Governments

Alan Clark was only a moderately successful politician, but he ranks with Harold Nicolson as one of the best British political diarists this century. Clark was a wealthy (but not aristocratic) Tory MP under Margaret Thatcher (whose ankles he praises) rising to Minsister of State for Defence Procurement frustatingly short of the Cabinet. His diaries record his hopes, fears, lusts, successes and failures (including memorably the occasion when he addressed Parliament when drunk). His account of Thatcher's fall is gripping. You need a good grasp of British politics in the 80's to understand all the nuances, but anyone can enjoy this candid record. Sadly his recent death may deprive us of volume 2.

Alan Clark comes across as a bastard, but a stylish one at that. There is none of the self-serving drivel that even the best autobiographies normally serve up. Instead, you get raw, mostly unedited thoughts straight from the mind of the author. Of course only an English aristocrat would have the nerve to have diaries of such a nature published and not give a damn about what others think. Therein lies the charm of this enormously entertaining book.

This is funnier than "Yes Minister" and is a memoir of a real minister. Very incisive comments by Clark, critical of many, praising others. Makes a cabinet minister of pedigree and lineage look like a real person, showing the great difficulty of an elected official in changing the course of the "ship of state". It really appears that this is a private memoir now made public - seems totally fresh and honest. A very good read.

This is the kind of sci-fi book you'll be anxious to discuss with people once you've finished. Set in the near future and using the subject matter of black/white race relations, it demonstrates ways that those in power use and manipulate the concept of the "other". It's extremely thought-provoking: you can see echoes of the book's theme not only in contemporary race relations, but all over the political landscape and throughout history.

Frederick is trying to balance a lot of things in "Dominion": there are well over a dozen significant characters, a good bit of action, some speculative technology, and a powerful social theme all within the space of a short novella. For the most part he succeeds, although I would have liked to have seen more than two ethnic groups (black and white) in the story, and a few characters are introduced but don't actually DO very much, suggesting that they'll have larger roles in the next book in the trilogy.

This is a great book that bridges the world of sci-fi readers, and race theorists. Take an intricate story line, disect it into 16 chapters, and put those together in a non-linear but pseudomathematic fashion, and you have a book that is relentless in its pursuit. The author uses his imagination well to create a utopial society where blacks are the predominant culture, and caucasians are the subjugated race. (Stokely Carmichael would be proud). He then proceeds to present to the reader, race issues through this platform. Among them for example, the paradox of representation, the struggle for liberation and civil rights movement acceptance issues,which are now afforded a lucidity by means of the science fiction element in this book. This book was written very intelligently, and presents a very important skill to have in terms of understanding race theory.

Dominion is not just a story; it's a discussion piece for months after you have read it. The intricate plot lines, the diverse characterizations, and the vision of what society would be like if blacks were to take over the US through violence makes this book a treasure. I could not put it down. I read through it once, read it again, and I'm on my third time through right now. Each time I've read this book, I pick up on nuances in dialogue and how pieces of the puzzle were revealed almost subliminally. I recommend this book for those who like to discuss social issues as it pertains to the future of education, society, race relations, and politics. I can't wait to read the next book in the series

Margaret Thatcher is an incredible person and her tale of her time as prime minister is fascinating. She kept detailed notes throughout her premiership and can recall the events that informed her decision making in great detail.

Whatever your opinions on her politics, she definitely knew where she wanted to take Britain and how to get there (if only more leaders were willing to stand up for their beliefs regardless of political correctness) and it's well worth the time it takes to read.

This first volume of memoirs by Margaret Thatcher frankly recalls the former British prime minister's dealings with U.S. presidents, the Falkland War, and her election victories in 1979, 1983 and 1987. She also details the back-stabbing and eye-gouging that the British call politics. It may be a little less corrupt than politics in some other countries I could name, but it sure ain't an arena for the feint of heart. There were never any gray areas with Thatcher. The British either worshipped the ground she walked on, or detested her every word. There was nothing in the middle, because Thatcher was not given to taken the middle course. 'There's nothing I like more than a lively discussion' she would say. What she meant, of course, was that she loved a damn good arguement! This first part of her autobiography is as outspoken as she was. She pulls no punches, and her unequivocal opinions about world events she participated in and world leaders she encountered leave you wondering how she survived eleven years as Britain's Prime Minister. But would we expect anything else from Thatcher as she explains and defends her controversial policies, which caused the dismemberment of socialism and Britain's resurgence as a world power after many years of liberal misrule.

