The prospects for Thailand's emergence as a democracy seemed strong in the 1990s. Yet, as most recently demonstrated by military coups in 2006 and 2014, that hasn't happened. Why not? Why have factors typically considered advantageous for democratization turned into barriers? Is there a uniquely Thai reason that democratization efforts have failed?            More >

This political biography portrays one of the world's most fascinating statesmen and depicts Thailand as a nation at war with itself. David Van Praagh traces the history of the country's often thwarted attempts to become increasingly democratic—from the 1930s until after the shocking clashes of May 1992 in the streets of Bangkok between the military and the middle class. Van Praagh    More >

An expanded and revised study of the administration rivalry and conflict between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson examining their ideals, changes in their viewpoints, and resolutions to many paradoxes.    More >

In the more than a decade since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, questions about the law continue to be vigorously debated. What political dynamics led to its passage? Why has it been subject to so many existential threats? What accounts for its survival and growth? How can its performance best be evaluated? Addressing these questions, James Brasfield eschews partisan rhetoric to    More >

In this comprehensive, succinct—and provocative—overview of five decades of US foreign policy, Gabriel Kolko gives special emphasis to the period since 2000. Kolko argues that, as dangerous as the Cold War era was, we face far more instability and unpredictability now; the international environment is qualitatively more precarious than ever. Ranging from the Vietnam War to the war in    More >

A detailed study of the literary debate among medieval Arab critics and philosophers about the use of truthfulness and untruthfulness in the poetry of the period. Emphasis on the critical schemes proposed by al-Jurjani and al-Qarta-janni. The book includes extensive notes, a bibliography, an index of personal names, and a useful glossary/index of literary and philosophical terms.    More >

The West African town of Maradi, capital of a prestigious nineteenth century Hausa chiefdom, became a trading center during the colonial period, and after Niger's independence in 1960, its prosperity and growth accelerated. Maradi's population increase (from 9,000 inhabitants in 1954 to nearly 100,000 by 1986) was accompanied by rapid social change, including the emergence of a rich    More >

Offering a range of the liveliest, most informative writing on Jews in America from colonial times to the present, the revised edition of this popular collection, with nine new chapters, explores both contemporary issues and traditional areas of interest. An editor's note preceding each chapter highlights context and relevance, and a bibliographic essay follows each section.    More >

The FTA, MERCOSUR, the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative, NAFTA, the Summit of the Americas—do these constitute building blocs in the construction of a new regional system? This book explores that question, offering an assessment of the state of regionalism in the Americas. The authors first outline the regionalist project—which they view as essentially a U.S.    More >

It is widely assumed that the African National Congress essentially disappeared from South Africa after its banning in 1960 and the imprisonment of its leaders, until public support for it revived in the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprising. Raymond Suttner takes issue with that view. Drawing on extensive oral testimony, Suttner reveals how internally based activists, often working independently of    More >