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Leaving without Losing: The War on Terror after Iraq and Afghanistan
by Mark N. KatzAs the United States withdraws its combat troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, politicians, foreign policy specialists, and the public are worrying about the consequences of leaving these two countries. Neither nation can be considered stable, and progress toward democracy in them—a principal aim of America and the West—is fragile at best. But, international relations scholar Mark N. Katz asks: Could ending both wars actually help the United States and its allies to overcome radical Islam in the long term?Drawing lessons from the Cold War, Katz makes the case that rather than signaling the decline of American power and influence, removing military forces from Afghanistan and Iraq puts the U.S. in a better position to counter the forces of radical Islam and ultimately win the war on terror. He explains that since both wars will likely remain intractable, for Washington to remain heavily involved in either is counter-productive. Katz argues that looking to its Cold War experience would help the U.S. find better strategies for employing America’s scarce resources to deal with its adversaries now. This means that, although leaving Afghanistan and Iraq may well appear to be a victory for America’s opponents in the short term—as was the case when the U.S. withdrew from Indochina—the larger battle with militant Islam can be won only by refocusing foreign and military policy away from these two quagmires.This sober, objective assessment of what went wrong in the U.S.–led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the ways the West can disentangle itself and still move forward draws striking parallels with the Cold War. Anyone concerned with the future of the War on Terror will find Katz’s argument highly thought provoking.
Lebanese Political Parties: Dream of a Republic (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics)
by Christian ThuseltThis book examines Lebanese political parties and their encounters with modernity. Taking three, mainly Christian parties as an example, the book refutes the idea of Middle Eastern parties being backwards or antiquated. By combining historical and anthropological perspectives, it is shown that these parties stand for normativities of modernity. Lebanese, as well as Middle Eastern parties in general, have a rather poor reputation: they are considered family-based, ideologically meaningless, tailored solely to their leadership, and non-modern. Contrastingly, this book claims that the concept of the "real party" corresponds to an encounter with modernity and that these parties, although dysfunctional in parts, are better than their reputation. Most importantly, Lebanese parties are taking the nation-state as their central reference point, as they recognise it as the legitimate form of societal organization. The volume claims that important constituents of modernity, such as the individual, the nation, secularity, progress, and representing the people (demos), serve for the parties in question as resources of utopian elements informing much of these parties’ identities. Bringing Lebanese political parties into a global debate on modernity, the book tackles the notion of parties of the Middle East being non-modern. It will be of interest to scholars researching political science, political history and the Middle East.
Lebanese Shi‘ite Leadership, 1920–1970s
by Omri NirThis book examines the coalitions and relationships within the power centers of Shi'ite politics during the era of political feudalism in Lebanon. The author maps the Shi'ite leadership and its inter-connections, including the alliances and rivalry between prominent Zu'ama, clans, and Ulama' from the formation of Lebanon in 1920 to the decline of old Shi'ite politics and the emergence of popular movements in the 1970s. The work also explains the role of prominent intellectuals within these power centers.
Lebanon Facing The Arab Uprisings
by Daniel Meier Rosita Di PeriThis book provides an intimate picture of Lebanon, exploring the impacts of the Arab uprisings of 2011 which are deeply affecting Lebanese politics and society. The book examines Lebanon's current issues and its deep sectarian divisions, as well as the ways in which it still seems able to find some adaptation paths to face the many challenges left by its regional sectarian and political polarization. Authors delve into border regions, Syrian refugees, the welfare state, the Lebanese Army, popular mobilisations in 2011 and the two main communities, the Sunnis and the Shia. Built on various fieldwork researches, the volume explores each of the topics through the lenses of identification building processes, the re-ordering of social and/or political relations, and the nationhood symbols and meanings.
