The etymological roots of alchemy are found in both the Arabic and Greek languages, and refer to the process of transmutation that leads to a complete reunion with the original divine form. However, the esoteric practice of alchemy stretches all the way to India and China and has been practiced since at least the fourth century.During the Middle Ages, alchemy attracted many of the most prominent scholars of the time. Strongly influenced by the classical theory of the elements, the alchemists based their hypotheses on Aristotle's idea that everything can be created through different proportions of the four elements. From the 19th century onwards, alchemy has been wrongly reduced to a primitive pseudoscience with the sole aim of transmuting base metals into gold. However, this narrow interpretation ignores the true complexity of alchemy and ignores its deep philosophical and religious aspects, as well as its crucial contribution to the development of chemistry.This richly illustrated anthology presents a diversity of perspectives on how reciprocity, metaphysical connections, and the relationship between macrocosm and microcosm form the core of the philosophy of alchemy. Some of the world's most prominent researchers and academics gather to analyze the alchemical worldview and explore how esoteric currents of thought have shaped culture, society and science.

The People’s Army of Vietnam’s decision to utilize armor as part of its warfighting strategy was a product of various geopolitical factors that surrounded Hanoi during various parts of the Vietnam War. During the First Indochina War, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) emerged as the foremost communist benefactor of North Vietnam. The Soviet Union however, largely stood by. While worried by the PRC’s and Soviet Union’s actions during the Geneva Conference of 1954, Hanoi still felt the need to maintain good relations with both countries. This was reinforced when the Sino-Soviet split occurred in 1956 and Hanoi was forced to walk a tight rope between Beijing and Moscow. As the United States escalated its war in Vietnam, Moscow (now under new leadership) sought to increase its material support for Hanoi.As the war progressed, Hanoi sought to fight larger battles against the Americans and their South Vietnamese allies. In order to fight larger battles, the PAVN needed more modern military equipment that only the Soviet Union could provide. This, paired with the chaos of the ongoing Cultural Revolution in China, led Hanoi to lean more towards Moscow in the latter years of the Vietnam War.As part of this newly blossomed relationship, Moscow began to furnish the PAVN with more modern weapons including Soviet armor. Initially, the PAVN’s use of armor at Lang Vei (1968) and Laos (1971) was met with some success. However, in 1972, Hanoi panicked as the United States began to reach “détente” with Beijing and Moscow. This led to fears of another Geneva and thus lead Hanoi to pursue a rushed “Easter Offensive” in March 1972 which saw ill-trained PAVN tank crews fall prey to poor planning and bad strategy. This changed in 1975 when following the Paris Peace Accords and subsequent combined arms training in the Soviet Union, the PAVN victoriously drove its Soviet armor into Saigon.

This richly illustrated and superbly designed book explores its author’s life and work against the backdrop of 40 years of transformation and conflict across the Arabian Gulf and Islamic world. A doctor-turned-artist, Ahmed Mater has continually confronted his traditional context. Here he explores Arab and Islamic society in an era of globalization and social upheaval to uncover the unofficial histories that have shaped the present. Mapping his life and work on a historical timeline, the book offers an unprecedented insight into changes forged by and in the Kingdom, and its significance in world religion, culture, and geopolitics. Celebrating 20 years of Mater’s art-making, organizing, and activism, this book is not only a mid-career survey of an essential artist, it is an urgent prognosis of a society in dramatic transition.

"Mandel rightfully challenges the conventional wisdom that AI is limited to efficiency enhancements or low-level cognitive tasks and offers a commendable focus on the political and bureaucratic challenges in early warning systems." —Michael Frank, Seldon StrategiesFrom the September 11 attacks to the coronavirus pandemic, recent deficiencies in early warning systems have been jolting, reflecting startling failures of intelligence and security decisionmaking. Can technological innovation remedy the flaws in threat detection? If so, how? Robert Mandel argues that the answer lies in a hybrid system—"human-in-the-loop" artificial intelligence—and demonstrates through diverse case studies when and how such a system can facilitate the right security-maximizing choices to meet both intelligence and defense needs.

“Fills a void in the comparative study of foreign policy…. Jesse’s book systematically analyzes the differing foreign policies of states, allowing [students] to assess the practical decisions made by states and their foreign policy decisionmakers” —Timothy J. White, Xavier University"Neal Jesse's book stands out within the study of comparative foreign policy, providing an 'outside in' rather than 'inside out' take on how states formulate and pursue their foreign policy objectives. Jesse places a premium on the rank hierarchy of states as a conditioning factor that shapes not only behaviors but also interests. The result is a rich depiction of how the prevailing global order affects the conduct of foreign policy across a cross-section of states." ―Michael Butler, Clark UniversityClearly written, authoritative, pedagogically sound ... This new text effectively links cases and theory to provide students with a thorough understanding of the ways that foreign policy is crafted and carried out in diverse countries around the world. Grounding his approach in dominant IR theories—and ranging from great powers to small states—Neal Jesse provides the comparative perspective needed to make clear the connections between theory and practice in the conduct of foreign affairs.

