Governments

What I found most impressive about this book is the way it challenges assumptions and attitudes about Jewish racism and hegemony. Bell is a courageous and brilliant writer, and this is the best novel I have read in several months. And as a feminist and white woman, I found it much more interesting than many other books by white writers who attempt to address these issues. Highly recommended.

Derrick Bell returns to his "legal fiction", which again proves fascinating. Prof. Bell amplifies the sub rosa elements of race relations in the US, and holds them up to the light. This is a great read for any thinking person. Not to be missed.

This book, as far as I know, is the only one that explores the fascinating history of the Cherokees after they reached Oklohoma. We all know of the 'trail of tears' where the cherokees were removed from Georgia and forced to march to Oklohoma. This book tells the great story of their attempts ot civilize the land. How they built homes how they bought slaves and how they fought with neighbooring indians(who looked like savages to the new americanized Cherokee). The Cherokees fought in the civil war and even fought civil wars among themselves. This book details the hatred of the pure blood cherokees for their brethen who seemed more white and scottish then the others. The cherokee nation then was oborbed into the state of oklohoma when the Indian territory was aboloshed. This is an extraordinary tail of a hitherto unknown american story about one of americas most talked about, but seldom understood and studied, indian tribes, the noble civilized cultured Cherokee(who so many people claim to be descended from that a modern Indian joke goes "what do you get when you have 40 Cherokees in one room? One full blooded Indian").

The continuing story of the Cherokees after their arrival in present day Oklahoma. A story of the conflicts both within and outside of the Cherokee Nation. The story of how the Cherokees battled to maintain their sovereignty and ultimately failed. Meticulously researched by McLoughlin through primary sources, an excellent history for anyone interested in Native American or Cherokee history. An typical example of what happened to all tribes in America.

Though some of the statistics used in the appendix were outdated when this book was publised, this book is well worth the cost and the time to read it. A different perspective is presented, made, at least in part, possible due to the amount of time and fieldwork that the author was able to use in writing this book. The point is well made that the situation in many of the former Soviet republics was far more complex at the time this book was written than many thought. This was true in 1995, and remains so today.

Written in 1995, a lot of the details are now outdated, especially political. However, the same trends and underlying causes remain, which makes this book an excellant one if one is seeking to understand the background for the regions discussed in this book.

This book gives an fantastic insight to the recent ethnic wars that followed by the break-up of the Soviet Union. The book also gives us a sobering view that the breakaway republic conflicts against Russia will continue into the near future.

If you are familiar with the writings of Rifa‘a Rafi‘ al-Tahtawi, Muhammad ‘Abduh, Ahmad Lutfi al-Sayyid, Taha Husayn, ‘Ali ‘Abd al-Raziq, Muhammad Husayn Haykal, Kasim Amin, Tawfik Al-Hakim, Nagib Mahfuz and all the liberal intellectuals of Modern Egypt, you would definitely add the former chief justice of Egypt Supreme Court Said Al-Ashmawy to this great enlightenment movement - "tanwir". It is not fair to summarize this book or any of Ashmawy's like "History of Kilafa", "Gawhar Al-Islam", "Roots of Islamic law" or "Al-Sharia Al-Islamia", "Ma'alim Al-Islam" and "Political Islam"; you need to read them carefully. His books are meant to shock you if your Islamic teachings are limited to school books, Badawin TV shows or Friday prayer speeches. This writer has a message and he is risking his life for his ideas after a thorough research in International Law, Egyptian Constitution, Islamic Studies and Literature, Greek and Egyptian Ancient History and Philosophy. For the last 15 years, he has a body guard assigned by the Egyptian government ;

So what is he trying to say? After reading his books, here are some of the issues he addresses:

Islam is practiced now in Egypt more than anytime in our 1400 years History since the Kilafa of Siedna Ali and Egyptian Law applies over 95% of Islamic law while omitting women slavery, marital abuse, polygamy and raising the age of marriage, allowing women to work, travel and drive a car etc..

History of Higab and the emancipation of Egyptian women by 1919, How the Egyptian Constitution is Islamic and respects Sharia? Who is the source of our new Badawin? Who is the source of our "Dual Character" of modernism and the oil-financed "neo-Wahabism"? The history of political Islam in this century and how the British tried to lead King Foaud and King Farouk (al-malik al-saleh) to be the Muslims' Kalifa ? Islam is mainly a religion of mercy and morality and has nothing to do with terrorism and social unrest? The righteous, balanced interpretation of the Quran in relation to our national identity, respect to other religions and human rights. Your identity is your nationality -so declares Islam -and so states the UN Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and how Islam differs from the Zionist-racist ideology of mixing religion and politics?