Lebanon after the Syrian Withdrawal: External Intervention, Power-Sharing and Political Instability
by Ohannes GeukjianLebanon experienced serious instability and ethno-national conflict following the Syrian withdrawal in 2005, compounded by the Arab Spring, which led to regional instability and civil war in Iraq and Syria. Why did consociational democracy fail? Was failure inevitable? What impact could external powers play in creating an environment where consociationalism might be successfully implemented? This book addresses these key questions and provides a comprehensive analysis of how internal and external elite relations influence the chances of a successful regulation of ethno-national conflict through power-sharing. Exploring the roles played by Syria, Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States and France, it argues that external actors in the Lebanese conflict largely determined whether power-sharing was successfully established and shows that the consociational democratic model cannot provide long-term conflict regulation in their absence. The author argues that relationships between internal and external actors determine the prospects for successful conflict regulation and pinpoints the crucial role of the external forces in the creation of power-sharing agreements in Lebanon concluding that future success is dependent on the maintenance of positive, exogenous pressures. This book will be of key interest to students and scholars studying politics, international relations, and Middle East studies.
Lebanon and the Arab Uprisings: In the Eye of the Hurricane (Durham Modern Middle East and Islamic World Series)
by Maximilian Felsch Martin WählischThe Arab uprisings have put Lebanon under increased strain. While the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt caused limited reverberations, the war in Syria echoed in the fine-tuned political and confessional balance of Lebanon. Over one million refugees, equal to one-quarter of Lebanon’s population, have moved in from Syria. The country’s economy and its already weak public infrastructure have been impacted heavily. Hizbullah’s engagement in Syria has posed questions about Lebanon’s disassociation policy. Terrorist attacks by ISIL and the growing risk of radicalization across the confessional spectrum have left the country at unease. However, Lebanon’s political elites have vowed to shield the country from regional turbulences. Lebanon recently saw a series of demonstrations because of the inability of the government to manage the garbage crisis, but it has been far from witnessing a large-scale citizen uprising similar to the 2005 Cedar Revolution or the revolts next door. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the current situation in Lebanon, and a detailed assessment of the difficulties which the country is currently facing.
Lebanon: A Country in Fragments
by Andrew ArsanLebanon seems a country in the grip of permanent crisis. In recent years it has suffered blow after blow, from Rafiq Hariri's assassination in 2005, to the 2006 July War, to the current Syrian conflict, which has brought a million refugees streaming into the country. <p><p> This is an account not just of Lebanon's high politics, with its endless rows, walk-outs, machinations and foreign alliances, but also of the politics of everyday life: all the stresses and strains the country's inhabitants face, from electricity black-outs and uncollected rubbish to stagnating wages and property bubbles. Andrew Arsan moves between parliament and the public squares where protesters gather, between luxury high-rises and refugee camps, and between expensive nightclubs and seafront promenades, providing a comprehensive view of Lebanon in the twenty-first century. <p><p> Where others have treated Lebanon's woes as exceptional, a by-product of its sectarianism and particular vulnerability to regional crises, Arsan argues that there is nothing particular about Lebanon's predicament. Rather, it is a country of the age--one of neoliberal economics, populist fervor, forced displacement, rising xenophobia, and public disillusion. Lebanon, in short, offers us a lens through which to look on our times.
Lebanon: Levantine Calvary, 1958–1990 (Cold War, 1945–1991)
by Al J. VenterWhen the world held its breath It is 25 years since the end of the Cold War, now a generation old. It began over 75 years ago, in 1944long before the last shots of the Second World War had echoed across the wastelands of Eastern Europewith the brutal Greek Civil War. The battle lines are no longer drawn, but they linger on, unwittingly or not, in conflict zones such as Iraq, Somalia and Ukraine. In an era of mass-produced AK-47s and ICBMs, one such flashpoint was the LevantIt is axiomatic that the recent history of much of the Eastern Mediterranean is linked to the creation of the state of Israel in May 1948, incontestably so. The country emerged from a series of conflicts and these have continued intermittently ever since, fuelled as much by ArabIsraeli enmity, national pride and territorial aspirations as hostile neighbours. Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt and in the latter phases, Iran were all part of it. There were rich pickings in the regions for the two great powers of the Cold War as they aligned with one side or the other, the Soviets in full support of Arab interests and the Jewish State enjoying the support of Washington. That combination not only led to several Middle Eastern wars but, as we are able to observe in todays news reports, the knock-on effect continues in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Syria especially. For much of the period under review it was Lebanon that took the brunt of it, with resident Christian, Sunni, Shiite as well as Israeli interests deploying multiple levels of force much of it clandestine to jockey for predominance. Throughout, land, sea and air forces were involved.Al Venter has devoted a good deal of his career towards covering these developments, from the early 1970s all the way through to the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1991. He has been to war with both Arab and Jew (he was with the IDF strike force headed by Ariel Sharon when he entered Beirut in 1982); spent time in Syria (visited that countrys southern front adjacent to the Golan Heights); been on combat missions with the Israeli-backed South Lebanese Army in the Druze homeland adjacent to Mount Heron and has been embedded with the Lebanese Force Command along Beiruts Green Line, where many of his photos used in this publication were taken. Venter also spent a lot of time in South Lebanon with UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and was able to observe from up close the growing influence of the Pasdaran, Tehrans surrogate force in the region that eventually spawned Hezhollah. His last visit, in 1997, included contacts while hosted by Lebanese President General mile Lahoud with senior Iranian-supported Hezbollah elements in Beirut, one of few Western correspondents to have achieved this distinction.
