Bøger i Themes for the 21st Century serien

a The class war is over. But the struggle for true equality has only just begun,a Tony Blair has declared. The world indeed enters the 21st century heaving with poverty and inequality. Just three super--rich men have a net worth equal to the income of the 36 poorest countries in the world.

Social activism and dissent have become global phenomena for our times. Ordinary people across the world are fighting back. This newly potent political force has defeated governments in India and Spain, and has brought down the EU draft constitution. Disaffected by the triumph of markets, public goods, public interest and public spaces are regaining political ground. Daniel Drache argues that, feeding off distrust and suspicion of governments, and assisted by the new cultural flows of people, ideas and information, this is a political phenomenon without historical precedent. No-one owns the new public, elites remain baffled by its power and impact. No-one can contain its innovative, inclusive and rapidly evolving organizational style. No-one can determine when the current cycle of dissent will peak. This lively and engaging book is a must-read for anyone interested in the role of protesters and publics in contemporary politics.

Following the collapse of communism and the decline of Marxism, some commentators have claimed that we have reached the 'end of history' and that the distinction between Left and Right can be forgotten. In this book - which was a tremendous success in Italy - Norberto Bobbio challenges these views, arguing that the fundamental political distinction between Left and Right, which has shaped the two centuries since the French Revolution, has continuing relevance today. Bobbio explores the grounds of this elusive distinction and argues that Left and Right are ultimately divided by different attitudes to equality. He carefully defines the nature of equality and inequality in relative rather than absolute terms. Left and Right is a timely and persuasively argued account of the basic parameters of political action and debate in the modern world - parameters which have remained constant despite the pace of social change. The book will be widely read and, as in Italy, it will have an impact far beyond the academic domain.

Public disenchantment with politics has become a key feature of the world in which we live. Politicians are increasingly viewed with suspicion and distrust, and electoral turnout in many modern democracies continues to fall. But are we right to display such contempt towards our elected representatives? Can politicians be morally good or is politics destined to involve dirty hands or the loss of integrity, as many modern philosophers claim? In this book, Susan Mendus seeks to address these important questions to assess whether this apparent tension between morality and politics is real and, if so, why. Beginning with an account of integrity as involving a willingness to stand by ones most fundamental moral commitments, the author discusses three reasons for thinking that politics undermines integrity and is incompatible with morality. These are: the relationship between politics and utilitarian calculation; the possibility that the realm of politics is a separate realm of value; and the difficulty of reconciling the demands of different social roles. She concludes that, in the modern world, we all risk losing our integrity. To that extent, we are all politicians. Moreover, we have reason to be glad that politicians are not always morally good. Written with verve and clarity, this book provides students and general readers an accessible guide to the philosophical debates about the complex relationship between politics and morality in the contemporary world.

Since 9/11 politicians, preachers, conservatives and the media are all speaking about evil. In the past the dicourse about evil in our religious, philosophic and literary traditions has provoked thinking, questioning and inquiry. But today the appeal to evil is being used as a political tool to obscure compex issues, block serious thinking and stifle public discussion and debate. We are now confronting a clash of mentalities, not a clash of civilisations. One mentality is drawn to absolutes, moral certainties, and simplistic dichotomies of good and evil. The other seriously questions an appeal to absolutes in politics and criticizes the simplistic division of the world into the forces of evil and the forces of good. In The Abuse of Evil Bernstein challenges the claim that without an appeal to absolutes, we lack the grounds for acting decisively in fighting our enemies. The post 9/11 abuse of evil corrupts both democratic politics and religion. The stakes are high in this clash of mentalities in shaping how we think and act in the world today - and in the future.

* A major new book examining the interconnections between freedom and security, and the way these are affected by ever-increasing inequalities.

New ID card systems are proliferating. These may use digitized fingerprints or photos, may be contactless, using a scanner, and above all, may rely on computerized registries of personal information. This book argues that such IDs represent a fresh phase in the long-term attempts of modern states to find stable ways of identifying citizens.

