The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace for decades, bastions of civilization, prosperity and sophistication, protected by treaties, trade and a belief in the reasonable nature of their neighbors. But meanwhile, in far-off corners, the Wasp Empire has been devouring city after city with its highly trained armies, its machines, it killing Art . . . And now its hunger for conquest and war has become insatiable. Only the aging Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see that the long days of peace are over. It falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people, before a black-and-gold tide sweeps down over the Lowlands and burns away everything in its path. But first he must stop himself from becoming the Empire's latest victim.
Black Gold and Blackmail seeks to explain why great powers adopt such different strategies to protect their oil access from politically motivated disruptions. In extreme cases, such as Imperial Japan in 1941, great powers fought wars to grab oil territory in anticipation of a potential embargo by the Allies; in other instances, such as Germany in the early Nazi period, states chose relatively subdued measures like oil alliances or domestic policies to conserve oil. What accounts for this variation? Fundamentally, it is puzzling that great powers fear oil coercion at all because the global market makes oil sanctions very difficult to enforce. Rosemary A. Kelanic argues that two variables determine what strategy a great power will adopt: the petroleum deficit, which measures how much oil the state produces domestically compared to what it needs for its strategic objectives; and disruptibility, which estimates the susceptibility of a state's oil imports to military interdiction—that is, blockade. Because global markets undercut the effectiveness of oil sanctions, blockade is in practice the only true threat to great power oil access. That, combined with the devastating consequences of oil deprivation to a state's military power, explains why states fear oil coercion deeply despite the adaptive functions of the market. Together, these two variables predict a state's coercive vulnerability, which determines how willing the state will be to accept the costs and risks attendant on various potential strategies. Only those great powers with large deficits and highly disruptible imports will adopt the most extreme strategy: direct control of oil through territorial conquest.
Contains 3 newly-translated classic Asterix tales in one volume! Asterix is a fearless Gaul with a magic potion that grants him incredible strength to protect his village and ward off Roman Empire from invading. With his pal, Obelix, they defend their village from not only the blundering Roman legionairies, but also lend their services to the rest of the world. First, Asterix and Obelix take on a new career as matchmakers as they help star-crossed lovers take on their warring factions. Perhaps Panoramix can whip up a love potion? Can the power of love cross “The Great Divide”? Second, Asterix and Obelix must go drilling for Oil to fulfill a druid recipe, but to get “The Black Gold,” they have to outwit a spy with his cutting edge ancient spy technology. Well, at least Obelix has his brute strength. Then, third, when a baby shows up at Asterix’s front door he is thrust into fatherhood, but you know what they say, it takes a village. Is this more psychological warfare from the Romans or just the miracle of birth? Plus: a new Afterword by Alexander Simmons providing historical and cultural context for Asterix, both in 50 B.C. and in the time the classic comics were made.
"Well, let me see," I said, as the innkeeper poured me a beer. "In the morning I discovered the secret of changing base metal into gold. In the afternoon, I murdered my wife." For a man as remarkable as the philosopher Saloninus, just another day. Of course, we only have his word for it, and Saloninus has been known to be creative with the truth. Little white lies are inevitable expedients when you're one jump ahead of the secret police and on the brink of one of the greatest discoveries in the history of alchemy. But why would a scientist with the world's most generous, forgiving patron be so desperate to run away? And what, if anything, has blue got to do with gold?
The weeks following the attacks of September 11, 2001, were traumatic for nearly every American, but for some, the answers they received from the media and the government to explain the horrific events was not satisfactory. Accusations of cover-ups, internal plots, and sabotage from within the ranks of the U.S. government were—and continue to be—not uncommon. But compelling evidence contrary to the accepted narrative has, for some skeptics, been lacking. This investigation into the events of that day reveals dark secrets about United States–sponsored terrorism. Taking highly complex technical and scientific information, and distilling it for the consumption of the lay person, this inquiry attempts to reveal the truth behind that infamous day.
