Provides a comprehensive view of the economic heritage of the reforming countries, of the reforms that are necessary, both from a theoretical and a practical viewpoint; and of the responsibilities of the West.
Understanding the varied and dynamic interactions between environment and society in Anatolia. In recent decades, the influences of environmental and climatic conditions on past human societies have attracted significant attention from both the scientific community and the general public. Anatolia's location at the conjunction of Asia, Europe, and Africa and at the intersection of three climatic systems makes it well suited for the study of such effects. In particular, Anatolia challenges many assumptions about how climatic factors affect the socio-political organization and historical evolution, highlighting the importance of close collaboration between archaeologists, historians, and climate scientists. Integrating high-resolution archaeological, textual, and environmental data with longer-term, low-resolution data on past climates, this volume of essays, drawn from the fifteenth International ANAMED Annual Symposium (IAAS) at Koç University's Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations, showcases recent evidence for periods of climate change and human responses to it, exploring the causes underlying societal change across several millennia.
This book shows the effect philanthropy can have in transferring technology in transitional societies that are turning themselves upside down. It further demonstrates that retraining of people and changing their "mindset" are as important as the technology itself.
Eastern Europe addresses the emergence of uncertain pluralism in the region following the disintegration of the communist regimes in 1989. Taking a broad historical approach, the volume considers issues and challenges that have marked Eastern Europe from 1939 through World War II and the era of socialism, up to the present. Eight comprehensive country studies are augmented by detailed assessments of economic developments, security issues, religious currents, cultural policies, and gender relations in the region.
Recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa have radically destabilised the region, which is beset with rising religious and political tensions, sectarian conflict and terrorism. Though in crisis and suffering from a paralysis of will, the region is also vastly rich in culture, and vital for the stability of the international order. There is an urgent need for an accurate understanding of these complex developments. What does the future hold for this geopolitically critical region? In this vital multidisciplinary volume, leading Middle Eastern and Western scholars present constructive, long-term solutions to endemic sociocultural, economic and political issues facing the MENA region – issues which require a fundamental transformation of the current system of values and patterns of thought. They offer expert analysis on critical facets of the region, including globalisation, the environment and sustainability, education, nonviolence, human rights, inter-religious coexistence, Islamic social principles, and Qur'anic ethics. Enriching our understanding of the contemporary affairs of the MENA region, Winds of Change is essential reading for achieving peace, socio-cultural progress and prosperity in the region.
This volume documents the UK Government’s response to the unfolding social and political changes in Eastern Europe during 1989. The year 1989 saw momentous change in Europe. It was the year in which Communist rule in Eastern Europe finally ended: with mass demonstrations, an end to one-Party rule, free elections and the opening of borders. In Poland, the independent trade union Solidarity went from being an illegal organisation to running the country. Vaclav Havel went from being a jailed dissident to President of Czechoslovakia. In October 1989, the German Democratic Republic marked the 40th anniversary of the Socialist state, only to see that state collapse a month later following the opening of the Berlin Wall. In December, the Romanian leader Nicolae Ceauşescu saw his near quarter century rule brought to an end in a matter of days. This volume charts the events of an historic year in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the GDR, Hungary, Poland and Romania, and looks at British policy towards the Baltic States. It contains reporting from British embassies on the rapidly changing political scene, and documents attempts by the British Government to develop policy against the backdrop of unfolding revolution. This book will be of interest to students of British politics, Eastern European politics, and International Relations.
First Published in 1986 Eastern Europe 1968-1984 has been written in response to renewed interest in Eastern European events in the 60s and 70s. In writing this work the author concentrated on changes in the system in the post-Stalinist period, which were intended to reduce the political, economic, and social contradictions but have often accentuated them instead. The book brings themes like balance of power; Eastern Europe’s new economics; patterns of normalization; the CMEA’s economy and world recession; perception of Eastern Europe in the West; and East-West German rapprochement. This is an important read for students and researchers of East European Politics, East European history and International Relations.