Kategoria BISAC: Political Science >> Political Process - General

An important element in the Thai success story during the boom years of the late 1980s and early 1990s was the flourishing and politically interventionist print media. This book examines the tangled web of relationships linking newspaper owners, editors, columnists and reporters with leading politicians and power-holders. The author was granted access to the editorial meetings and newsrooms of Thailand's leading newspapers. Drawing on numerous interviews and extensive observation, this book unravels the contradictions and dichotomies which underlie political coverage in the Thai language...

This text is a comprehensive overview of politics in Singapore since self-governance. The authors examine how this tiny island has developed into a global financial centre and an economic and social success under the leadership of the People's Action Party which has ruled continuously since 1959. The authors explore the nature of the Singaporean government, as well as major issues such as ethnicity, human rights and the development of civil society.

A comprehensive overview of politics in Singapore since self-governance. The authors examine how this tiny island has developed into a global financial centre and an economic and social success under the leadership of the People's Action Party which has ruled continuously since 1959. The authors explore the nature of the Singaporean government, as well as major issues such as ethnicity, human rights and the development of civil society.

International relations (IR) traditionally theorises the social relationships between different peoples. In so doing, it ignores the ecological bases to life - the ground upon which we walk, the all-encompassing bind of nature. In the current climate of environmental degradation, international relations as a theory must in turn be altered. By broadening the term 'relations' to include this ecological framework, international relations can be approached from a changed perspective.
In this book, Susan Board uses a Foucauldian model of power to expand the boundaries of international...

After more than twenty years of economic and political reform, China is a vastly different country to that left by Mao. Almost all the characteristic policies and practices of the Maoist era have been abandoned, with the goals of revolution in foreign and domestic policy being replaced by an emphasis on economic modernization, accompanied by radical social transformation and an increasingly significant international role. Yet, despite these dramatic changes other fundamental features of China's policy remain unchanged.
This book explores the strategies of reform in China and their...

Roger Owen has fully revised and updated his authoritative text to take into account the very latest developments in the Middle East. This new edition continues to explore the emergence of individual Middle Eastern states since the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War and the key themes that have characterized the region since then. The book continues to serve as an excellent introduction for newcomers to the modern history and politics of this fascinating region.

The Iraqi Kurds have enjoyed de facto statehood in the north of Iraq for over a decade but Intra-Kurdish fighting, military incursions by Turkey and Iran and the constant threat posed by Saddam Hussein have plagued this 'democratic experiment'.
In this book, Stansfield explores the development of the Kurdish political system since 1991. He examines the difficult and often violent relations between the two dominant powers, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and their relationship with the Kurdish Regional Government in order to understand the...

This title raises interesting questions about the process of democratization in Hong Kong. It asks why democracy has been so long delayed when Hong Kong's level of socio-economic development has become so high.

In this book, one of the leading authorities on contemporary Northern Ireland politics provides an original, sophisticated and innovative examination of the post-Belfast agreement political landscape. Written in a fluid, witty and accessible style, this book explores:

• how the Belfast Agreement has changed the politics of Northern Ireland
• whether the peace process is still valid
• the problems caused by the language of politics in Northern Ireland
• the conditions necessary to secure political stability
• the inability of unionists and...

In this book, one of the leading authorities on contemporary Northern Ireland politics provides an original, sophisticated and innovative examination of the post-Belfast agreement political landscape.

Hong Kong has been undergoing considerable changes since its postcolonial independence. This book provides a detailed comparative account of the development of citizenship and civil society in Hong Kong from its time as a British colony to its current status as a special autonomous region of China. Subjects covered include immigration, race, gender, homosexuality, the law and resistance. The book also compares citizenship and civil society in Hong Kong with a number of other East Asian countries.

In Transparency and Authoritarian Rule in Southeast Asia, Rodan rejects the notion that the 1997-98 Asian economic crisis was further evidence that ultimately capitalism can only develop within liberal social and political institutions, and that new technology necessarily undermines authoritarian control. Instead, Rodan argues that in Singapore and Malaysia external pressures for transparency reform were, and are, in many respects, being met without serious compromise to authoritarian rule or the sanctioning of media freedom.

This is a study of the nature of Ottoman administration under Sultan Abdulhamid and the effects of this on the three provinces that were to form the modern state of Iraq. The author provides a general commentary on the late Ottoman provincial administration and a comprehensive picture of the nature of its interaction with provincial society. In drawing on sources of the Ottoman archives, bringing together and analysing an abundance of complex documents, this book is a fascinating contribution to the field of Middle Eastern Studies.

'The Politics of Contemporary Spain' charts the trajectory of Spanish politics since the transition to democracy through to the present day, including the aftermath of the Madrid bombings.

While Spain is now a well-established democracy closely integrated into the European Union, it has suffered from a number of severe internal problems such as corruption, discord between state and regional nationalism, and separatist terrorism.
The Politics of Contemporary Spain charts the trajectory of Spanish politics from the transition to democracy through to the present day, including the aftermath of the Madrid bombings of March 2004 and the elections that followed three days later. It offers new insights on the main political parties and the political system, on the...

Based on extensive original research, including interviews with key participants, this book investigates the sudden and unforeseen collapse of communist power in Poland in 1989. It sets out the sequence of events, and examines the strategies of the various political groupings prior to the partially free election of June 1989.

This volume argues that the specific negotiating strategies adopted by the communist party representatives in the Round Table discussions before the elections was a key factor in communism s collapse. The book shows that on many occasions, PZPR decision-makers...

In recent years much has been said about governance and corruption in Asia, both before and after the 1997 crisis. This edited volume analyses the causes of corruption in East and Southeast Asia and considers the means of limiting and wherever possible eliminating the problem through better governance.
Taking a country-by-country approach the book explores the diversity in the quality of governance and patterns of corruption among countries and regions. Insightful analysis of these differences and similarities is used to argue that political will, appropriate structures and legislation,...

Japan s political stability was shattered after the general election of July 1993 when the conservative Liberal Democratic Party s thirty-eight year domination ended in defeat. This book examines the impact the 1993 general election had on Japanese politics. Although the LDP regained the position of a ruling party within a year, Hori questions whether the Japanese political system has managed to maintain the same efficacy as it had prior to 1993.

Using institutional analysis Hori argues that this fundamental change caused major institutional transformations; a decline in the...

With the crisis of leadership in the western democracies, there has been a growth of interest in how leaders outside of the west emerge and consolidate their positions. This book analyses the communication strategies of six charismatic non-western leaders: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Ayatollah Khomeini, Mohammed Mahathir and Lee Kuan Yew. The book addresses the following questions in order to arrive at a better understanding of communication and leadership:

• How do leaders communicate?
• Do leaders communicate more by words, or...

Hong Kong has been undergoing considerable changes since its postcolonial independence. This book provides a detailed comparative account of the development of citizenship and civil society in Hong Kong from its time as a British colony to its current status as a special autonomous region of China. Subjects covered include immigration, race, gender, homosexuality, the law and resistance. The book also compares citizenship and civil society in Hong Kong with a number of other East Asian countries.