This book provides a critical understanding of contemporary world politics by arguing that the neoliberal approach to international relations seduces many of us into investing our lives in projects of power and alienation. These projects offer few options for emancipation; consequently, many feel they have little choice but to retaliate against violence with more violence. The authors of this pioneering work articulate worldism as an alternative approach to world politics. It intertwines non-Western and Western traditions by drawing on Marxist, postcolonial, feminist and critical security approaches with Greek and Chinese theories of politics, broadly defined. The authors contend that contemporary world politics cannot be understood outside the legacies of these multiple worlds, including axes of power configured by gender, race, class, and nationality, which are themselves linked to earlier histories of colonizations and their contemporary formations. With fiction and poetry as exploratory methods, the authors build on their ‘multiple worlds’ approach to consider different sites of world politics, arguing that a truly emancipatory understanding of world politics requires more than just a shift in ways of thinking; above all, it requires a shift in ways of being. Transforming World Politics will be of vital interest to students and scholars of International Relations, Political Science, Postcolonial Studies, Social Theory, Women's Studies, Asian Studies, European Union and Mediterranean Studies, and Security Studies.
WORLD POLITICS: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION offers analysis of the most up-to-date data, research, and contemporary events from today’s international political stage Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.
In this book, the authors set forth a new model of globalization that lays claims to supersede existing models, and then use this model to assess the way the processes of globalization have operated in different historic periods in respect to political organization, military globalization, trade, finance, corporate productivity, migration, culture, and the environment. Each of these topics is covered in a chapter which contrasts the contemporary nature of globalization with that of earlier epochs. In mapping the shape and political consequences of globalization, the authors concentrate on six states in advanced capitalist societies (SIACS): the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Germany, and Japan. For comparative purposes, other statesparticularly those with developing economicsare referred to and discussed where relevant. The book concludes by systematically describing and assessing contemporary globalization, and appraising the implications of globalization for the sovereignty and autonomy of SIACS. It also confronts directly the political fatalism that surrounds much discussion of globalization with a normative agenda that elaborates the possibilities for democratizing and civilizing the unfolding global transformation.
This book develops an approach to both method and the socio-political implications of knowledge production that embraces our embeddedness in the world that we study. It seeks to enact the transformative potentials inherent in this relationship in how it engages readers. It presents a creative survey of some of the newest developments in critical research methods and critical pedagogy that together go beyond the aims of knowledge transfer that often structure our practices. Each contribution takes on a different shape, tone and orientation, and discusses a critical method or approach, teasing out the ways in which it can also work as a transformative practice. While the presentation of different methods is both rigorously practice-based and specific, contributors also offer reflections on the stakes of critical engagement and how it may play an important role in expanding and subverting existing regimes of intelligibility. Contributions variously address the following key questions: What makes your research method important? How can others work with it? How has research through this method and/or the way you ended up deploying it transformed you and/or your practice? How did it matter for thinking about community, (academic) collaboration, and sharing ‘knowledge’? This volume makes the case for re-politicizing the importance of research and the transformative potentials of research methods not only in ‘accessing’ the world as an object of study, but as ways of acting and being in the world. It will be of interest to students and scholars of international relations, critical theory, research methods and politics in general.
WORLD POLITICS: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION offers analysis of the most up-to-date data, research, and contemporary events from today’s international political stage. The book will help you understand what is happening today and why. This 2013-2014 UPDATE EDITION incorporates recent changes in leadership, the latest on the economic crisis, social media, and military technology, and new data from World Development Indicators and more. Our new partnership with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs provides more coverage of contemporary issues and resources to explore those issues than ever before. Co-author Shannon L. Blanton incorporates key concepts into the text from major theoretical perspectives to look at both historical and contemporary developments. This edition addresses topics such as war, terrorism, human rights, the environment, and international development while emphasizing an institutional approach to resolving international conflict. The authors present each issue in a thought-provoking way that encourages you to critically assess the problems, payoffs, pitfalls, and paradoxes of people’s choices about the global future and the probable impact those choices will have on your life in the future. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.
Innovation in information and communication technology (ICT) fuels the growth of the global economy. How ICT markets evolve depends on politics and policy, and since the 1950s periodic overhauls of ICT policy have transformed competition and innovation. For example, in the 1980s and the 1990s a revolution in communication policy (the introduction of sweeping competition) also transformed the information market. Today, the diffusion of Internet, wireless, and broadband technology, growing modularity in the design of technologies, distributed computing infrastructures, and rapidly changing business models signal another shift. This pathbreaking examination of ICT from a political economy perspective argues that continued rapid innovation and economic growth require new approaches in global governance that will reconcile diverse interests and enable competition to flourish. The authors (two of whom were architects of international ICT policy reforms in the 1990s) discuss this crucial turning point in both theoretical and practical terms.