Judge Ashmawy provides his scholarly opinion that Egypt applies 95% of Sharia or Islamic law in a democracy unlike any period in the 1400 years of Islamic History. After Al-Kilafa Al-Rashida no Kalifa was ever elected but it was a kingdom from Amaweeon (Umayyad) to Abbasid Caliphate to Fatimiats to the Ottoman Empire and all Kalifas ruled for life by divine right....

His message is: do not look backwards but look forward, learn, ask for knowledge and only reject from the world civilization the small portion that is not compatible with our culture, respect yourself and your culture but do not dwell on the past. If you think Egypt and most Muslim countries are non-Islamic or Jahilia - because they separate religion from politics , think again; these countries - including Turkey - became secular after a long bitter experience of 1400 years of tyranny.

Ashmawy reminds Muslims that we recite before reading any Surah ÈöÓúãö Çááøåö ÇáÑøóÍúãóäö ÇáÑøóÍöíãö In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Rahma or Mercy -says Ashmawy - is repeated in the Holy Quran more than 70 times; Mercy and Morality are the message of Islam. æÇááå íÞæá : ( æãä íÞäØ ãä ÑÍãÉ ÑÈå ÅáÇ ÇáÖÇáæä ) "If they resort to peace, so shall you, and put your trust in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient." [8:61] "Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe,the Mercygiving, the Merciful" He adds you need to read the Quran and the dependable "tafseer" like: Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtoby, Al-Zamakshary. We should never be misguided by the fanatics by taking the holy verses out of context to fit in our purposes and ambitions; we need to understand the circumstances and "Asbab al-nuzul" or reasons for revelations ( Is the purpose of the holy text is to answer a question? Is it addressing a particular person? Is it Makia or Madania? Is for a particular situation like war or peace or against a particular group? etc)....

Ashmawy clarifies -with examples and references -that Extremists or "Muslim Brotherhood Gang" benefit from people's ignorance and illiteracy and so they generalize and misquote the Holy Quran. Any of their slogans, if repeated often enough, can come to be accepted as true, especially in a society where half the population is illiterate and the other half displays only a very modest standard of education and culture. The advocates of Medieval fundamentalism speak in the name of God in their pursue to overthrough all governments that do not agree with their school of thought ; they are the sole speaker and interpreter of God's words. They advocate an illusion of a glorious 1400 years that would throw the Muslim World into the darkness and tyrannies of the Middle Ages.

I hope that the majority will perceive him as a religious nationalist who aspire after " an Islamic Rebirth that does not reject the civilization of the day but stands next to it, absorbs from what modern civilization has to offer and perceives Religion as a motivational, powerful force that can contribute to growth and advancement of our people and not to darkness and dependency", "Western civilization should be perceived as a continuation to Islamic civilization" Ma'alem Al-Islam 1988. Also in Reader's Digest he wrote: " This intolerance and violence is not Islam which inspires more than a billion people. The religion the extremists preach is a cover for advancing their political agenda and their lust for power."

Al-Ashmawy begins by explaining how the Ancient Egyptian religion was essentially monotheistic (even before Akhenaten) though there were many aspects of God. An Egyptian religious text that he quoted sounded almost exactly like it could have been an Islamic writing. He then goes on with a long list of similarities between the Ancient Egyptian religion, Judaism, and Christianity. His purpose in this discussion is to point out that since all these religions have a common thread these religions should be able to peacefully coexist. "One religion, many paths." It not a true Islamic belief to reject everyone that is not of the same exact faith, even though over the millennia religion has been one of the greatest causes for war and schism.

Muhammad Said Al-Ashmawy is a former chief justice at the high court at Cairo. Even though I'm sure that some would attack his views as "modernist", he is a true Muslim and extensively cites the Qur'an to justify what he is saying.

After going of the basics of Islamic history, he calls for the politics of a land to be more or less separated from the religion. There should be a civil code based on the religion and with the politics working within this code. Just because the Umma was controlled by the Caliphate in history does not mean it is the only kind of Islamic government. He shows that the Qur'an does not prohibit democracy. This is how he describes a government that will serve Islam: "This government will care about education, culture, science, art, history, literature and civilization. It will encourage cooperation, understanding, planning, constructive labor and self-sacrifice. It will understand Islam as mercy rather than a sword, amity rather than enmity. It will offer Islam to all humankind as a way to God, a method for progress and a path for mercy. This the new and true Islamic government."

