The global Vatican

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Rory Miller

Once just sleepy desert sheikdoms, the Arab Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait now exert unprecedented influence on international affairs--the result of their almost unimaginable riches in oil and gas. In this book, Rory Miller, an expert in Gulf politics and international affairs, provides an accessible account of the achievements of these countries since the 1973 global oil crisis. He also investigates how the shrewd Arab Gulf rulers who have overcome crisis after crisis meet the external and internal challenges of the onrushing future.The Arab Gulf region has become an East-West hub for travel, tourism, sport, culture, trade, and finance. But can the autocratic regimes maintain stability at home and influence abroad as they deal with the demands of social and democratic reform? Miller considers an array of factors--Islamism, terrorism, the Arab Spring, volatile oil prices, global power dynamics, and others--to assess the future possibilities,

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Christoph Bluth

"A major theme of the book is Germany's promotion of both the deepening and widening of the European Union; using the example of EMU, the book reaches conclusions that contradict many of the views expressed in the general political debate in Britain and elsewhere and thereby makes its own original and perhaps controversial contribution. Finally the book examines how Germany has fared in developing its position as a 'civilian power' in the context of the future prospects for European security. The author concludes that Germany has a central role to play in the future of the European system of states, but that it is neither to be feared nor that its power should be exaggerated."--BOOK JACKET.

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Antonio L. Rappa

"The central metaphor in globalization: an Asian perspective on modernity and politics in America is partly constructed out of Michel Foucault's metaphor of the Ship of Fools in Madness and Civilization (1965). Building on Foucault's argument, the three themes of hope, progress and optimism as used in this book represent idiomatic expressions of the business of modernity that have developed since the time of the Industrial Revolution in the West." "With this in mind, this book has been designed for upper level undergraduates, graduate students and readers who are interested in contemporary political theory."--BOOK JACKET.

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Sydney Giffard

This absorbing book, written by an author who has lived in and studied Japan for many years, provides a fresh perspective on Japan's history, politics, and culture over the past hundred years. It traces Japan's phenomenal development into one of the world's great powers, portraying events in Japan - and its rapid industrialization - as shaped by Japanese decision-makers rather than as generally perceived by the outside world. Beginning in 1890, the year in which the country's first modern constitution came into being and the Imperial Diet was first convened, Giffard describes Japan's determination to gain an equal footing with the dominant nations of the West. He examines the complex interplay, through the century, of forces underlying economic development during peace and war, analyzing the conflicts and contradictions as well as the achievements. Recognizing the role of individuals in the development of modern Japan, Giffard provides insights into many important leaders - from those who directed comprehensive national transformation at the start of the century to those who inspired economic recovery after World War Two. He concludes by analyzing the demand for political reform in Japan, up to the spring of 1992, and its implications for Japan's future as a world power.