This readable and cogent book provides a much-needed overview of the information revolution in a global context. First tracing the historical evolution of communications since the development of the printing press, Elizabeth C. Hanson then explores the profound ways that new information and communication technologies are transforming international relations. More people have access to more diverse sources of information than ever before, as well as a greater capacity to influence national and international agendas. More transcontinental channels of contact are available to more people in the world at far less cost than ever before in history. Hanson illustrates how these dramatic changes have raised a set of key questions: What is the impact of the information revolution on diplomacy, foreign policymaking, and the conduct of war? How are these new technologies affecting the structure of the global economy and the distribution of the world's wealth? How and to what extent are they affecting the nation-state—its centrality in the international system, its sovereignty, and its relationship to its citizens? In answering these questions, Hanson considers the controversies over the present and future impact of a radically new information and communications environment as part of larger debates over globalization and the role of technology in historical change. Her carefully chosen case studies and judicious use of relevant research provide a firm basis for readers to evaluate competing arguments on this contentious issue.
Drawing upon his lifelong study of politics and journalism, political historian Lee Edwards offers the first scholarly examination of a powerful new phenomenon in world politics--the mass media. Edwards argues in his far-ranging and innovative work that the media have become as important a factor in determining the course of international affairs and the future of nations as economic prosperity, military strength, natural resources, and national will. The author calls this vital new component of world politics mediapolitik. He uses case studies from around the world to show how the mass media have influenced and even determined the outcome of major political acts such as the collapse of communism in Eastern and Central Europe, the Tiananmen Square massacre in China, the ousting of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and the political resurrection of South Africa's Nelson Mandela. The author argues that these case studies show that the mass media can either enrich or enslave the human spirit, depending upon their moral foundation. If the media follow a liberal democratic model, as in the United States and Western Europe, they contribute to a free and just society. If they follow an authoritarian model, as in South Africa before Mandela, or a totalitarian model as in Saddam Hussein's Iraq or Fidel Castro's Cuba, they perpetuate the regime in power and deny the fruits of freedom and democracy to the people. Edwards addresses the question of how responsibly the American media, the most influential media in the world, handle their enormous power. Using the results obtained from his survey of 100 leading journalists as well as close analysis of major news stories of the last decade, the author confirms the rampant cynicism of the American media and its deleterious effect on American politics and government. The solution, he suggests, is that American journalists must practice moral responsibility and strengthen the liberal democratic model of mediapolitik around the world. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Edwards is senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and adjunct associate professor of politics at The Catholic University of America. He is senior editor of The World & I magazine and author or editor of numerous books, including The Collapse of Communism, The Conservative Revolution, The Power of Ideas: The Heritage Foundation at 25 Years, and Goldwater: The Man Who Made a Revolution. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: "Mediapolitik is a broad-gauged survey of what the mass media is, and how it works around the world. . . . There is scarcely an issue or debate within media and media watching circles that Mr. Edwards does not touch on and analyze with care and precision. Reading Mediapolitik is the equivalent of at least a semester's worth of J-School, and more fun."--Washington Times "Mediapolitik is superb--a much-needed, comprehensive study of a crucial topic. It is full of insight in its analysis and wisdom in its conclusions."--Peter W. Rodman, former Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs "A revealing study of the mass media's impact on world politics. You may not agree with all of his conclusions, but Mediapolitik is well worth reading."--Hal Bruno, former political director, ABC News "Edwards is a sterling advocate for more responsibility in journalism. His cogent insights are always worthy of study and debate."--Stephen Hess, The Brookings Institution, author of The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette "The author's case studies are valuable. No one, to my knowledge, has presented such information and analysis in such a systematic fashion."--Prof. Marvin Olasky, Acton Institute "A very plausible and reliable overview of the impact of changes in news and entertainment media on the politics of our world. . . . The
Digital technology and the Internet have greatly affected the political realm in recent years, allowing citizens greater input and interaction in government processes. The mainstream media no longer holds all the power in political commentary. Transforming Politics and Policy in the Digital Age provides an updated assessment of the implications of technology for society and the realm of politics. The book covers issues presented by the technological changes on policy making and offers a wide array of perspectives. This publication will appeal to researchers, politicians, policy analysts, and academics working in e-government and politics.
Political risk now affects more markets and countries than ever before and that risk will continue to rise. But traditional methods of managing political risk are no longer legitimate or effective. In Tectonic Politics, Nigel Gould-Davies explores the complex, shifting landscape of political risk and how to navigate it. He analyses trends in each form of political risk: the power to destroy, seize, regulate, and tax. He shows how each of these forms reflects a deeper transformation of the global political economy that is reordering the relationship between power, wealth, and values. In a world where everything is political, the craft of engagement is as important as the science of production and the art of the deal. The successful company must integrate that craft—the engager's way of seeing and doing—into strategy and culture. Drawing on a career in academia, business, and diplomacy, Gould-Davies provides corporate leaders, scholars, and engaged citizens with a groundbreaking study of the fastest-rising political risk today. “As tectonic plates shape the earth,” he writes, “so tectonic politics forges its governance.”