Lebanon: The Politics of Frustration - The Failed Coup of 1961 (History and Society in the Islamic World)
by Adel BesharaLebanon examines the ideological, political and social underpinnings of the attempted coup against General Chihab's government in Lebanon in 1961. The author analyzes the role of the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party, the history of the army in Lebanon and it role in Lebanese politics and the impact of the coup on Lebanese political life. This book provides an extraordinary insight into the mechanisms of military coups in the Arab world and will be of interest to students and researchers of the history and politics of the Middle East.
Lebanon: The Politics of a Penetrated Society (The Contemporary Middle East #Vol. 6)
by Tom NajemIn a time of great political change and unrest in the Middle East, this highly topical text offers a succinct account of the contemporary political environment in Lebanon. Tom Najem provides both a developed understanding of the pre-civil war system and an analysis of how circumstances resulting from the civil war combined with essential pre-war elements to define politics in Lebanon. Systematically exploring Lebanon’s history, society and politics, the author stresses the importance of the crucial role of external actors in the Lebanese system. The analysis encompasses: the formation of the state weaknesses and dynamics of the Lebanese state the civil war post-war government and change the Lebanese economy foreign policy. Written in a clear and accessible manner, this book fills a conspicuous gap in the existing academic literature on Lebanon. It will be of interest not only to students of international politics and Middle East studies, but also to anyone travelling in or wanting to learn more about the region.
Lebanon: The Rise and Fall of a Secular State under Siege
by Mark FarhaWhy has secularism faced such challenges in the Middle East and in Lebanon in particular? In light of dominating headlines about the spread of sectarianism and the so-called death of Arab secularism, Mark Farha addresses the need for a thorough examination of the history of secular thought and practice in the region. By offering a comprehensive, systematic account of the underlying ideological, socio-economic, and political factors involved, Farha provides a new understanding of the historical roots of secularism as well as the potential causes for the continued resistance a fully deconfessionalized state faces both in Lebanon and in the region at large. Drawing on a vast corpus of primary and secondary sources to examine the varying political parties and ideologies involved, this book provides a fresh approach to the study of religion and politics in the Arab world and beyond.
Lebanon: War and Politics in a Fragmented Society
by Charles WinslowWinslow provides a comprehensive history and political analysis of Lebanon from ancient times to the present day. He focuses on the civil and sectarian strife that has characterized the country's past and contemporary history.
Leben - Teilhaben - Altwerden: Vermutungen und Gewissheiten
by Anton AmannLeben muss als Ergebnis der Evolution aufgefasst werden und menschliches Leben als die Entstehung der Art Sapiens aus der Gattung des Homo aus der Familie der Menschenaffen. Wird die Entstehung menschlichen Lebens als evolutionäre Tatsache mit der Vorstellung sozialen Lebens gekoppelt, werden wir auf die konstruktive Hervorbringung der menschlichen Lebensformen verwiesen, deren integraler Bestandteil gesellschaflichte Teilhabe ist. Teilhabe ist einerseits an die Phylogenese der Art Sapiens rückgebunden, muss andererseits aber von jedem Menschen in der Ontogenese neu erworben und praktiziert werden, wobei er auf Umwelt angewiesen ist. Teilhabe im Alter ist eine eigene Spezifikation der Bedingungen dieses Prozesses und lässt sich anhand einer Vielzahl von empirischen Befunden darstellen.
