How to Stage a Coup
How to Stage a Coup

Author: Rory Cormac

Publisher: Atlantic Books (UK)

Published: 2023-04-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781838955649

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An engaging and incisive investigation into the shadowy world of secret statecraft and covert action, by a leading expert on the topic. Today's world is in flux. Competition between the great powers is back on the agenda and governments around the world are turning to secret statecraft and the hidden hand to navigate these uncertain waters. From poisonings to electoral interference, subversion to cyber sabotage, states increasingly operate in the shadows, while social media has created new avenues for disinformation on a mass scale. This is covert action: perhaps the most sensitive - and controversial - of all state activity. However, for all its supposed secrecy, it has become surprisingly prominent - and it is something that has the power to affect all of us. In an enthralling and urgent narrative packed with real-world examples, Rory Cormac reveals how such activity is shaping the world and argues that understanding why and how states wield these dark arts has never been more important.

Taxing the Rich
Taxing the Rich

Author: Kenneth Scheve

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2016-03-29

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1400880378

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A groundbreaking history of why governments do—and don't—tax the rich In today's social climate of acknowledged and growing inequality, why are there not greater efforts to tax the rich? In this wide-ranging and provocative book, Kenneth Scheve and David Stasavage ask when and why countries tax their wealthiest citizens—and their answers may surprise you. Taxing the Rich draws on unparalleled evidence from twenty countries over the last two centuries to provide the broadest and most in-depth history of progressive taxation available. Scheve and Stasavage explore the intellectual and political debates surrounding the taxation of the wealthy while also providing the most detailed examination to date of when taxes have been levied against the rich and when they haven't. Fairness in debates about taxing the rich has depended on different views of what it means to treat people as equals and whether taxing the rich advances or undermines this norm. Scheve and Stasavage argue that governments don't tax the rich just because inequality is high or rising—they do it when people believe that such taxes compensate for the state unfairly privileging the wealthy. Progressive taxation saw its heyday in the twentieth century, when compensatory arguments for taxing the rich focused on unequal sacrifice in mass warfare. Today, as technology gives rise to wars of more limited mobilization, such arguments are no longer persuasive. Taxing the Rich shows how the future of tax reform will depend on whether political and economic conditions allow for new compensatory arguments to be made.

The King Never Smiles
The King Never Smiles

Author: Paul M. Handley

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2006-01-01

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 0300130597

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Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej, the only king ever born in the United States, came to the throne of his country in 1946 and is now the world's longest-serving monarch. This book tells the unexpected story of his life and 60-year rule: how a Western-raised boy came to be seen by his people as a living Buddha; and how a king widely seen as beneficent and apolitical could in fact be so deeply political, autocratic, and even brutal. Paul Handley provides an extensively researched, factual account of the king's youth and personal development, ascent to the throne, skilful political maneuverings, and attempt to shape Thailand as a Buddhist kingdom. Blasting apart the widely accepted image of the king as egalitarian and virtuous, Handley convincingly portrays an anti-democratic monarch who, together with allies in big business and the corrupt Thai military, has protected a centuries-old, barely-modified feudal dynasty. When at nineteen Bhumibol assumed the throne after the still-unsolved shooting of his brother, the Thai monarchy had been stripped of power and prestige. Over the ensuing decades, Bhumibol became the paramount political actor in the kingdom, crushing critics while attaining high status among his people. The book details this process and depicts Thailand's unique constitutional monarch in the full light of the facts.

James
James

Author: R. Kent Hughes

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 1991-07

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 9781433529153

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Too often Christmas gets swallowed up in the busyness of shopping and sending cards and wrapping presents. As we rush around, we often miss the wonder of what Christmas is all about. Christmas began with a gift given to the human race two thousand years ago. It was a child, born in a Bethlehem stable and laid in a manger. His birth was announced by wise men guided from the East by a very special star. It was the gift we needed most: a Savior, the Holy Son of God. This is the good news proclaimed by the angel: "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). Why was God's gift of a Savior so important? There are three reasons: The greatness of the need. The future of the human race was at stake. Sin made havoc of God's creation and brought estrangement from its Creator. The greatness of the gift. Not only was the need great, but the gift was also great! "This is My beloved Son," God said, "in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). The greatness of the cost. Read the inspired portraits of the suffering of Christ in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Psalm 69. The cross was only part of the price He gladly paid. Jesus Christ did not die for His own sins or because He was a victim of circumstances. He came, as God's supreme gift to you and me. The Bible pointedly asks: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3). Have you overlooked the really important gift of Christmas? Is God prompting you to look through the odds and ends of Christmas? God's gift for you is waiting. Don't miss it. Right now, wherever you are, you can receive the costliest gift, Jesus Christ the Savior. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

On the Way to a Coup D’Etat
On the Way to a Coup D’Etat

Author: Ron Means

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2013-01-11

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1477178856

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On the Way to a Coup d'Etat is a dramatic story, a searing scrutiny of our politics and government. Though set in the near future, it is an entirely credible development of the forces that are now in play. President Millwright, elevated to office by an unusual event, is short, balding, he limps and has a high squeaky voice (as did Abraham Lincoln). But he possesses something more essential: character. He is opposed in every conceivable way, some of which are horrific, by nefarious politicians, truth-distorting think-tanks and media, and by many members of Congress too greedy or too fearful to align with their consciences-and even by a bizarre cultural hero. This opposition proves to be successful. But how things turn is truly convincing as America, while on the surface continues to lie to itself, continues to decline. Yet On the Way to a Coup d'Etat is a surprisingly uplifting story, due in part to the believable characters of both President Millwright and his wife, Ann. These folks are more human and more alive than many of our current politicians. One of the underlying themes in this remarkably astute book is an in-depth examination of what it means to lead a country, especially a country in trouble. Bob Scher, author of Lightning, The Nature of Leadership

James (ESV Edition)
James (ESV Edition)

Author: R. Kent Hughes

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2015-09-30

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1433538490

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The epistle of James is one of the most practical books in the New Testament. Focused on what the Christian life looks like in practice, this short letter highlights a crucial truth about genuine faith: it always leads to good works. In this redesigned volume in the popular Preaching the Word commentary series, Kent Hughes walks readers through James's important teaching about what it means to follow Jesus, exploring the call to persevere through suffering, the relationship between faith and works, and the importance of taming the tongue. Accessible yet robust, this commentary will help pastors, Bible teachers, and small group leaders understand and communicate the message of the book of James with insight and clarity. Part of the Preaching the Word series.