These remarkable insights provide a first hand account of what it was like to be a Britich Prime Minister. Wets (i.e. wimps) are not tolerated. These tapes and the companion ones, The Path to Power, are essential leadership training in perseverance, decisiveness, political bargaining and priority setting. The account of the Falklands armada is quite splendid. All aspiring executives and politicians can gain tremendous ideas from these tapes and the companion books. Even those with more left wing leanings will respect Lady Thatcher who reports on tricky subordinates, loyal supporters and above all her close relationship with husband. These tapes deserve a much broader audience and greater marketing.

This book is a very insightful look at "teen" pregnancies and may help destroy many ideas that people have of the "fast" "immature" teen girl pregnant because of her hormonal drive and rebelliousness.

If you're public health professional, a teacher, a social worker, or even a politician, dealing with teen pregnancy at any level, you don't really understand what's going on, unless you've walked the walk, or read Kristin Luker's Dubious Conceptions, Judith Musick's Young, Poor and Pregnant, or Norine Johnson et al's (Eds.) Beyond Appearance: A New Look at Adolescent Girls. If you haven't been in their (adolescent mothers') shoes, but you have the social conscience and sense of social justice to want to help these kids, these three works are, in my view, indispensible reading. If you depend on organizations like The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy for your good ideas, you have really been missing the boat. Come down to earth and discover their real world.

Along with Judith Musick's "Young, Poor, and Pregnant," Luker's book is a masterpiece shattering beloved myths on all sides of the utterly phony "teen pregnancy" squabble.

Mr Krebs's elucidation in re: diplomatic paradigms twixt Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Eastern European/Soviet Bloc countries circa 1952 was truly edifying in its analyses and exegeses. His utilization of lucid rhetoric facillitated exemplary cognizance of the subject material.

An erudite yet readable, scholarly yet lively, account of the Eisenhower administration's Cold War strategy, focusing on Eastern Europe. Krebs writes fluidly, and he succeeds in bringing alive the struggles between two contending visions of the region's future--Finlandization and rollback. Like other scholars in recent years, Krebs argues that John Foster Dulles was a far more subtle thinker on international affairs than his public pronouncements would have led one to believe, and Dulles comes across here as the chief proponent of a vision for Eastern Europe modeled along the lines of Finland--that is, domestic autonomy combined with a highly constrained foreign policy. The Cold War began with the Truman administration's Eastern European "litmus test," in Melvyn Leffler's phrase, and the dissolution of the Soviet empire in the region was the Cold War's denouement. In many respects, Eastern Europe has served as the Cold War in microcosm, and Krebs' history of strategy toward Eastern Europe under Eisenhower is an important and impressive contribution to our understanding of the early Cold War. With its last chapter on the implications of the study for international relations theory, this is a book with interest for political scientists as well as historians.

This is not the type of book I would normally pick up and read. I chanced upon it at this site and eagerly awaited it's release. I was not disappointed. The arguments were well thought out and ideas presented in a clear, concise manner. I would like to thank the author for the experience and look forward to reading his next published material.

Charles Ross presents an unforgettable tale of the most confusing, uneven and adventurous reign of any king in the English history. Edward IV remains the only king who was able to loose a kingdom and them successfully reclaim the crown. Possessing remarkable talents in administration and warfare, he however managed to bring the treasury to almost complete ruin by the end of his term, and botch the most impressive show of force in France any English king (including Edward III and Henry V) can ever master to assemble. Edward IV lived in the extraordinary age, full with great personalities like Richard Warwick the "Kingmaker", Margaret, the queen of Henry VI, and his own kid brother Richard, future most vilified by Shakespeare king Richard the III.

It is very easy to fell victim to novelized history when relating the events as extraordinary as the events of Edward's reign. Not Charles Ross. He is extremely well researched and versed in the records of the period, and presents the somewhat dry details of the records of the Household and Exchequer, in an interesting way and extremely well cross-referenced. Internal English sources are corroborated by continental and papal records. I would recommend this book to a serious student of history.