Leben und Alltag in Malaysia
by Souchou YaoMalaysia ist eine wohlhabende, sich entwickelnde Nation in Südostasien. Seine Bürger sind mit den Problemen konfrontiert, die das Leben der Menschen überall auf der Welt kennzeichnen. Diese Probleme betreffen die Familie und die wirtschaftliche Sicherheit ebenso wie die existenziellen Entscheidungen, die wir gewöhnlich mit den Bewohnern entwickelter Gesellschaften verbinden. Mit der Kunst der Ethnographie und der kulturellen Analyse des Anthropologen zeigt das Buch, wie gewöhnliche Malaysier mit den Unwägbarkeiten und der Unbeständigkeit ihrer täglichen Existenz umgehen. In einer leicht postkolonialen Geste überträgt Doing Lifework in Malaysia das Werk von Heidegger, Arendt, Camus und Sartre - den Meistern des europäischen Existenzialismus - auf eine Situation, die erkennbar aus der "Dritten Welt" stammt. Das Ergebnis ist eine Reihe eindringlicher und erhellender Essays, die ein breites Spektrum sozialer Akteure abdecken, darunter eine tamilische Hausangestellte, die Filmemacherin Jasmin Ahmed, ein malaiischer Großhändler, der zum Ökologen wurde, eine Gruppe chinesischer Händler im Landesinneren von Sarawak und eine ehemalige kommunistische Aufständische. Diese faszinierende Studie beleuchtet das malaysische Gesellschaftsleben neu und rückt dabei Themen in den Mittelpunkt, die in anderen Berichten normalerweise nicht behandelt werden: Hinduistische Verehrung als Auflehnung gegen die Tradition, Gabentausch und Globalisierung, Rassenneid und Psychoanalyse, Kleinstkapitalismus und Einsamkeit.
Lebenszykluskostenbasierte Anreizsysteme für die öffentliche Beschaffung: Konzeption und Gestaltungsempfehlungen für komplexe Investitionsgüter (Supply Chain Management)
by Sven WehkingDie öffentliche Beschaffung umfasst allein in Deutschland rund 350 Mrd. € mit steigender Tendenz. Grund genug, sich mit innovativen Konzepten zu beschäftigen, um die öffentliche Beschaffung möglichst effizient und effektiv zu gestalten. Lebenszykluskosten und Lebenszykluskostenmanagement sind bereits seit langer Zeit Gegenstand der wissenschaftlichen Forschung. Mit der Novellierung des öffentlichen Vergaberechts im Jahr 2016 werden Lebenszykluskosten erstmals explizit als Zuschlagskriterium genannt, womit dem Anspruch an eine ökonomische Nachhaltigkeit der öffentlichen Beschaffung Rechnung getragen wird. Aufgrund von Fehlanreizen für Auftragnehmer bedarf es jedoch Anreizsysteme, um die kontrahierten Lebenszykluskosten auch einzuhalten. Darauf aufbauend soll mit dem in diesem Buch vorgelegten Konzept ein Versuch unternommen werden, diese Herausforderung anzugehen.
Lecciones para el inconformista aturdido en tres horas y cuarto, por un ensayista inexperto y sin papeles
by Irene LozanoEn medio de una profunda crisis económica, provocada por los excesos del capitalismo, sería de esperar un auge de la izquierda. Pero los partidos laboristas, socialistas y socialdemócratas se desangran en toda Europa. Parece haber cada vez menos izquierda, pero ¿qué ocurre con los izquierdistas? ¿Se han convertido en unos sin techo de las ideas de progreso, desquiciados por las incongruencias de la izquierda oficial? Irene Lozano recorre las causas de su aturdimiento desde la caída del Muro de Berlín, para esbozar lo que a su juicio deberían ser las "ideas-fuerza" de la izquierda hoy. Con originalidad, la autora aborda el declive del papel del intelectual en la discusión pública, en un ensayo que hará pensar y disfrutar a los lectores. Sólo han de cumplir un requisito: estar dispuestos a dejarse sorprender durante tres horas y cuarto.
