Politics

Singapore: A Very Short History

A widely read, and apparently common undergraduate reading text, on Singapore is Alvin Tan’s “Singapore: A Very Short History, From Temasek to Tomorrow”, which was first published in 2000 and updated in a 2022 edition. I picked this up in Singapore looking to understand more about the political economy, and this did not deliver much […]

Tags: #Development #History #Policy #Politics #Singapore #Strategy

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Political Power and Environmental Sustainability in Gulf Monarchies

Political Power and Environmental Sustainability in Gulf Monarchies

Tobias Zumbraegel completed a PhD with a focus on politics and sustainability in Qatar, Saudi and Kuwait, which was revised / expanded and published as “Political Power and Environmental Sustainability in Gulf Monarchies” in 2022 with Palgrave. The basis of the study is existing literature and 53 interviews. Given it is a doctoral dissertation at […]

Tags: #Arabian Gulf #GCC #Politics #Sustainability #Tobias Zumbraegel

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Education in Afghanistan

Education in Afghanistan

From his doctoral work, Yahia Baiza wrote “Education in Afghanistan: Development, Influences and Legacies since 1901” (2013), published by Routledge. The book covers more than a century (1901-2012), structured around the political eras of the period. As much as this book is about education, it is equally about the context of each time period. This […]

Tags: #Afghanistan #Education #History #Policy #Politics

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The Politics of Ethnicity in Ethiopia

The Politics of Ethnicity in Ethiopia

Part of the Reading Ethiopia series This book was written by Lovise Aalen in 2011 and it is unfortunate that I had not read this book until now, given the geography and topics covered (apologies Dr Aalen if you are out there). The author says this book explores a unique experiment in institutionalizing the politics of […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #Ethnicity #Ethnofederalism #Governance #Politics

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The Power of Geography

The Power of Geography

Tim Marshall, a political-economy and geography journalist, has penned a number of best selling books related to geography (or using geography as an entry point to discuss nation-states). His 2021 book “The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World” is the first I have read of his books. The book […]

Tags: #Future Studies #Geography #Geopolitics #Politics #Tim Marshall

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Age of Revolutions

Age of Revolutions

Written by Fareed Zakaria (yes, the CNN one), “Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present” (2024) runs through a selection of European history (Netherlands, Great Britain, France) to make a case for liberalism, participatory governance, markets and innovation in the rise of powerful nations (or their downfall). The title of this book […]

Tags: #Age of Revolutions #Fareed Zakaria #History #Politics #Revolution

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Beginning with Heidegger

Beginning with Heidegger

Millerman draws our attention to Heidegger as a source of key philosophical and political contributions that have shaped thought since his contributions in Beginning with Heidegger (2020). I came across Millerman via Dugin, some of whose books he has translated into English. This book is a slightly modified version of Michael Millerman’s 2018 PhD thesis with the […]

Tags: #Heidegger #Millerman #Philosophy #Political Theory #Politics

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The Silk Roads

The Silk Roads

In a random bookshop in Kathmandu I came across “The Silk Roads: A New History of the World” (2015) by Peter Frankopan. Having taught Global Political Economy in the past and gone through a number of textbooks (which are largely centered on the Euro-West and its perspectives on global matters) I was hoping this book […]

Tags: #History #Politics #Power #Silk Roads #Trade

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Decolonizing Politics

Decolonizing Politics

  Robbie Shilliam wrote “Decolonizing Politics: An Introduction” in 2021, and it is thankfully affordable for an academic book ($18). The book takes a different road to the conversation that ones I had read, and in that regard it was interest and a great place for new insights. The level of text is well suited […]

Tags: #decolonization #Decolonizing Politics #Politics #Racism #Shilliam

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Agroecology – Science & Politics

Agroecology – Science & Politics

If you are looking for an introduction to agroecology and/or a textbook for a course on sustainable agriculture, “Agroecology: Science and Politics” (2017) by Rosset and Altieri is it. This book is written by leading experts, activists, and advocates (which motivates the book), for students this might be read in combination with a parallel book […]

Tags: #Agroecology #Altieri #Politics #textbooks

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