Also see Charles Ross's "Richard III" for a mysterious, bloody, and tragically brief concluding reign of Plantagenet dynasty. This one is also highly recommended.

Edward IV is one of the great enigmas of history. Even how he was able to become King is not self-evident. His seizing the throne was then followed by government marked by occasional brilliance and great folly. For someone who at times was keenly aware of dynastic considerations, his own marriage was the height of folly compounded by giving far too much influence to the Queen's relatives. He gave far too much trust, power and wealth to a few individuals, especially the Earl of Warrick and his traitorous brother Clarence alienating in the process much of the established nobility and wrecking in his early years the King's finances. Overthrown in the course of his reign, he nevertheless succeeded in recapturing the throne in short order and then repairing his fortunes spectacularly. Even so, this was accompanied by the strangest series of preparations for invasion of France, ending in an almost farcical procession in Northern France and a pusillanimous retreat. Lazy, debauched, perceptive and effective-many such adjectives can be applied to him - and all miss the puzzling essence of the man and his reign. What a set of stories could be woven out of this material without clearly capturing the essence of the situation! One cannot help wondering why of the adult kings between Richard II and Henry VII, Edward IV alone did not attract Shakespeare's pen.

Charles Ross wrote a fascinating book on this puzzling ruler, making as clear as the scanty and somewhat unreliable records allow the course of Edward's life and reign, and the various episodes that both fascinate and puzzle. The book (with a short introduction by R.A. Grifffiths rather than a revision by him) proceeds first by laying out the story, and then returning to give separate investigation of various aspects of Edward's rule, such as governance, his relations with the community and his finances. This latter subject is particularly well handled, as is the penultimate chapter on law and order. The story is well told, without excessive pedantry and without any attempt to hide when the record is unclear or the author has had to make large interpretations. One may not really know or understand Edward by the end of the book, but one's feeling is that it is the man himself who escapes capture by the biographer's art, not any weakness of the biographer himself. For those interested in such matters - and this is not light reading - Griffith's biography should prove highly satisfying.

The late Charles D. Ross presents here one of the most readable and interesting presentations of of English monarch ever written. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the king or his era-I used it extensively in my senior thesis!

Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, Electronic Democracy: Using The Internet To Transform American Politics by Graeme Browning (Editorial Director, Internet Policy Institute and Associate Editor for "Federal Computer Week", a key publication for technology news in the federal government) is a fascinating, authoritative, and informative guide to politics on the Internet. The issues and topics covered range from using the World Wide Web for grassroots organization to making one's email to Congress count, to the history and future of online voting and polling, to online campaign resources and projections for the future. Electronic Democracy is a compelling and very highly recommended read for motivated political citizens who want to better understand the profound impacts that the technology of today and tomorrow has upon our nation's government of, by, and for the people!

The Internet has taken on many important roles in recent years as a powerful communications and information medium. Apart from online marketing of businesses, perhaps no other part of our lives has been more influenced by the Internet than that of discussing politics and spiritual matters and making our particular points of view seen and heard by others.

Electronic Democracy (2nd Edition, 2002) written by Graeme Browning offers readers amazing insight of the powerful role that the Internet has played in transforming American politics. At no other time in American history have so many people been able to discuss issues that matter to them the most and actually been able to do something about changing the course of the American political landscape.

Throughout the book readers are presented with actual events - names, dates, places, and circumstances that led other people to take action. Readers will learn about political parties, special interest groups, and common everyday folks who took action to express their points of view and to seek change. The book describes in vivid detail the roles that numerous Websites, discussion groups, and e-mail campaigns had in electing politicians, removing certain politicians from office, changing laws, and affecting other matters of public policy.

The book serves as an excellent guide for becoming politically active in the American political scene - or for that matter, in any country around the world. Readers will learn how to mount their own grassroots campaigns - right from home. They will learn how to organize campaigns, raise funds, present issues, contact people, influence legislation, and to get the word out about their own particular causes - responsibly. They will also learn about the dark side of online activism - the abuses that have taken place to disrupt American culture. As they will read, dirty tricks are still very much a part of politics.

