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This book is an open access book. Many scholars have wondered if a non-Western theory of international politics founded on different premises, be it from Asia or from the “Global South,” could release international relations from the grip of a Western, “Westphalian” model. This book argues that a Buddhist approach to international relations could provide a genuine alternative. Because of its distinctive philosophical positions and its unique understanding of reality, human nature and political behavior, a Buddhist theory of IR offers a way out of this dilemma, a means for transcending the Westphalian predicament. The author explains this Buddhist IR model, beginning with its philosophical foundations up through its ideas about politics, economics and statecraft.
Since its establishment, the UN's Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) has been involved in peacebuilding processes in more than 20 countries. This edited volume takes stock of the overall impact of the PBA during its first decade in existence, and generates innovative recommendations for how the architecture can be modified and utilized to create more synergy and fusion between the UN's peace and development work. The volume is based on commissioned research and independent evaluations as well as informed opinions of several key decision-makers closely engaged in shaping the UN's peacebuilding agenda. It seeks to find a balance between identifying the reality and constraints of the UN's multila...
BRICS is conceivably the most formidable organisation to have emerged in the post-Cold War period in the non-Western world. This book highlights the significance of BRICS in a wider global context and foregrounds the long-pending demand for the reform of global governance institutions. The volume: • Traces how the organisation came into being and looks at the distinct norms and principles espoused by it • Discusses the glaring limitations of the existing institutions of global governance • Explores the economic growth and the rising political influence of BRICS states • Analyses the internal threats to the survival of the organisation and assesses its prospects in the foreseeable future. A significant intervention in situating BRICS as one of the major players in global governance, the book will be of great interest to students and scholars of international political economy, international business and finance, international relations, politics, and Global South Studies.
The Naval War in South African Waters, 1939-1945 provides a critical reappraisal of the naval war waged in South African waters during the Second World War. The book investigates this broad topic by focussing on several interrelated aspects such as: the wartime strategic importance of South African waters; the rival Axis and Allied naval strategies in the southern oceans; the development of the South African coastal defence system; the full extent of the Axis naval operations in the southern oceans; the naval intelligence war; and, finally, the antisubmarine war waged in South African waters. Based on extensive archival research in South Africa and the United Kingdom, and supplemented by a wealth of secondary material, the book introduces a fresh, in-depth discussion on a largely forgotten episode of South African military history.
This volume sheds new light on the refugees and forced migration at the Horn of Africa and East Africa. Adopting a multidisciplinary perspective, it traces historical, structural, and geopolitical factors to reveal the often brutal uprooting of people in a region that hosts more than three million refugees and almost six million internally displaced persons (IDPs). By doing so, it enriches our understanding of the socio-economic, geopolitical and humanitarian causes and implications of migration and population displacement. The book is divided into five parts, focusing on different drivers of involuntary displacement and people’s uprooting: The first part covers geopolitical conflicts rooted partly in the colonial and Cold War geographies. The second part then focuses on security aspects and conflicts, while the third looks at encampment and refugee policies as well as refugee agencies. Part four highlights issues of forced repatriation and human trafficking. Lastly, part five analyzes the dynamics of refugee camps.
This timely book examines how the South African National Defence Force has adapted to the country’s new security, political and social environment since 1994. In South Africa’s changed political state, how has civilian control of the military been implemented and what does this mean for ‘defence in a democracy’? This book presents an overview of the security environment, how the mission focus of the military has changed and the implications for force procurement, force preparation, force employment and force sustainability. The author addresses other issues, such as: · the effect of integrating former revolutionary soldiers into a professional armed force · the effect of affirmativ...
This book examines the political consequences of European security commercialisation through increased reliance on private military and security companies (PMSCs). The role of commercial security in the domestic setting in Europe is widely acknowledged; after all, the biggest private security company globally – G4S Group – has its roots in Scandinavia. However, the use of commercial security contracting by European states for military purposes in international settings is mostly held to be marginal. This book examines the implications of commercialisation for the peace and reconciliations strategies of European states, focussing specifically on European contracting in Afghanistan. Drawing upon examples from Scandinavia, Central Europe and Continental Europe, each chapter considers three key factors: the national contexts that give security contracting in Afghanistan its meaning; the national contracting practices; the political consequences for the operation in Afghanistan. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, global governance, peace and conflict studies, European politics, and IR in general.
Pharmacological and Molecular Perspectives on Diabetes is a compilation of reviews on clinical and scientific aspects of diabetes mellitus. It presents 11 contributions by eminent scholars that give the reader rational pharmacological and genetic perspectives of the disease and its treatment. The reviews approach diabetes from different angles, and highlight research that has been done to understand some questions about the molecular biology of diabetes in experimental settings. Topics of clinical significance such as the use of different hypoglycemic agents, and diabetic complications in clinical settings are also covered. Topics included in this book are: · Epigenetic alterations and type...
This volume seeks to explore Russia’s perceptions of the changing international system in the twenty-first century and evaluate the determinants of Russian motives, roles and strategies towards a number of contemporary regional and global issues. The chapters of the volume discuss various aspects of Russian foreign policy with regard to key actors like the U.S., EU and China; international organizations such as the BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Eurasian Economic Union and Collective Security Treaty Organization; and a number of regional conflicts including Ukraine and Syria. The contributors seek to understand how the discourses of “anti-Westernism” and “post-Westernism” are employed in the redefinition of Russia’s relations with the other actors of the international system and how Russia perceives the concept of “regional hegemony,” particularly in the former Soviet space and the Middle East.