Lech Walesa: Democrat Or Dictator?
by Jaroslaw KurskiDrawing on his unique insider's perspective as press spokesman for Lech Walesa from October 1989 to July 1990, Jaroslaw Kurski has written the first critical, clear-eyed account of the Polish leader's personal and political style. During his time in Walesa's office, Kurski became acquainted with the many forces and ambitions-which were unknown to t
Lectures in Austrian Economics, Volume I: Human Action, Competition Theory, Entrepreneurship, and Price Theory (Palgrave Studies in Austrian Economics)
by Jesús Huerta de SotoThis book, the first of two volumes, comes to life through the transcription of captivating classroom lectures spanning several years, providing a comprehensive overview of the core topics within Austrian economics. With a focus on microeconomics, it explores foundational ideas within Austrian economics, including human action, entrepreneurship, competition theory, and price theory, to give readers a deep understanding of each topic unravelling complex economic concepts with clarity and precision. Economic uncertainty, rationality, marginal utility, productivity, exchange interactions, valuation, price determination, and monopoly are also discussed. Through a seamless blend of theory and real-world examples, readers are invited to challenge conventional wisdom and explore the implications of Austrian economics on society and individual freedom. This book offers an accessible and engaging synthesis of Austrian economics that redefines the topic within modern economics. It will be relevant to students, teachers, and scholars of many other academic institutions around the world, interested in the approach of the Austrian School of economics and its relevance in today’s ever-evolving world.
Lectures in Austrian Economics, Volume II: Monetary Policy, Capital Theory, Business Cycles and Interventionism (Palgrave Studies in Austrian Economics)
by Jesús Huerta de SotoThis book, the second of two volumes, provides a comprehensive overview of the core topics within Austrian economics. With a focus on macroeconomics, it explores foundational ideas within Austrian economics, including monetary and banking theory, law, capital theory, business cycles, the relationship between the market and the state, and interventionism. These ideas are contextualized within the history of economic thought, in particular the work of Ludwig von Mises. The Keynesian system, reform to the banking system, wages, social order, fiscal policy, and the political economy of ethics are also discussed. This book offers an accessible and engaging synthesis of Austrian economics that redefines the topic within modern economics. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in Austrian economics and the political economy.
Lectures on Inequality, Poverty and Welfare
by Antonio VillarThese lectures aim to help readers understand the logics and nature of the main indicators of inequality and poverty, with special attention to their social welfare underpinnings. The key approach consists in linking inequality and poverty measurement with welfare evaluation. As concern for inequality and poverty stems from ethical considerations, the measurement of those aspects necessarily involves some value judgments. Those value judgments can be linked, directly or indirectly, to welfare assessments on the distribution of personal and social opportunities. Inequality and poverty are thus considered to be partial aspects of the welfare evaluation of the opportunities in a given society. The volume includes two applications that illustrate how the models can be implemented. They refer to inequality of opportunity and poverty in education, using PISA data.