This is one book I couldn't put down easily. It's highly informative, gripping, thought-provoking, and will surely motivate people of all backgrounds and persuasions to become more involved in shaping the direction America will head in. It's must reading for anyone desiring to become an agent of change in American society. This book will help you get started today!

Browning's book should be the first stop for on-line activists. There are so many authors out there proclaiming the internet to be the salvation of democracy that Browning is a voice of moderation. I would recommend this book as your starting point for internet activism.

To summarize our earlier review, this is one of the most comprehensively educational works we've ever come across.

We'd wanted to include the full dust jacket blurb for the 1978 1st Edition, ahead of its complete 3-Volume Topics List, as an additional public service (since Amazon doesn't happen to display an editorial review for these scarce but valuable works) -- but we were concerned about exceeding our 1,000 word limit.

So, here it is as a supplement (again, we'd like to REQUEST A COMPARATIVE REVIEW from anyone familiar with the additions and changes incorporated into the 12/2001 2nd Edition; diplomats and/or scholars, please pass this along):

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"The Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy is a selective reference work containing specially commissioned essays that explore concepts, themes, doctrines, and distinctive policies in the history of American foreign relations. The essays range in coverage from broad concepts such as isolationism and national self-determination to specific topics such as the Monroe Doctrine and the China Lobby.

This topical approach presents to serious readers - students, academicians, government officials, journalists, politicians, and the interested layman - an authoritative compendium of essays that analyze the development, application, and meaning of basic concepts in foreign policy.

The ninety-five essays in this volume are all based on the most recent scholarship, and many of them deal with topics that have not previously been the subject of consistent investigation and systematic analysis. Even in those essays that deal with material that has received considerable scholarly attention, the authors offer original syntheses and interpretations. All topics are discussed within a meaningful historical context and in a manner not available elsewhere.

The authors were not required to adhere to any standard methodology or ideological model. Among the foremost scholars in their respective fields, they have written with complete freedom. The result is not the conventional chronological account of American foreign policy but wide-ranging discussions that cover a broad political spectrum, from Left to Right.

The Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy: Studies of the Principal Movements and Ideas reflects the importance of American foreign policy in the contemporary world. It is a comprehensive survey of thoughtful analyses, which enriches and clarifies foreign policy and the concepts and rhetoric associated with it. It is an undertaking unique in the historiography of American foreign relations."

This is one of the most comprehensively educational works we've ever come across. The older 1st edition is now a bargain, with the bulk of its articles, covering pre-1978 events/issues, still holding great validity. They would make valuable supplementary copies in a school or public library, or highly informative reference works in a private one. We're anticipating as much fun with our copies over the next couple of years as we had with War And Peace!

WE INVITE A COMPARATIVE REVIEW from anyone familiar with the additions and updates in the 12/2001 Second Edition; diplomats and/or scholars, kindly pass this on....

Here for your delectation is the 1st Edition's complete 3-Volume Topics List (if it all fits: Volume 3 ends with "Unconditional Surrender"):

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Volume 1:

ALLIANCES, COALITIONS, AND ENTENTES, Warren E Kimball ~ AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARD WAR, A. Russell Buchanan ~ ANTI-IMPERIALISM, E. Berkeley Tompkins ~ ARBITRATION, MEDIATION, AND CONCILIATIONS, Calvin D. Davis ~ ARMED NEUTRALITIES, I. Mugridge ~ ASYLUM, William 0. Walker III ~ BALANCE OF PAWER, A. E. Campbell ~ THE BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, J. David Singer ~ BIPARTISANSHIP, C. David Tompkins ~ BLOCKADES AND QUARANTINES, Frank J. Merli, Robert H. Ferrell ~ THE CHINA LOBBY, Warren I. Cohen ~ THE COLD WAR, George C. Herring ~ COLLECTIVE SECURITY, Roland N. Stromberg ~ COLONIALISM, Edward M. Bennett ~ CONGRESS AND FOREIGN POLICY, Bruce Kuklick ~ CONSCRIPTION, Thomas C. Kennedy ~ CONSENSUS HISTORY AND FOREIGN POLICY, Lloyd C. Gardner ~ CONSORTIA, Warren I. Cohen ~ THE CON- STITUTION AND FOREIGN POLICY, Alfred H. Kelly ~ CONTAINMENT, Barton .L Bernstein ~ THE CONTINENTAL SYSTEM, Marvin R. ,Zahniser ~ DEBT COLLECTION, Richard W. Van Alstyne ~ DECISION-MAKING APPROACHES AND THEORIES, James N. Rosenau ~ THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Jerry Israel ~ DÉTENTE, Arthur A. Ekirch, Jr. ~ DISARMAMENT, Merze Tate ~ DISSENT IN WARS, Russell E Weigley ~ DOLLAR DIPLOMACY, Eugene P. Trani ~ THE DOMIN0 THEORY, Ross Gregory ~ ECONOMIC FOREIGN POLICY, Joan Hoff Wilson ~ THE EISENHOWER DOCTRINE, John A. DeNovo ~ ELITISM AND FOREIGN POLICY, Richard S. Kirkendall ~ EMBARGOES, Jerald A. Combs ~ ETHNICITY AND FOREIGN POLICY, John Snetsinger ~ EXECUTIVE AGENTS, Kenneth J. Grieb ~ EXECUTIVE AGREEMENTS, Diane Shaver Clemens ~ EXTRATERRITORIALITY, Jules Davids.

Volume 2:

FOREIGN AID, lan J. Bickerton ~ THE FOURTEEN POINTS, Daniel M. Smith ~ FREEDOM OF THE SEAS, Armin Rappaport ~ IDEOLOGY AND FOREIGN POLICY, Paul Seabury ~ IMPERIALISM, David Healy ~ INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERINTELLIGENCE, Lyman B. Kirkpatrick, ,Jr. ~ INTERCULCURAL RELATIONS, Akira Iriye ~ INTERNATIONALISM, Warren E. Kuehl ~ INTERNATIONAL LAW, Adda B. Bozeman ~ INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION, Inis L. Claude, Jr. ~ INTERVENTION AND NONINTERVENTION, Doris A. Graber ~ ISOLATIONISM, Manfred Jonas ~ JOURNALISTS AND FOREIGN POLICY, James R. Boylan ~ THE KING COTTON THEORY, Gordon H. Warren ~ MANDATES AND TRUSTEESHIPS, Edward M. Bennett ~ MANIFEST DESTINY, David M Fletcher ~ THE MARSHALL PLAN, Gaddis Smith ~ MILITARISM, William Kamman ~ THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, David F. Trask ~ MISSIONARIES, Paul A. Varg ~ MISSIONARY DIPLOMACY, Roger R. Trask ~ THE MONROE DOCTRINE, Richard W. Van Alstyne ~ THE MORGENTHAU PLAN, Warren E Kimball ~ THE MOST-FAVORED-NATION PRINCIPLE, Justus D. Doenecke ~ NATIONALISM, Lawrence S. Kaplan ~ NATIONAL SECURITY, Gerald E. Wheeler ~ NATIONAL SELF-DETERMINATION, Betty Miller Unterberger ~ NATIVISM, Geoffrey S. Smith ~ NAVAL DIPLOMACY, William R. Braisted ~ NEUTRALITY, Ruhl .J. Bartlett ~ THE NIXON DOCTRINE, Thomas H. Etzold ~ NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND DIPLOMACY, Kenneth J. Hagan ~ OPEN DOOR INTERPRETATIONS, William Appleman Williams ~ THE OPEN DOOR POLICY, Richard W. Van Alstyne ~ PACIFISM, Charles Chatfield ~ PAN-AMERICANISM, Thomas L. Karnes ~ PEACEMAKING, Berenice A. Carroll.