In the third portion of the book Al-Ashmawi goes into detail on specific laws that the Qur'an provides. He mentions repeatedly that Shari'a means "path, method, or way" and that what is called Islamic Law today is something that evolved out of Islamic jurisprudence. There are only four ayahs in the Qur'an prescribing particular punishments for crimes. He goes through and explains all the basic legal tenets and their stipulations for being used (punishments, zakat, hijab, jihad, etc). He is not trying to change the Qur'an, only to look at it from a 20th century perspective instead of a 7th century perspective. He willingly admits that not all that was done in Islamic history was perfectly done, and that the key to the future is not necessarily to look to the past. In a very well written conclusion he explains the difference between fanatical, extremist, militant beliefs and the liberal, intellectual, enlightened approach.

"This movement believes that everyone has the right to free speech and to express ideas and opinions the way he or she chooses. If these opinions prove to be correct, they will benefit the community; if not, they should be debated decently and not suppressed by any means.

"Finally this movement believes that men and women have equal rights--the right to free speech, the right to work, and to drive a car. Women should never be under the custody of anyone. If humanity has obligations to God, it also has rights. Humanity's first and major right is to be free, with free mind and free conscience, rather than enslaved by anyone, any political power, any religious group or any false media.

"To the liberal, intellectual, enlightened movement, jihad is self control. If jihad applies to war, it should only be applied for self-defense. To the liberal, intellectual, enlightened movement, each human being is a word of God and is entitled to every human right. To this movement, justice precedes punishment, the spirit is more important than the text and humanity is one community."

John Ranelagh's book, The Agency: The Rise and Decline of the CIA, is the definitive text on the CIA. It is comprehensive yet concise; moreover, Mr. Ranelagh took on a major project in creating this masterpiece, with so much information, and so much history, it would be nearly impossible to write an accurate history of the CIA. Yet Ranelagh accomplishes this feat marvelously. I, personally, would liked to have seen more on the scientific branch of the CIA in this book; however, it would have made the text to long and cumbersome. A much needed third edition would be relative, seeing as that the book does end with the Iran-Contra scandal, and the CIA's history has grown and transformed over the last decade with the appointment of George Tenet as its Director.

Ranelagh, in a massive and engaging tome, brings alive the characters and story of the CIA in a fair and balanced way. My graduate class on National Security Affairs and the Intelligence Community used this book as one of the primary texts. From Julia Childs to James Jesus Angelton to Richard Colby to William Casey, this wonderful story tells the history of the Agency, its people and their interaction with presidents, Congress, the Soviet Union (KGB) and the foreign policy process. It covers the assasination attempts of Castro and various other figures as well as such bizarre episodes such as the attempt to rig up a cat as an assasin. I couldn't put the book down once I got started, however, because of the depth and breadth of its coverage. Make no mistake, this is a serious, meticulously researched and encompassing historical work. The book is as good a history of the Cold War as it is of the CIA, and covers high level decisionmaking at the presidential and Congressional level from WWII through the Reagan Administration. Not a diatribe for or against the CIA or US foreign poilicy, Agency is a first rate account of the actual events and people behind them at all the critical moments in the CIA's history. Ranelagh does a superb job at explaining the context behind the decsions that were made. For example, he gives the reader an awesome sense of the fear of Communism that lead to extreme measures being taken at various junctures without being an apologist. This book is absolutely essential reading for those in the intelligence, foreign policy and defense communities, and highly recommended for anyone interested in Cold War history. Perhaps more importantly, its a terrific read!

This Book is VERY informative. Its complete with pictures, bios, history facts, and breaks down every aspect of the Air Force. If you are thinking about enlisting, or have a friend or relative thinking about it, give them this book. This book has all you need to know, and all you should know about being a NCO in the Air Force.

If you are a new member of the US Air Force or Air National Guard, you should spend the money and buy this book. If you are sincere about wanting the most out of your "blue suit" uniformed experience and want to do the best possible job for your country, buy 2 copies and give one to someone you respect and trust. You and they both will learn a great deal.

This is the best book on Hamilton ever written and among the best books on republican government. It is truly a joy to read, a "page-turner" even if you never thought a page-turner possible among academic books.