Lectures on Kant's Political Philosophy
by Hannah Arendt“Beiner’s essay traces the development of Arendt’s thoughts on judgment and offers a lucid summary and thoughtful critique of the Kant lectures.” —William A. Galston, Journal of PoliticsHannah Arendt's last philosophical work was an intended three-part project entitled The Life of the Mind. Unfortunately, Arendt lived to complete only the first two parts, Thinking and Willing. Of the third, Judging, only the title page, with epigraphs from Cato and Goethe, was found after her death. As the titles suggest, Arendt conceived of her work as roughly parallel to the three Critiques of Immanuel Kant. In fact, while she began work on The Life of the Mind, Arendt lectured on “Kant's Political Philosophy,” using the Critique of Judgment as her main text. The present volume brings Arendt's notes for these lectures together with other of her texts on the topic of judging and provides important clues to the likely direction of Arendt's thinking in this area.“The central claim of the Lectures—skillfully edited and introduced by Ronald Beiner—is bold, imaginative, and risk taking . . . Arendt’s innovative insistence on general or enlarged aesthetic judgment as a clue to Kantian politics permits her to find a bridge from the beautiful to the practical that has remained unsuspected by other Kant interpreters.” —Patrick Riley, Political Theory“This small, carefully crafted book is a valuable addition to the Arendt literature . . . Beiner’s brilliantly executed reading of Arendt illuminates an important side of her thinking—and it is a pleasure to read.” —James T. Knauer, International Studies in Philosophy
Lectures on Religion
by Stephen J. Fleming John W. WelchLectures discussing the role religion played in the founding of America and its continued role up until the early 20th century
Lectures on Urban Economics
by Brueckner Jan K.Lectures on Urban Economics offers a rigorous but nontechnical treatment of major topics in urban economics. To make the book accessible to a broad range of readers, the analysis is diagrammatic rather than mathematical. Although nontechnical, the book relies on rigorous economic reasoning. In contrast to the cursory theoretical development often found in other textbooks, Lectures on Urban Economics offers thorough and exhaustive treatments of models relevant to each topic, with the goal of revealing the logic of economic reasoning while also teaching urban economics. Topics covered include reasons for the existence of cities, urban spatial structure, urban sprawl and land-use controls, freeway congestion, housing demand and tenure choice, housing policies, local public goods and services, pollution, crime, and quality of life. Footnotes throughout the book point to relevant exercises, which appear at the back of the book. These 22 extended exercises (containing 125 individual parts) develop numerical examples based on the models analyzed in the chapters. Lectures on Urban Economics is suitable for undergraduate use, as background reading for graduate students, or as a professional reference for economists and scholars interested in the urban economics perspective.
Lectures on Urban Economics
by Jan K. BruecknerA rigorous but nontechnical treatment of major topics in urban economics. Lectures on Urban Economics offers a rigorous but nontechnical treatment of major topics in urban economics. To make the book accessible to a broad range of readers, the analysis is diagrammatic rather than mathematical. Although nontechnical, the book relies on rigorous economic reasoning. In contrast to the cursory theoretical development often found in other textbooks, Lectures on Urban Economics offers thorough and exhaustive treatments of models relevant to each topic, with the goal of revealing the logic of economic reasoning while also teaching urban economics. Topics covered include reasons for the existence of cities, urban spatial structure, urban sprawl and land-use controls, freeway congestion, housing demand and tenure choice, housing policies, local public goods and services, pollution, crime, and quality of life. Footnotes throughout the book point to relevant exercises, which appear at the back of the book. These 22 extended exercises (containing 125 individual parts) develop numerical examples based on the models analyzed in the chapters. Lectures on Urban Economics is suitable for undergraduate use, as background reading for graduate students, or as a professional reference for economists and scholars interested in the urban economics perspective.
Lectures on the History of Moral and Political Philosophy
by Jonathan Wolff G. A. CohenPreviously unpublished writings from one of the most important political philosophers of recent timesG. A. Cohen was one of the leading political philosophers of recent times. He first came to wide attention in 1978 with the prize-winning book Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence. In subsequent decades his published writings largely turned away from the history of philosophy, focusing instead on equality, freedom, and justice. However, throughout his career he regularly lectured on a wide range of moral and political philosophers of the past. This volume collects these previously unpublished lectures.Starting with a chapter centered on Plato, but also discussing the pre-Socratics as well as Aristotle, the book moves to social contract theory as discussed by Hobbes, Locke, and Hume, and then continues with chapters on Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche. The book also contains some previously published but uncollected papers on Marx, Hobbes, and Kant, among other figures. The collection concludes with a memoir of Cohen written by the volume editor, Jonathan Wolff, who was a student of Cohen's.A hallmark of the lectures is Cohen's engagement with the thinkers he discusses. Rather than simply trying to render their thought accessible to the modern reader, he tests whether their arguments and positions are clear, sound, and free from contradiction. Throughout, he homes in on central issues and provides fresh approaches to the philosophers he examines. Ultimately, these lectures teach us not only about some of the great thinkers in the history of moral and political philosophy, but also about one of the great thinkers of our time: Cohen himself.