Book Description
None of the Above is a state-of-the-art volume about current debates regarding Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, both in the United States and on the Island. The title simultaneously refers to the results of a non-binding 1998 plebiscite held in San Juan to determine the Island's political status, the ambiguities that have historically characterized Puerto Rican political agency, and the complexities of Puerto Rican ethnic, national, and cultural identifications.
Customer Reviews:
boring academic prose but interesting argument.......2006-05-25
Well, what can I say? It's an academic work (read--puts you to sleep), very narrow, that tries to advance the field of current military affairs.
Some chapters, actually, are interesting--especially the first one, where Kaldor describes in good detail her distinctions between old and new wars.
Very briefly, Mary Kaldor (lecturer at the LSE) argues that America--the last nation-state, cannot understand the new era of globalization in conjunction with identity politics (read--ethnic hatred, linguistic identities, or religious) and militarization. And America, and Americans, accd. to Kaldor, still live in the Rumsfeld Cold War mentality, where the world is divided into blocs between democratic and authoritarian-communist regimes, and that the only way to prevail over "evil" is to advance military technology evermore. She says that this is fictitious, at best, and at worse, extremely dangerous.
Old wars are between states, involving a clear distinction between combatants and civilians alike, and are organized vertically, with clear goals and objectives. New wars, on the other hand, begin as civil wars within states, and spill over into adjoining neighbor states, creating a mass diaspora and refugee crisis. In addition, there are mass rapes, civilians are the primary targets (rather than soldiers), genocide is typically the aim, and funding is very different--instead of coming from a vibrant economy, it comes from extortion through insidious taxes on illicit drugs, alcohol, arms weaponry, etc. In short, Kaldor contends that the new wars are those that occurred after the fall of the Berlin Wall (such as those in Eastern Europe, Rwanda, Congo, Sudan, Bosnia, and Iraq 2003). And what has empowered these "super-angry men" (ala Friedman) is globalization. How? Through the cheap weaponry in the global arms trade, the mass proliferation of Kalashnikovs (over 100,000,000 still unaccounted for, accd. to Michael Mann), the internet (facilitating easy communications via IM or email, or temporary web pages), and also, the negative effects of globalization: being excluded from those parts of the world where globalization has not yet included. This goes along the lines with Thomas Barnetts's "The Pentagon's New Map"--namely, draw a circle around those parts of the world that don't benefit from globalization, and you will find failed states, failing states, and mass insurrections.
Kaldor's solution, which in my opinion is grossly nieve, is in implementing a cosmopolitan rule of law by encouraging local police officers to arrest local agents (insurgents, etc.) before they can become too destructive. This is nieve because some people cannot be reasoned with, under any circumstances: see Eric Hoffer's wonderful "The True Believer" for further clarification. People such as Hitler, al-Zarqawi, bin Laden, Pol Pot, etc., are all ideologues, and they were and are unwilling to bend under any circumstances to permit those cosmopolitan forces from rising in the first place. They have to be taken out. Period. And I would add, had I been Kaldor, that one of the ways to deal with these thugs, which as worked so well for us in the past, is through the encouragement of corruption. Corruption is good, it is healthy. If the choice is between killing 50,000 people or bribing the dictator $500M, well, the corrupt leader will take the money. Ideologues will not.
Is Kaldor correct in asserting that our US military is antiquated in their beliefs and strategies? It is hard to say. I think on one hand, she actually is correct because if you look at the results of the Iraqi war now, it looks pretty bleak: daily insurrections, daily bombings, daily murders. There is no clear target, we have no idea who the insurgents are or where they are, and our estimates of them change annually: first there were 5,000 in Oct. 2003, then one year later, from 8,000 - 12,000, and now up to 20,000. In addition, we are using the latest and greatest in military technology to crush opponents that are marginally excluded from society, and weak. Our Abrams tank, for instance, used in Bosnia in 1999 couldn't cross the damn river because there were no bridges strong enough to support the enormous weight!
Clearly there are a proliferation of failed states, or failing states, where ethnic hatred and tension runs high. Look at what is happening in East Timor now.
It's worth the read, and since it's on many academic syllabi around America, I'd say, it has some value to at least have a look.
An excelent socio-economic analysis of 'New Wars'.......2003-12-05
Based on the field research on the conflicts in the Former Yugoslavia, especially those in Bosnia, Mary Kaldor offered a multifaced socio-economic analysis of organized violence in the Post-Westpharian System. She not only claimed the transformation of inter-state wars into civil wars, LICs and so on but also complex and privatized nature of 'New Wars,': the role of Military-Industrial Complex as well as underground economy, identity politics and the role of unofficial organizations such as NGO and Mafia.
