Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) share historical, political, cultural and structural similarities. However, they have adopted divergent and often conflicting foreign policies towards Middle Eastern crises and civil wars since the Arab uprisings began in 2011.

With this book, Yusuf Bera Topaloglu explores why these two non-democratic, small-sized, neighbouring Gulf monarchies, constrained by similar structural factors, pursued divergent and conflicting foreign policies in the civil wars of Yemen, Libya and Syria from 2011, the onset of the Arab uprisings, to 2021, the Al-Ula Agreement. Using role theory, Topaloglu argues that differing national role conceptions, shaped by each country's unique socialisation experiences, drove their conflicting actions.

National Role Conceptions and Divergent Behaviours in a Similar Structure speaks to contemporary events in the international relations of the Middle East, especially the post-2011 regional reverberation. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of International Relations, Middle East and Gulf Studies, and to those who employ the role concept in foreign policy analysis.

Understanding Media Jihad offers a comprehensive examination of how Salafi-jihadi organisations use the internet as a tool of strategic communication.

Drawing on multiple research projects conducted since 2020 and employing methods such as open-source intelligence, social network analysis, and comparative content analysis, this book traces the origins, evolution, and defining features of contemporary media jihad. It analyses how violent extremist organisations construct and sustain complex online information ecosystems, attract and radicalise audiences, and produce and disseminate propaganda across diverse digital platforms. Based on an unprecedented dataset comprising nearly 1,300 communication channels and more than 29,000 propaganda releases, the study examines both visible and less evident dimensions of online jihadist activity, including thematic messaging, recruitment strategies, operational security standards, and evasive techniques designed to circumvent counterterrorism measures.

This book will appeal to scholars and students of terrorism studies, security studies, media and communication, and Middle East politics, as well as policymakers and practitioners concerned with countering violent extremism in the digital age.

Benz evaluates federal democracy as a complex system which is based on complementary principles that combine incongruent institutions. Based on historical, society-centred and actor-centred approaches, he analyses the potential frictions and constructive dynamics across diverse forms of federal government. In particular, he highlights the advantages of parliamentary democracy over presidential government. Chapters demonstrate the processes linking parliaments, parties, executives and interest groups across federal and regional jurisdictions, exploring how to enable intergovernmental coordination without restricting governments' autonomy.

Understanding Federal Democracy is an important resource for scientists and students of political science and public policy, particularly those focusing on governance and democracy, federalism studies and regional government. Policymakers in the field will equally benefit from the book's academic and practical insights.

This book explores the complex socio-cultural histories of the rivers of West Bengal in India. It goes beyond the 'seeing' of a river geo-spatially, to unearth its 'signifying' presence in the making of a regional culture.

The volume analyses myths, rituals, cultural practices, metaphysical and mystical symbolisms in folktales, oral literature and other literary representations generated by the interactions between the rivers and the communities that have lived alongside them. It explores how water histories are embedded in the collective cultural/racial memory and underscores the importance of viewing rivers as the indices of cultural transformations symptomatic of a livelihood developed from/ due to the rivers. The book archives, analyses and offers narratives on a vital ecosystem to provide a holistic take on 'river futures'. It creates an authentic framework of socio-cultural narratives to supplement the current ecological strategies towards the survival and sustenance of rivers and their communities.

This book will be of immense interest to scholars and researchers of cultural studies, human geography, river and water studies, environmental and ecological studies, cultural anthropology, comparative literary studies, race and ethnic studies, and South Asia studies.

Rejecting the view that liberal individualism is to blame for the rise of authoritarian governments, Vibert points instead to the way in which markets and political institutions are challenged by the superabundance of information associated with the information age. Chapters decry neo-liberalism and post-liberal theory as misrepresentations of the liberal tradition and advocate for narrowly defined constitutional processes as opposed to constitutional declarations. Emphasising the importance of liberal values such as tolerance, moderation, accommodation and harmony, the book warns against political forces which encourage a divisional 'them versus us' culture.

The Liberal Tradition and Political Order is an essential resource for scholars and students of politics and public policy, constitutions and political theory. Think tank professionals and NGO workers will similarly benefit from its actionable approach to preempting modern authoritarian movements.

This book explores centuries of human movement across the Indian subcontinent through a groundbreaking interdisciplinary lens, masterfully weaving together anthropological insights, historical analysis, and personal narratives to create a multidimensional portrait of migration's impact on society. It takes readers on an illuminating journey from medieval kingdoms to today's digital diaspora, revealing the vibrant, complex stories behind human mobility through living case studies of medieval merchants establishing trade routes, colonial laborers forging new identities, and contemporary migrants navigating both physical and virtual borders.

Going far beyond demographic statistics and transcending regional boundaries, this volume uncovers hidden perspectives of indigenous communities, examines migration through women's experiences, and analyzes how legal frameworks have shaped human movement across generations, making it essential reading for researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding how migration functions not as a crisis to manage but as the fundamental rhythm of human civilization-beautifully illustrated through India's diverse migration stories.

This volume will be of interest to scholars and students of migration studies, South Asian history, cultural anthropology, human geography, diaspora studies, and post-colonial theory. It will also be an important read for policymakers engaged in migration governance, development practitioners, legal scholars specializing in mobility rights, and researchers examining the intersection of globalization and human movement.

This edited collection of biographical and autobiographical essays chronicles the transformative journeys of Australian planners who, confronting unprecedented urban challenges in the late twentieth century, pioneered new concepts, methodologies, and approaches that fundamentally reshaped the trajectory of urban planning for the twenty-first century.

