eines Landes ist messbar: Im internationalen Vergleich lassen sich die Leistungen politischer Entscheidungsträger und die daraus resultierenden Transformationsprozesse gegenüberstellen. 
  
  Den Entwicklungsstand in 128 Entwicklungs- und Transformationsländern dokumentiert die Bertelsmann Stiftung alle zwei Jahre in ihrem Transformationsindex: Anhand ausführlicher Ländergutachten beleuchtet der Index die Wirkung von Reformstrategien auf dem Weg zu rechtsstaatlicher Demokratie und sozialer Marktwirtschaft. Er gibt damit Akteuren in Politik, Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft und Wissenschaft wichtige Hinweise und Impulse für ihre Arbeit. Der Untersuchungszeitraum des "Transformationsindex BTI 2012" reicht vom Frühjahr 2009 bis zum Frühjahr 2011. 
  
  Die sieben ergänzenden Materialbände "Regional Findings" beinhalten die ausführlichen englischsprachigen Regionalüberblicke und Langfassungen der Länderberichte zu den sieben untersuchten Regionen: Ostmittel- und Südosteuropa; Lateinamerika und Karibik; West- und Zentralafrika; Naher Osten und Nordafrika; Östliches und südliches Afrika; Postsowjetisches Eurasien; Asien und Ozeanien.
  
  The peaceful transition of authoritarian regimes towards democracy and a market economy poses enormous challenges for citizens and politicians alike. Around the world, under widely differing conditions and with varying degrees of success, reform-oriented groups are struggling to democratize their countries and to strengthen the market economy. Good governance is the decisive factor for the success or failure of any transition process.
  
  The Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index is published every two years. The global ranking measures and compares transition processes worldwide on the basis of detailed country reports. Comparing systematically the status of democracy and market economy on an international basis, the BTI also provides comprehensive data on the quality of political management.

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  A Swiss Foreign Policy for the...

  Thomas Bernauer, Katja...

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  Switzerland is facing critical foreign policy challenges. Its relationship with the EU is still unsettled, the geopolitical landscape is changing rapidly, and technological innovation brings additional dynamics into play. This book provides a forward-looking guide for all those concerned with Swiss foreign policy issues, and an overview of Swiss foreign policy along its key areas. It deals, for example, with foreign trade, international financial markets, migration, environmental policy, humanitarian cooperation, and peace promotion and security policy. The contributions are written by academics and practicioners. They shed light on the respective global or regional context in which Switzerland's foreign policy operates, and analyze achievements, challenges,  opportunities, and risks as well as potential ways forward. Published on behalf of the Swiss Society for Foreign Policy.
  With forewords by Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and National Councilor Christa Markwalder, President of the Swiss Society for Foreign Policy, and contributions by: Thomas Bernauer, Fritz Brugger, Aymo Brunetti, Gilles Carbonnier, Francis Cheneval, Cedric Dupont, Katja Gentinetta, Isabel Gunther, Paula Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, Joelle Kuntz, Sandra Lavenex, Philipp Lutz, Matthias Oesch, Pascal Sciarini, Charlotte Sieber-Gasser, Cedric Tille, Andreas Wenger, Achim Wennmann, Sacha Zala.
  The German version of «A Swiss Foreign Policy for the 21st Century» is available as «Eine Aussenpolitik für die Schweiz im 21. Jahrhundert».

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