Volume 3:

PEACE MOVEMENTS, Robert H. Ferrell ~ PHILANTHROPY, James A. Field, Jr. ~ POLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY, Fred Harrington ~ POWER POLITICS, Thomas H. Etzold ~ PRESIDENTIAL ADVISERS, Albert H. Bowman ~ PRESIDENTIAL POWER IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS, David M. Pletcher ~ PROTECTION OF AMERICAN CITIZENS ABROAD, Burton E Beers ~ PROTECTORATES AND SPHERES OF INFLUENCE, Raymond A. Esthus ~ PUBLIC OPINION, Melvin Small ~ REALISM AND IDEALISM, Paul Seabury . RECIPROCITY, Robert Freeman Smith ~ RECOGNITION POLICY, Pablo E. Coletta ~ REPARATIONS, Carl Parrini ~ REVISIONISM, Athan G. Theoharis ~ REVOLUTION AND FOREIGN POLICY, Richard E. Welch, Jr. ~ SANCTIONS, J. Chal Vinson ~ SUMMIT CONFERENCES, Theodore A. Wilson ~ TRADE AND COMMERCE, Paul S. Holbo ~ TREATIES, J. B. Duroselle ~ THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE, Walter LaFeber ~ UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER, William M. Franklin. --END.

This set of books is the best refrence material anyone interested in American foreign policy. I myself had a project on this and without this set, I would have been lost!

Robert Cox tells the story of how his successful family business endured good and bad times, but it couldn't survive an ambush from the Environmental Protection Agency. According to EPA, Cox's business, the Gilbert Spruance Company, committed the 'crime' of sending its waste products to legal disposal facilities.

Cox does a good job detailing the real crime: EPA implementation of the federal Superfund law. Superfund was supposed to clean up contaminated property, but has become a small business nightmare, condemning parties unjustly and destroying businesses of honest, hard working Americans. Knowing that he is one among thousands of Americans who suffered under Superfund, Cox offers his story as a desperate plea to lawmakers to finally reform this unjust law.

A number of people equate any complaint with the environmental regulatory regime today in the United States as special pleading from greedy, insensitive polluters and their cronies. Robert Cox, however, pierces this all-too-common political morality play with a true story about how these rules impact real people across America and how silly, counterproductive, and absurd they often prove in application.

Readers who want a more scholarly overview of why EPA acts as it does might want to pick up James DeLong's "Out of Bounds, Out of Control" (2002).

This is a comprehensive reflection and analysis of a policy, and a government agency, and their combined effect on small business.

Case studies of other businesses feeling the affects of Superfund legislation is useful and adds depth to comparison and story.

Culture change constrained by regulatory environment is very
interesting and could be a micro-piece of your book, if not already submitted / published, should be to journals so that story reaches a wider audience.

Sharing your experiences in academic / public policy environment
could be very appropriate (if you have not already done so);
important that people understand both sides of public policy process(for better or worse).

One of the greatest Ethio-Eritrean history books I have ever read. I am still not sure if Tekeste Negash is Ethiopian or Eritrean (or both) but never mind! He's redefined what it means to be objective.

The book is an exceptional experience in the way it gives extensive bibliography. Interestingly, Prof. Negash spends most of the time giving out footnoted facts than his perceptions/analysis of the past, but he does an excellent job at sequencing the facts in such a way that paints a focussed picture to the reader. He says his views without actually saying them, but through a series of facts, which makes a richer readship.

The book is laden with names, acronyms, dates and figures, but it still makes an easy read. For those interested in detailed facts and further reading, it has extensive indices in the end, and numerous footnotes on every page.

One of the most amazing moments is the end of this book, which basically predicated the 1998-2000 war one year ahead. The book was published in 1997. I read the book in 1999, but i remember the moment when i first heard about the warm-up bombing tag between the two countries in 1998. I was struck speechless by news I could have sworn unfathomable. However, his understanding was unline any other, I have the more respect for him for that.

He illustrates mistakes made on both sides. He shows their follies and justifications indiscriminately. In the end, like one reader already pointed out, the reader will just end up questioning politics and admiring ethio/eriteran civilians, their patience and tolerance of the 40-something year madness, and admiring them for coming out of it still with human values.

This book is a product of a person who does not know what he is saying. Please nobody should weast his time reading this ethiopist ideas.

Excellent presentation. The book focuses more on passing on facts (excelent footnotes and appendix) to the reader than giving analysis of events and their significance from the author's point of view. It definitely sheds a new perspective of the beginning of the Ethio-Eritrean war. There is not much about TPLF, but there's an interesting coverage of rise and fall of ELF and the rise of EPLF. As strange as it may sound, the book also makes you appreciate that the war was carried out as it was. It makes you appreciate the Ethio-Eritrean civil society.