The previous edition of Understanding the Contemporary Middle East was published soon after the Arab uprisings, and the authors—writing across disciplines—captured those moments of possibility. Now, more than six years later, the Middle East is substantially changed, with three protracted civil wars, several retrenched authoritarian regimes, possibly one emerging democracy, and social and economic conditions that have been profoundly affected by the new political environment.This thoroughly revised and updated edition explores both the impact of recent events in shaping the region and the continuities with established patterns of political, economic, and social relations.

"Comprehensive and nuanced..

How do emerging donors conceptualize the relationship between security and development? How, and why, do the policies they pursue in conflict-affected states differ from the liberal peacebuilding model of traditional donors? Addressing these questions, the authors of The New Politics of Aid shed light on the increasingly complicated and complex donor landscape. Their work is an essential contribution to our understanding of both the changing dynamics of foreign aid and the processes of postconflict reconstruction and peacebuilding.

The second edition of Inside African Politics, updated throughout to reflect political developments across the continent, not only provides thorough coverage of the full range of core topics, but also furthers an awareness and understanding of key theoretical issues and current debates. Drawing on their extensive teaching and fieldwork experience, Pierre Englebert and Kevin Dunn offer a straightforward, accessible style, making even complex ideas easy to understand, and a balanced approach, exposing multiple perspectives on contested issues; a focus on both states and citizens, politics from above and below; discussions of existing policies, as well as policy implications of different approaches; and an abundance of rich data and illustrative examples. The result is both an essential text and a long-term resource for students and scholars alike.

"Lyons's timely and well-written volume provides a great service." —Jan Erk, Northeast African StudiesHow did a group with its origins in a small Marxist-Leninist insurgency in northern Ethiopia transform itself into a party (the EPRDF) with eight million members and a hierarchy that links even the smallest Ethiopian village to the center? How do the legacies of protracted civil war and rebel victory over the brutal Derg regime continue to shape contemporary Ethiopian politics? And can the EPRDF, after widespread protests and a state of emergency, transform itself under new leadership to meet popular demands?Answering these questions in his comprehensive study of nearly three decades of Ethiopian politics, Terrence Lyons argues that the very structures that enabled the ruling party to overcome the challenges of a war-to-peace transition are the source of the challenges that it faces now. While the new political leadership has promised dramatic reforms, Lyons observes, the powerful authoritarian ruling party remains in place, unreconstructed.

"Miles makes a compelling case for examining religious social identity in a way that moves beyond affiliation. The work is a welcome addition to the literature on American political behavior." —Samuel Snideman, Religious Studies Review"At just the right time, Matt Miles offers this sustained treatment of how political and religious identities intersect, embracing the causal ambiguity between them to explore questions of system support, trust, and political behavior. His book should be required reading for scholars of religion and politics." —Paul A. Djupe, Denison UniversityWhile existing scholarship addresses the influence of religious affiliation on political attitudes and behaviors in the United States, a number of puzzling questions remain unanswered. In response, Matthew Miles demonstrates that a more complete conceptualization of religion as a social identity can help to explain many of those puzzles. As he explores the impact, both positive and negative, of religious identity on political attitudes, he also shows that the religion-politics relationship is not a one-way street.

Among the many tools available for teaching comparative politics, Gregory Mahler's text stands out for its unique exploration of concepts, structures, and illustrative cases. The first part of the book, after setting the stage with a discussion of comparison as a method of inquiry, focuses on the core institutions that affect politics within nations, as well as on political behavior and civil society. In Part 2, those same topics are systematically revisited as they interact in the context of nine detailed, up-to-date (through 2018) country studies. This well-integrated, cross-national, and accessible approach serves perfectly to provide students with the tools and perspectives that they need to better understand the diverse political systems of today's world.

“Provid[es] a much-needed overview of the state of the field regarding the sexual victimization of queer people.” —Shanna Felix, Criminal Justice ReviewThe underlying argument of this groundbreaking study is this: Sexual orientation and gender identity influence how sexual assault is experienced, how it is perceived, and ultimately, how victims (and perpetrators) are treated by the criminal justice system.Focusing much of their work on the queer community—a community with a disproportionately high risk of sexual assault—the authors introduce the Identity Inclusive Sexual Assault Myth Scale (IISAMS) to explore the unique aspects of sexual assault and the process of disclosure as experienced by queer victims. They also incorporate participant recommendations, collected during interviews, as they foreground ways for more effectively preventing and responding to sexual violence throughout contemporary society.