The global financial crisis of 1997--8 revealed that emerging market nations as well as the developed economies are vulnerable to the forces of globalization. It highlighted the need for the governance of the world economy to catch up with the pace and degree of integration through trade and financial markets.

Law and order has become a key issue throughout the world. Crime stories saturate the mass media and politicians shrilly compete with each other in a race to be the toughest on crime. Prisons are crammed to bursting point, and police powers and resources extended repeatedly.

Feminists have long argued that the presence of women in politics provides a means of articulating womena s perspectives and issues. As the number of female MPs increases, it is often claimed that the nature of politics itself will be transformed.

Prominent among the quests for post--9/11 security are developments in surveillance, especially at national borders. These developments are not new, but many of them have been extended and intensified.

a Globalizationa is a word that is currently much in use. This book is an attempt to show that there is far more to globalization than its surface manifestations. Unpacking the social roots and social consequences of globalizing processes, this book disperses some of the mist that surrounds the term.

The world of international relations has changed radically in the last few years. Technological, social and political change have combined to undermine the traditional assumptions of diplomacy -- in particular, the events of 11 September set in stark relief the risks and dangers.

a Communitya is one of those words that feels good: it is good a to have a communitya , a to be in a communitya . And a communitya feels good because of the meanings which the word conveys, all of them promising pleasures, and more often than not the kind of pleasures which we would like to experience but seem to miss.

* Another highly topical contribution from a world--renowned social thinker. * Examines the European experience against the backdrop of a fast--changing, and divided, world arguing that by sharing its historical lessons, Europe can play a role in the promotion of world peace.

Future developments in war, armed conflict and international relations are central to our collective fate in this century. This book looks forward by considering the forces that will drive changes in military organizations, sources of conflict, the power of states and the nature of the international system.

In recent years American foreign policy has taken a unilateralist turn. Confident of Americaa s economic supremacy and cultural magnetism, the Bush administration has embarked on an ambitious mission to further American interests and reshape global order.

This topical new book by Zygmunt Bauman explores the notion of identity in the modern world. As we grapple with the insecurity and uncertainty of liquid modernity, Bauman argues that our socio--political, cultural, professional, religious and sexual identities are undergoing a process of continual transformation.

As a concept, deterrence has launched a thousand books and articles. It has dominated Western strategic thinking for more than four decades. In this important and groundbreaking new book, Lawrence Freedman develops a distinctive approach to the evaluation of deterrence as both a state of mind and a strategic option.

* Examines the role of Islam in the 21st century and its increasingly forceful presence on the world stage. * Written by a Muslim and leading social scientist (who has worked in the Muslim world but lives in the West), the book explains what is going wrong in society by referring to Islamic history and beliefs.

The freedom to choose where to live and work is a fundamental right in liberal societies. The moral equality of persons is the basic principle of democratic politics. But liberal democracy has no coherent theory of boundaries, or how members should be selected for political communities.

A The next title in a major trade series -- Themes for the 21st Century A Addresses some of the most important themes in contemporary world politics A By one of the worlda s leading scholars of international relations A Lively and accessible volume written for a general audience as well as scholars and students.

Friends can help to form the basic structure of our lives but we very often take them for granted. Friends can sometimes be regarded as an oppressive burden when they appear to be greedily demanding too much of us. How to get the balance right is a perennial concern and the subject of much fiction and drama.

Politics was once regarded as an activity which could give human societies control over their fate. However, there is now a deep pessimism about the ability of human beings to control anything very much, least of all through politics.

Developments in international politics since the end of the Cold War point to a new international order in the twenty-first century. At its heart is international law. Global community values have been recognised as providing the basis for formal legal obligations, maintained and implemented by an international constitutional order.

* presents an original and polemical argument about the direction politics is taking in the 21st century, which is highly relevant to current debates centring around Tony Blair and New Labour.