C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Knihy

For many liberal commentators at the turn of the 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union represented a final victory for Western reason and capitalist democracy. But, in recent years, liberal norms and institutions associated with the post-Cold War moment have been challenged by a visceral and affective politics. Electorates have increasingly opted for a closing inwards of the nation-state, not just in the democratic heartlands of Europe and North America, but also on the periphery of the world economy. As the popular appeal of the 'open society' is thrown into question, it is necessary to revisit assumptions about the permanence of its enabling political and ethical projects. Previously promoted by the US and its allies as a necessary complement to liberal capitalist culture and the globalization of markets, humanitarian multilateralism seems to have lost strategic currency. In this collection of essays, public intellectuals, scholars, journalists and aid workers reflect on the relationship between humanitarianism and 'liberal order'. What role has humanitarianism played in processes of liberal ordering? Amidst challenges to liberal order, what are the implications for the political economy of humanitarianism, and for the practices of humanitarian agencies?

Critical look at the new wave of right-wing populist movements that are using religion to mobilise people

The contributors examine whether the challenge presented to al-Qaeda by Islamic State heralds a tectonic shift in international jihadism and how the former may respond to the threat of being usurper.

The phenomenal growth of the countries of the Persian Gulf over the last two decades has been made possible through the labour of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers of all stripes and backgrounds from all over the world. Migrant Labour in the Persian Gulf is a multi disciplinary examination of the causes and consequences of this process.

A pertinent analysis of the strategic competition between the two major powers of West Asia, and the emergence of a new 'Great Game'.

Often overlooked by journalists and scholars, the police forces of the African continent are a significant and little-studied phenomenon. This book seeks to redress that lacuna

The Alawis of Syria provides a wide-ranging exploration of the cultural and historical hinterland of Syria's powerful Shia minority, from loyalist gangs (Shabiha) to outspoken critics of the regime. Themes covered include religious practice, social identities, and relations to the Ba'ath party, the Syrian state, and the military apparatus.

Is South Africa heading for the rocks? No, argue Mills and Herbst. Their book explains how great strides are being made, especially economically, undermining the rhetoric of disappointment which dominates public debate in the rainbow nation.

Sharp, authoritative essays on the dark realities of Empire and the true historian's importance for democracy, amid history's appropriation by apologists, racists and culture warriors.

A bottom-up account of how infrastructure investment from the Global South has impacted African policies and practices--and its implications for an increasingly multipolar world.