Customer Reviews:
A workhorse turned thoroughbed.......2004-01-14
Given the world situation, timing books to catch the wave of public interest is a tricky thing. A spate of books came out in 2002 that, because of long production times, failed to consider one of the defining events of this decade, the September 11 terrorist attack on New York City and the Pentagon. Given the trauma incurred among the press and populace of the world's lone megapower, books that failed to note 9/11 immediately were dismissed as out-dated. Textbooks, for example, that used to have at least a five-year shelf-life, suddenly found themselves on the bargain tables after a year. Today, one is swamped with titles of global media books that have "terror" or "Gulf War" in somewhere in their titles.
Among the first to "capitalize" on terrorism in the title was a refurbishment of the Hachten book, The World News Prism. Through five editions-the first was published in 1981-readers found a solid, established (and establishment) book. Hachten, with his wife Harva as a collaborator, did yeoman's work on the News Prism series, but as in an aging grand dame the wrinkles and gray started to show. The fifth edition, though adequately received by reviewers, did not enjoy the praise of the former editions, and suggestions abounded that the title be given a dignified retirement. Then came 9/11 and an old friend.
James F. Scotton, associate professor at Marquette University, added his expertise and knowledge and helped transform the old workhorse into a thoroughbred.
The sixth edition has been completely retooled from the fifth, and the freshened-up material is refreshing to read. This book simply zings along, rare in text aimed at classroom adoption. In fact, the book gets right to the point early: international media have changed since 9/11 and the war on terrorism. Written to be understood-an astonishing statement if not indictment of most reading material used in classrooms today-World News Prism not only transports the reader across time zones and geographical borders effortlessly and smoothly, it makes the ride interesting for younger readers or those new to the study of international communications.
One of the pioneering techniques of the old Hachten texts was the use of "mini-case studies" to illustrate global communication events and how they were covered by international broadcasters and journalists. This updated version does the same thing, making news more relevant to young readers who think the 1991 Gulf War was ancient history. The invasion of Afghanistan is covered, and referred to as the first "videophone war." It was also a war that was stage-managed by the military, much like every conflict or war since Vietnam. The chapter on "The Impact of Great News Events" highlights this technique.
However, this tome is neither Euro- nor Americo-centric. Consideration is given to the media systems developing in China and India, whose spheres of influence stretch over nearly half the world's population. Chapters on "Public Diplomacy and Political Warfare" and "New Ways to Report the World-or Not" are particularly salient to the discipline of international communication.
Maybe this reviewer has read too many global media books in the past few years not to have an idea of how the books should open for readers. The book's organization at first was puzzling. Usually there is a discussion early on about the four concepts of the press (authoritarian, western, communist, developmental) that have been a convenient heuristic device for half a century. Though Hachten-Scotton does eventually list them (in chapter 11 of this 12-chapter book), the concepts are presented as more of an afterthought than a raison d'être as they are in most international communication books. However, the organization seems to work, especially since the last chapter tackles the idea of Westernization of the world media systems-also a concept usually found earlier in global communication texts. Rather than wrap up the texts, the authors leave us wanting more-which any top entertainer will tell you is a good thing. The last chapter covers the global-communication issues spectrum in a check list format, ticking off sub-headed paragraphs at breath-taking speed: What are the upsides/downsides of globalized media effects? Will Western programming drive out local production? What are the non-Western alternatives and what are their prognoses? Heady questions that could touch off classroom-and boardroom-discussions.
The only complaint I would have about this slim volume is its price--when it first came out $40 was a bit much for students to pay for a slender paperback. Perhaps the popularity of the edition will drive the price down--or risk increased business at the neighborhood Kinko's.
An informative and analytical survey.......2003-04-18
Now in its sixth edition, updated to include how the world news media responded to the September 11th attack on America, The World News Prism: Global Media In An Era Of Terrorism by William A. Hachten (Professor Emeritus Of Journalism And Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin - Madison) and James F. Scotton (Associate Professor of Journalism, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an informative and analytical survey of a wide variety of media and its influences within the context of the twenty-first century, including the Internet, modern public diplomacy and political warfare, globalization of the information distribution, and much, much more. The World News Prism is a fascinating and eruditely presented study which is especially recommended for Journalism, Media Studies, Political Science, and International Studies reference collections and reading lists.
