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What does the future hold for the UN? In this book, twenty-two scholars from all continents contribute twelve chapters that cover prevention of violence, creating economic and social structures that sustain human fulfilment, sharing and protecting the commons, and peace education. The search for future potential, based on experience in these twelve "laboratories," leads to sixty-six recommendations for new institutions and programs on issues that include controlling weapons, humanitarian interve...

This is the first truly pan-European survey of contemporary European politics, that includes nations from both Western and Eastern Europe as well as a separate chapter on the European Union. Written by foremost scholars in the field, the book examines questions about the foundations and processes of democratic government, and then compares the experiences of seven nations in Western and Eastern Europe. This framework provides a basis for comparing political values, institutions and processes a...

Arguing for the viability of the United Nations, this study calls for renewed commitment to the idealistic goals upon which it was founded and condemns the world's most powerful countries for withholding needed resources. A summary of the UN's strengths provides details on more than 60 years of successful peacekeeping missions, world health initiatives, and aid to refugees. The ways the UN has fallen short--including failed efforts to protect human rights, reduce poverty, safeguard the environme...

This book focuses on the effects of the political and later economic crisis which has seriously affected the European Union and its impact on the seemingly endless UK debate over Britain's position within the EU. Long described as an 'awkward partner' and in spite of Tony Blair's half-hearted attempts to engage with his partners during his time in office, the UK under the Coalition government has become further estranged from other members states and EU institutions with potentially damaging con...

This authoritative textbook gives a comprehensive account of the European Union's foreign policy. Going beyond the typical focus on the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy, Keukeleire and Delreux demonstrate the scope and diversity of the EU's foreign policy and show how areas such as trade, development, environment and energy are inextricable elements of it. The book examines the EU's key foreign relations - with its neighbourhood, with the US, China and R...

'Punchy, pithy and short' - Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist Former BBC journalist Gavin Esler is your guide to the most momentous change in the UK for decades. In seven succinct chapters, the writer and broadcaster sets out how Britain's departure from the European Union affects your: Food and dietHealth and NHSJobs and industrySchools and collegesTravel to Europe From the food markets of Kent to NHS operating theatres to blue chip boardrooms, Brexit throws up many surprises. Brexit: Wha...

The book delves into the exciting world of the UN with an aim to try and perceive the future of this World Body in the tumultuous times of the 21st Century. With an analytical eye towards the future, the book researches the question, 'Whether the UN, in times to come, will get further marginalized and doomed to irrelevance or will it eventually be scaled up to a status of indispensability.' The thrust of the book is to bring out very useful inputs on how the UN, which reflected the main politic...

This unique book investigates the complex transformation of Turkey's foreign policy, focusing on changing threat perceptions and the reformulation of its Western identity. This transformation cannot be explained solely in terms of strategic choices or agency driven policies but encompasses power shifts and systemic transformations. Is Turkey shifting its axis? Will this affect its traditional Western-oriented foreign policy? The book begins by discussing the relationship between security an...

In the third decade of the 21st century, Europe is facing several serious challenges to its prosperity and freedom. Those include economic, financial and productive decline compared to the rest of the world, demographic stagnation, the effects of climate change, energy dependence from other continents and exclusion from technological innovations. This book proposes the creation of a federal European state that would replace and succeed the EU, its member states and other willing European countri...

In recent years, the central question relating to regional trade agreements has been whether or not they have promoted deeper integration in the regulatory structures of the participating countries. The answer has profound implications for the future of multilateral cooperation through the World Trade Organization (WTO) and international economic relations in general. This volume examines a number of different regional agreements and finds that there is no one model for what constitutes deeper i...

How are institutions formed and how do they change? How do institutions interact to produce action? And how formal do institutions need to be to become effective actors of governance? This textbook provides a thorough examination of institutions from a number of theoretical perspectives to identify their key characteristics. Key features of the fourth edition: Eight consistent questions are used to highlight the similarities and differences between institutions, using both formal and informal...

Lauded by reviewers and scholars alike, Paul Blustein's The Chastening examines the role of the International Monetary Fund in the series of economic crises that rocked the globe in the last decade. Based on hundreds of interviews with officials at the IMF, the World Bank, the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the White House, and many foreign governments, The Chastening offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Fund during an extraordinarily turbulent period in modern economic history and at...

There is no shortage of opinion about the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Some see it as the agent of austerity, being manipulated by wealthy nations and forcing poorer countries to pursue economic policies that suppress growth and development. A sharply contrasting view regards it as bailing out such countries with large amounts of soft finance, allowing them to avoid necessary adjustment. The challenge is to evaluate the alternative arguments and to distinguish reality from rhetoric.In this...

The old Russian saying of 'kto kovo' (Who will get whom?) has become 'kem skhvachena eto?' (Who has captured this?) under the new transition economy. Instead of one major figure, such as a Stalin or Lenin, vanquishing lesser personages to advance their political aims, many people are taking over corporations to increase their market domination. Their methods are no less brutal, ruthless, or corrupt. In turn, corporations are 'capturing' the state to influence legislation and regulation to their...

The United Nations in the 21st Century provides a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the United Nations, exploring the historical, institutional, and theoretical foundations of the UN. This popular text for courses on international organizations and international relations also discusses the political complexities facing the organization today.Thoroughly revised throughout, the fifth edition focuses on major trends since 2012, including changing power dynamics, increasing threats to pe...

The European Union is mired in the worst crisis it has seen for many decades. And the crisis does not stop at Europe's edge. It threatens to undercut the EU's ambitions to develop a coherent and active foreign policy, but it is also forcing European states to reevaluate their approach to security and defense. Richard Youngs examines the legacy of the crisis and what it will mean for the EU's international role. The fallout undermines the EU's foreign policy capacity and tarnishes its normative...

Drawing from a diverse range of military, policing, academic and policymakers' experiences, this book seeks to provide solutions of how national militaries and police can work together to better support future United Nations peacekeeping operations. It addresses the growing tension between increasing non-combat related responsibilities being placed on land forces and the ability of UN peacekeeping forces to fulfil the demands of government and development tasks in fragile and conflict-affected e...

Constitutional politics is exceptionally intense and unpredictable. It involves negotiations over the very nature of the state and the implications of self- determination. Multinational democracies face pressing challenges to the existing order because they are composed of communities with distinct cultures, histories, and aspirations, striving to coexist under mutually agreed-upon terms. Conflict over the recognition of these multiple identities and the distribution of power and resources is in...

This book looks at a largely untapped energy efficiency market, the public sector. Efficiency potential in this sector is substantial, but implementing energy savings programs have been complicated by a number of factors, including limited incentives to lower energy costs, rigid budgeting and procurement procedures, and limited access to financing. This book looks at energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) as a means of overcoming some of these barriers in public facilities, since they can...