I discovered Prof. Stourzh's book by accident in 1974 in a Dallas bookstore at a time when I was writing a term paper on the statesmanship of Alexander Hamilton. Every book (then current) that I came across seemed to dwell on collateral things (e.g. the Jefferson vs. Hamilton thing, or the "Maria Reynolds Affair" etc.) that purported to explain Hamilton as "man and politician", and therefore explain Hamilton's "politics". But since I was already well read in Aristotle, Cicero, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Locke, Montesquieu, The Federal Convention Notes, The Federalist, de Tocqueville, etc.; and since I was already familiar with THE quintessential theme running throughout all of political philosophy -- namely, the critical role of "founder" in the establishment of good government -- I found every book on Hamilton to be grossly inadequate for my needs, and even a bit presumptuous and overrated . . . that is, until I came across Prof. Stourzh's book on Alexander Hamilton & The Idea of Republican Government.

Here is an author who hits the bull's eye of the target. With the exception of only one other author (Professor Paul Eidelberg, who has written excellently on The American Founding), I seriously doubt there will ever be another writer on Hamilton who will surpass Professor Stourzh's understanding of Alexander Hamilton as Hamilton understood himself -- a statesman of the first order, founder of republican government, driven by that ruling passion of the noblest minds: Honor. Professor Stourzh's book captures this essence. There is tremendous depth to this book. Therefore, you don't read this book -- you STUDY this book, in exactly the same way that you study Aristotle's POLITICS or Machiavelli's PRINCE. That is, word-by-word, line-by-line, paragraph-by-paragraph, and then you start over again.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON & THE IDEA OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT is one of those "great books" that is truly a classic. That is, its value is universal and timeless. The fact that this book is out-of-print is, ironically, a testament to its enduring value. The fact that this book is out-of-print means that its would-be purchaser must search long and hard to find this treasure trove. This effort only prepares the reader for what he must do, next, if he is to truly appreciate this book once the reader finds it: Again, this book is intended to be read word-by-word, line-by-line, paragraph-by-paragraph, and then you start over again, this time with pen & paper in hand. This book should be on the shelf of every man and woman who is a serious student of republican government, whether he or she be teacher, professor, lawyer, judge, politician, or aspiring statesman -- or plain old, ordinary citizen.

In short, Professor Stourzh is THE author on Alexander Hamilton who understands Hamilton and Hamilton's Statesmanship, BEST.

At last a real book about real life regarding realization for all women out there, that you do not need a man in your life. I repeat: YOU DO NOT NEED A MAN. Current: song "No Scrubs" ("No, I don't want your number No, I don't want to give you mine And no, I don't want to meet you nowhere And no, I don't want none of your time" It's about time women got wise to fast-talking, going-little-if-any-where's types that show up in sports garb or flaunting-my-only-pinstripe-BillyDee-come-on-with-plenty-of-flash types that give themselves away really, in no time, huh? Yeah. Salt 'N Pepa said it best in their song: "Some A Time Man." (and this is written by a Caucasian male in his 40's) Ha ha out there to all you flunkies.

"The Color Purple" is a good book showing how an abused woman finds her place in life without a man. From a womanist perspective the reader can come into Celie's world and feel her pain, and at times, her glory.

Indispensable for answering those political trivia questions that float into awareness late at night. Who WAS the first [woman, African American, Hispanic, Asian, gay/lesbian] to hold important office in a particular locale? The answers are in this book. Knowing the names, times and places, it's fascinating to imagine what it must have been like for these courageous American political pioneers.

Women and Minorities in American Politics

An impressive collection of information. From the very first paragraph, that a women voted in the New World in 1655, yes 1655, in the colonies by right of land ownership, to the last modest note, requests for additional information, it is a mine of golden information. There is information on women, nationalities, there are lists of first in the nation, first states and first women. This is undoubtedly a book that all researchers into gender and minority issues will want to reference and likely have on hand.

In addition to being informative it is well written with a sly sense of humor that will appeal in sometimes an appalling way. Discover the only congressmen be eaten by wild animals, he was not in office at the time. More relevantly he was working as a coal miner when it happened. That may not be such a bad change of occupation. Discover which state first allowed women to vote and why elected officials, all men, revoked their privilege.

Sadly it seems too small, for a nation over 200 years old we can only list 300 pages of women and minorities in politics. It should be a long as Who's Who.

This book gives what is main problem to understand european and ýslam. In book, Davutoglu try to produce new approachs, perspectives and explains. when you read this book will have new and alternative paradigms like its title.
by the way why not except Turkey in EU? It had main problem on that. Political tought history can read a new paradigms like Davutoglu what did. That book may be a classic on Islam and Western tought.

this book will give you a chance to reconsider most of your general view about Islamic Civilization and its existence for humanity. AFA