Book Description
Women's soccer is one of the world's fastest-growing sports but has been subjected to little academic scrutiny. This collection considers women's football in a global context and analyses its progress, and the challenges and problems it has faced. It shows how women's football has made a significant contribution to the emancipation of women's football in many countries. It also traces the evolution of women's football in face of resistance, rejection and prejudice and describes women footballer's struggle for equal rights in a male dominated football world.
Published to coincide with the Women's World Cup in the USA, which begins in September 2003 in Atlanta, this is the first in-depth global study of women's football in 15 countries across the world.
Book Description
Mary Kaldor's New and Old Wars has fundamentally changed the way we understand contemporary war and conflict. In the context of globalization, this path-breaking book has shown that what we think of as war—that is to say, war between states in which the aim is to inflict maximum violence—is becoming an anachronism. In its place is a new type of organized violence which could be described as a mixture of war, organized crime and massive violations of human rights. The actors are both global and local, public and private. The wars are fought for particularistic political goals using tactics of terror and destabilization that are theoretically outlawed by the rules of modern warfare.
Kaldor's analysis offers a basis for a cosmopolitan political response to these wars, in which the monopoly of legitimate organized violence is reconstructed on a transnational basis and international peacekeeping is reconceptualized as cosmopolitan law enforcement.
Book Description
This book is a comprehensive, critical discussion of the new idea of environmental security. Jon Barnett looks at links between environmental degradation and national security. But the meaning of the concept is ambiguous, and an examination of its various interpretations and applications reveals much about the state of global environmental politics. Barnett argues that environmental security is ultimately driven more by the power of security-makers than by the need to address environmental problems. By systematically uncovering the deficiencies of existing discourses, he develops an alternative, critical Green approach with practical implications.
Book Description
The Illustrated History of the World is a lavishly illustrated edition of J. M. Roberts's bestselling History of the World. Now completely revised and updated, each volume of this comprehensive reference work traces the tumultuous story of humankind from prehistory to the end of the 20th
century. The rise and fall of civilizations; the impact of powerful individuals on world events; the interplay of state and religion; the social and economic factors that influence societies--these are some of the themes of this masterful, sweeping narrative. Over 2,000 photographs in color and
black-and-white present a unique visual panoply of the march of history. In addition, more than 200 maps and artworks in full color underscore important events. Fully integrated sidebars and feature boxes narrow in on key themes, providing an additional layer of interest. Each volume also contains a
double-page, illustrated chronology of major events, plus a bibliography and detailed index. Authoritative, brilliantly written, and superbly illustrated, this outstanding and popular work of scholarship makes the whole sweep of history vivid and accessible as never before.
Customer Reviews:
Out of date, but still very good.......2004-05-16
[Note: the edition of this book that I read was printed in 1998, and some of what I have to say might not apply to later editions.]
This book is the tenth and last volume in the wonderful Illustrated History of the World series. This volume appears to have been a later add-on (volume nine gave a more or less state-of-the-world address, whereas this volume picks up the history that ended in the middle of that book), and follows the history of the world from after World War 2, through to the very early 1990s. As with the other books in the series, this one has many wonderful colorful maps and pictures, but decidedly fewer sidebars.
This is a good book, but is limited by when it was published. A major feature of the 1990s and into the 21st century was the rise of militant Islamic terrorism, but this phenomenon was not anticipated by the author. ("At the least, the alarming spectre of a radical and fundamentalist movement had been dissipated.") But, that said, this is a very good history book, one that provides a great deal of information in a bright and easy-to-read format. I highly recommend it to you.
Average customer rating:
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Airline Labor Relations in the Global Era: The New Frontier
Manufacturer: ILR Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Labor & Industrial Relations
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ASIN: 0875463444 |
Customer Reviews:
Good case-study book.......2003-01-17
Peter Cappelli provides a case-study analysis of airline labor in this book. The material is historically relevant and is a good snapshot of labor from multiple perspectives. Unfortunately, the book is not a stand-alone. Readers unfamiliar with airline labor will need a primer before reading this book. The book also does not account for the recent sweeping changes in the airline industry. Despite its shortcomings, this work is a good compliment for collegiate studies in human resources, aviation, and labor unions.
Average customer rating:
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French Socialism in a Global Era (Politics, Culture, and Society in the New Europe)
Ben Clift
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
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ASIN: 0826486924 |
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