What exactly is Islamism? And what explains its violent expansion in recent decades? Why are Islamists so determined to change the world order? Are there similarities between Islamism and classical totalitarian regimes and ideologies? Will it fail, as those regimes did in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union—or can it adapt effectively to changing realities? What are the fundamental strengths    More >

Islamism is often portrayed as a reaction against, or at best a belated accommodation to, modernization. Refuting this dismissive opinion, Bjørn Utvik explores the movement through the lens of its engagement with social and economic change in Egypt.   Utvik provides a comprehensive picture of debates within mainstream Islamist groups that are grappling with concrete economic issues.    More >

In June 2017, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE announced a comprehensive boycott of Qatar. Diplomatic ties were severed, trade was banned, and airspace was closed. Qatari nationals were expelled from all four countries. It seemed that disaster loomed for this small Gulf nation. But not so. Instead, in an unexpected turn of events, the Qatari government deftly used its enormous wealth and    More >

Discussions of democratic backsliding typically include examples from Hungary, Poland, Turkey, and even the United States, but rarely a mention of Israel. Neta Oren asks: Should scholars include Israel in this list? Should Benjamin Netanyahu be considered a populist leader? Are there lessons about populism and democratic decline to be learned from the Israeli case? Answering yes to each of    More >

In a country whose citizens have experienced prolonged exposure to intractable conflict, are there unique features to be found in Israeli society’s core beliefs? And how—and to what effect—have those beliefs changed across the decades? To answer these questions, Neta Oren deeply explores Israel's political culture. Oren focuses especially on two circular processes: the    More >

Though studies of capitalism in Africa traditionally focus on the activities of foreign investment, in Cote d'Ivoire capitalist development has been largely the work of a domestic class of entrepreneurs. This book traces the history of Cote d'Ivoire's capitalist development, beginning with early European contact and bringing the story up to the present decade. Drawing on new data,    More >

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How have shifts in both the international environment and domestic politics affected the trajectory of Japanese foreign policy? Does it still make sense to depict Japan as passive and reactive, or have the country's leaders become strategic and proactive? Japan in International Politics presents a nuanced picture of Japanese foreign policy, emphasizing the ways in which slow, adaptive changes,    More >

What is the source of the increasing politicization of Japan's budgetary policy? Takaaki Suzuki explores this question, finding the answer in the the interplay of domestic and international politics from the early 1970s through the 1990s. Suzuki points out that, just as modern state leaders must strike a balance between the appropriate roles of the market and the state in determining how    More >

Japan’s navy, after that of the United States, is now the most potent in the Pacific Ocean. This book examines the development and potential of the Japanese navy in the context of the U.S.–Japan alliance. Woolley presents Japan’s coming of age as a military—primarily naval—power in a series of case studies on sea-lane defense, minesweeping, and participation in UN    More >