The complex security dynamics of the pivotal Asia Pacific region, involving disparate and contentious power blocs, clearly have implications far beyond the region itself. Thomas Wilkins sheds new light on those dynamics, providing a rich framework for better understanding the nature of security alignments in Asia Pacific, as well as a reexamination of the dominant forces at play: the US alliance system, ASEAN, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

What is hybrid warfare? And what role does information play in today's conflicts? In the context of the technological/information revolution of the last two decades - which has greatly amplified the danger posed by nonmilitary means of political struggle - Hybrid Conflicts and Information Warfare addresses these questions from the perspectives of both Western and Russian experts. Incorporating both theory and contemporary realities, including the case of the Islamic State, the authors offer a unique dialogue on the nature of conflict in the second decade of the twenty-first century.

Both authoritative and accessible, African Development introduces the issues, actors, and institutions at play in development trajectories across sub-Saharan Africa. This new edition, thoroughly updated, includes an entirely new chapter devoted to key demographic trends in the region, especially rapid urbanization and the distinct “youth bulge.” There is also a review of major democratic gains and disappointments since 2011; analysis of renewed internal armed conflicts; and attention to the contemporary sovereign debt crisis relative to the structural adjustment debt of earlier decades. The book uniquely brings to life the collective impact of history, economics, and politics on development in the region.

Russia today is in many ways different from the country portrayed a decade ago in the first edition of Understanding Contemporary Russia. With an upsurge of both national pride—despite a struggling economy—and civil society activism, with a palpable tension between the support for democratic values and the intense desire for political stability, with an increased role in world politics that puts Putin in the headlines almost daily, contradictions and complexities abound. These contradictions, complexities, and much more are captured in this new edition. The authors provide sophisticated yet accessible introductions to the country’s history, domestic politics, economy, foreign policy, society, and culture. The result is a well-grounded exploration of the realities of contemporary Russia.

The debate continues unabated: Is political Islam decipherable through the tenets of the Islamic tradition—or is it a tool of secular actors who shrewdly misuse religious references? Is it an expression of modernity, or a return to the past? Eschewing these dichotomies, Jocelyne Cesari demystifies the continuous process of interaction between secular and religious actors and institutions that is at the core of political mobilization in the name of Islam. Cesari traces the origins of political Islam to the inception of the modern nation-state, revealing the decisive role of secular nationalist rulers in its creation. In the process, she puts to rest the myth that there has been a lack of modernization in the Muslim world—and shows how that myth has proven dangerous. Ranging from Senegal to Egypt, from Indonesia to Iraq, her analysis provides a much needed corrective to the “conventional wisdom.”

China today bears little resemblance to the country introduced in the first edition of Understanding Contemporary China, published nearly two decades ago. Even in just the past five years, dramatic changes have occurred under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. This new edition of the book reflects those changes, exploring the impact of new domestic policies; China’s role as a behemoth in the world economy; its rapidly modernizing infrastructure; its expanding military presence in the region; the environmental challenges it confronts; and much more. The result is an accessible, well-grounded look at the most crucial issues affecting China today.Contents:Introduction—R.E. Gamer.China: A Geographic Preface—S.W. Toops.The Historical Context—R. Murphey.Chinese Politics—R.E. Gamer.China’s Economy—S. Tong and J. Wong.China Beyond the Heartland—L.T. White and R.E. Gamer.International Relations—R.E. Gamer.Population Growth and Urbanization—R. Ma. China’s Environmental Problems—R.L. Edmonds.Family, Kinship, Marriage, and Sexuality—W. Jankowiak and X. Zang.Women and Development—L. Bossen.Religion—H. Chan and A.Y.C. King.Literature and Popular Culture—C.A. Laughlin.Trends and Prospects—R.E. Gamer and L.T. White.

Reflecting a dramatically changing global context, the third edition of International Law in World Politics introduces the actors, structures, processes, and issues of international law in a way that makes sense to students of political science. Features of the new edition include: current case studies that bring the subject to life; an entirely new chapter on international courts and tribunals; more attention to trade and economic issues; even-handed discussion of such contentious topics as the Iran nuclear deal; Africa and the ICC, the Paris climate agreement, rising tensions in the South China Sea; and more. The result is a text that effectively explains the role that international law plays in the arena of world politics today.

What is the lived experience of previously healthy older adults as they face disability in late life, and how is disability assimilated in their identity? How do prevailing practices facilitate—or limit—options for elders living with new disabilities? To address these questions, Jeffrey Kahana and Eva Kahana uniquely synthesize disability and gerontological perspectives to explore both the unfolding challenges of aging and the practices and policies that can enhance the lives of older adults. Contents:The World of Late Life Disability.Contextualizing Aging and Disability.Learning from Gerontology.A Life-Course Perspective.Adventurous Aging Through International Travel.Mastering the Physical Environment.Enhancing the Nursing Home Environment.The Experience of Disability at the End of Life.Toward Better Public Policies.The Promise of Convergence in Gerontology and Disability Studies.