An assassination, the election of a new prime minister, and a fresh round of Palestinian unrest have highlighted the ongoing tensions between religious and secular Israeli Jews. Among the latter, the events have introduced fear about the onset of a new religious war and a dramatic shift in public policy. However, Ira Sharkansky notes that, while religious interests in Israel have been powerful    More >

Oyono’s third novel is the bittersweet, first-person story of Aki Barnabas, a young Cameroonian scholar who seeks to become “someone” by using the rules of the colonial system to his personal advantage. Failing in his nearly ten-year effort to win a scholarship to Paris, sacrificing his very self in a futile quest for prestige, Barnabas becomes lost at home and unwanted abroad.    More >

Following the birth of democracy in South Africa in 1994, Robben Island, once a symbol of pain, injustice, and closed spaces, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a global symbol of the commitment to democracy, tolerance, and human dignity. In the years that followed, however, conflict marred the high hopes for this cherished location. Robben Island Rainbow Dreams offers a behind-the-scenes    More >

What explains the well-documented racial disparities in rates of homicide and other acts of criminal violence in the United States? Critically confronting the conventional narratives that purport to answer this question, the authors of Roots of African American Violence offer an alternative framework—one that acknowledges the often hidden cultural diversity and within-race ethnocentrism    More >

Alan Hedley argues that, although for centuries technological innovation allowed humanity to gain increasing control over its fate, the trajectory of that control is now—due to globalization—on a downward course. Hedley also proposes approaches and strategies for dealing with the new reality.    More >

How do rural development programs, especially those run by nongovernmental organizations, cope in a time of structural adjustment programs and economical liberalization? Using Ecuador as a representative example, the authors of Rural Progress, Rural Decay explore the consequences of neoliberal macroeconomic policies for equitable development—and demonstrate that NGOs can make little headway    More >

Offering a fresh perspective on Vladimir Putin's Russia, Katharina Bluhm demonstrates how an illiberal-conservative movement created in the 1990s to oppose neoliberal globalization has become a powerful anti-Western ideology that justifies Russian imperialism. Her book provides an in-depth analysis of Russian ideology, economy, and politics since the demise of the Soviet Union and reveals the    More >

Do Russia and the European Union have any substantial influence over the political trajectories of post-Soviet states? Shedding new light on the interplay between domestic and external drivers of regime change, Jakob Tolstrup analyzes the impact of Russia and the EU on the democratization and autocratization processes in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine.    More >

The strategically pivotal Russian Far East—a vast expanse stretching from Lake Baikal to the Pacific Ocean—is notable not only for its rich natural resources, but also for the economic challenges, internal dissent, and risks of foreign encroachment that it faces. Rensselaer Lee and Artyom Lukin explore the history, economics, and politics of the RFE in the context of its geopolitical    More >

How does Russia fight wars? How are its experiences with modern conflicts shaping the evolution of its military strategy, capabilities, and doctrine? Addressing these questions, the contributors to Russia's Military Strategy and Doctrine consider strategic-level issues ranging from hybrid warfare, to the role of nuclear weapons, to cyber and electromagnetic warfare, to Moscow's posture in    More >