A new addition to the University of Pittsburgh Press Culture Politics & the Built Environment series

A new volume in the award winning University of Pittsburgh Press Latin American Studies Series

During this time of attacks on public education, teacher layoffs and funding crises, it's crucial to understand why some schools struggle for lack of resources while others flourish. Why is education funding in America so embattled and so unequal? In The Last Bake Sale, Andru Volinsky tells this story as no one else can, using New Hampshire as the example of the most unfair and regressive state in the nation in terms of how it funds its schools. In New Hampshire, taxpayers in the state's poorest communities pay the highest education taxes yet raise the lowest revenues for their kids’ schools. As the lead lawyer in the Claremont, New Hampshire, school funding case, Volinsky waged a twentyyear battle to make access to education fairer for all children in the state, not just the wealthy, white, and privileged. Volinsky offers not just a history of how we got here at the state and national level, but also how to find a better path forward. Combining litigation with public engagement and direct political action (including holding office) is our best hope to change public policy on education and advance the public good. Change can happen, and The Last Bake Sale for Education shows us how.

"Current and comprehensive…. Readers will find cutting-edge information essential for anyone interested in homeland security. This book should be a cornerstone resource for upper-division and graduate courses, libraries, and analysts. " —Christopher Bellavita, Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and SecurityWhat is the role of intelligence in the homeland security enterprise? How have its practice and function evolved since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security more than two decades ago? What accounts for the changes? As they address these questions, the authors of this comprehensive volume investigate the critical issues that remain unresolved and consider what lies ahead.

The emergence of Latin America and the Caribbean as an arena for US-China competition raises a number of important questions: What are China’s goals in LAC? Is its presence there a good thing for the region? What challenges does it create? How is the US responding? Enrique Dussel Peters responds to these questions from a fresh perspective, exploring the dynamics of new triangular relationships.

"A rich and compelling comparative analysis of the UAE and Qatar's divergent but similar trajectories."—Marc Lynch, George Washington UniversityIn the years following the turmoil of the Arab Spring, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates jockeyed for power, becoming significant forces—and rivals—in regional politics. Emma Soubrier unpacks the nuts and bolts of these two small states' rise to prominence, exploring how their diverging foreign and security policies have enabled both of them to become power players in the Middle East and beyond.

Ranging from the impact of high corporate concentration to the role of digitalization and buyer power, leading scholars and practitioners delve into the development of competition regimes in Africa. They offer in-depth country assessments, thematic analyses, and an overview of the challenges and dynamics of African markets.

Though for decades South Korea was considered the quintessential homogeneous nation-state, the more recent influx of significant immigration has given rise to intensely debated questions about the nature of the country's national identity. Who is a "real" Korean? Who has a right to be a member of South Korean society? Which immigrants are acceptable? Who qualifies for citizenship? How should the diaspora be considered? And more fundamentally, how well does the concept of ethnic nationalism serve as an analytical concept for explaining and predicting the contours of identity, belongingness, and citizenship?The authors of South Korea and the Politics of Ethnic Nationalism engage with these debates, highlighting the factors and processes that complicate the many issues involved.

“A valuable contribution.” —Daniel Volman, African Studies Review"Provides timely and essential research on an understudied topic..

"Houghton systematically unpacks Beijing's strategy in the Gulf…. Persistent rivalries and conflicts across the region will ensure that this work remains timely and relevant for years to come." —Robert Mogielnicki, Arab Gulf States InstituteChina's foreign and security policy in the Gulf region has been characterized by the cultivation of strong positive relationships with all of the Gulf states, irrespective of their domestic politics and the ubiquitous rivalries between neighbors. Has this "hedging strategy" proven fruitful? Or has it had negative consequences? Addressing this issue, Benjamin Houghton explores the contours of China's hedging strategy in the Gulf from the time of the 1979 Iranian revolution through early 2024.

"Impressively melds together a vast array of material to show the direction in which Israel is moving and how it is by turns similar to and distinct from other countries. This is a book that can profitably be understood and discussed on many levels."—Paul Scham, University of Maryland"An important and timely look at Israel's democratic backsliding under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu. ... Oren's comparative perspective on populist and antidemocratic trends and practices is especially welcome." —Gregory Mahler, Earlham CollegeDiscussions 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 these questions, Oren analyzes the related phenomena of populism and the erosion of Israel’s democracy during Netanyahu’s long tenure as prime minister. Her book contributes to an enhanced understanding of not only contemporary Israel, but also democratic backsliding and populism overall.