The essays illuminate the profound social, economic, and technological upheavals of this era, as the established planning paradigm fractured into multiple specialized approaches - environmental planning, social planning, advocacy planning, collaborative planning, and others. These emerging frameworks, directly linked to rapid urbanisation processes, reverberated through urban planning practice and governance structures. The result was a radical reimagining of the planning model itself, driven by critical reassessments of conventional practice, methodological innovations, grassroots demands for meaningful community participation, and heightened attention to previously marginalised concerns: the needs of women and children, Indigenous culture and rights, heritage conservation, environmental sustainability, and social equity.

Reinventing Urban Planning in Australia will appeal to readers interested in the history of urban and social transformation, the evolution of planning theory and policy, Australian urbanism, planning history, and professional biography. It bridges key disciplines including history, geography, urban planning, and environmental studies, offering valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and students alike.

This is the first book to explore ancient Greek alliances in terms of both crisis and resilience, offering readers a deeper understanding of how such alliances were formed, dissolved and re-established.

The chapters in this volume understand disputes between Greek allies not simply as precursors to alliance breakdown, but as a structural feature of bilateral and federal formations. By analysing their susceptibility to crises from both external (etic) and internal (emic) perspectives, this volume explores how these challenges proved to be catalysts for the transformation and adaptation of alliances. Ancient concepts of crisis were seen as inherent to the system, rather than modern notions of crisis as catalysts for revolution and instability, making resilience and adaptation crucial to the formation of alliances in ancient Greece. The book highlights the creative power and potential of ancient Greek alliances through a range of case studies, which revolve around sections on concepts and historiography, rituals and media, border management and a comparison between the Delian League and NATO. To showcase how the alliances thrived in the face of crises, the views of historiographers like Herodotus, Thucydides and Polybius are discussed. Equally, the actors within alliances are characterised: the Delphic Amphiktyony, powerful poleis like Athens and Sparta and federal states like the Aitolians and the Boiotians. Mainly with a view to Hellenistic kings, the impact of external powers on the texture of Greek alliances also comes into play.

Crisis and Resilience in Ancient Greek Alliances will be valuable for students and scholars working on politics and diplomacy in ancient Greece, as well as those interested in ancient history and politics in the ancient world more broadly.

This highly topical book provides an integrated framework for understanding how artificial intelligence, personality traits, gender, and cultural contexts shape youth digital engagement and mental health outcomes.

Grounded in cyberpsychology and extensive empirical research, AI ethics, and developmental psychology, this book addresses the urgent need for evidence-based approaches to supporting young people's well-being in an increasingly AI-mediated digital world. It explores the dual nature of digital technology, offering unique opportunities for connection, learning, and self-expression while simultaneously introducing distinctive risks to mental health and well-being. It examines how personality trait models mediate the effects of cyber behavior on well-being and ethical AI engagement. Further topics include an exploration of AI as an active participant in shaping youth behavior and identity, how personality traits significantly predict resilience to online risks and ethical AI engagement, gender differences in digital engagement creating distinct opportunities and vulnerabilities, cultural contexts fundamentally shaping cyber behaviors and ethical perspectives, and that ethical AI design must prioritize youth developmental vulnerabilities. With actionable recommendations to foster digital well-being and responsible AI use, this book is a comprehensive guide for promoting ethical and psychologically healthy digital practices.

The unique blend of theoretical insights, empirical data, and practical interventions makes this book an essential resource for students and academics in cyberpsychology, social psychology and identity, AI ethics, cyber behavior studies, and mental health. It will also be of interest to mental health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and educators interested in understanding the impact of cyber behaviors on youth well-being.

This is the first book dedicated to Alexandria's religious world, reconstructing its sacred topography, material culture, and ritual life across seven centuries from the establishment of the Ptolemaic Kingdom through its transformation under Roman imperial rule, up to the twilight of pagan antiquity.

It offers a systematic, evidence-based reconstruction of religious life in ancient Alexandria, examining the emergence of a structured 'sacred confederation' of cults under the Ptolemies, the mechanics of ruler worship and sacred kingship, and the formation of a distinctive Alexandrian religious identity from both Greek and Egyptian traditions. The study extends into the Roman period, tracing the transformation of the city's major sanctuaries, the richness of its civic and funerary culture, and glimpses of domestic cult and folk practice where the material record allows. Drawing on architecture, sculpture, inscriptions, funerary art, and recent underwater and salvage discoveries, the study treats material evidence as an independent record of religious life rather than an illustration of ancient literary sources - a methodological approach that repeatedly challenges and revises the city's inherited scholarly image.

Alexandria of Egypt, The Divine Cosmopolis is suitable for students and scholars of Hellenistic and Roman archaeology and history, Egyptian archaeology and Egyptology, and ancient religion. It is also of interest to researchers working on sacred topography, multicultural urbanism, and the archaeology of religion in the ancient Mediterranean world.

The Balkans in the Late Middle Ages, 1300-1500 is the first publication of its kind to provide a point of reference for the history of Southeastern Europe during the late medieval period. Scholars have long recognized the 14th and 15th centuries as an extremely important period in the history of the medieval Balkans. This was an era of intense political and military tumult, financial crisis, and social disruption, but also a time of cultural and intellectual innovation and achievement.

While a growing body of literature has focused on developments in the Byzantine Empire and Latin Greece (i.e., the states created by Western/Latin rulers in the Greek Peninsula and some of the Aegean islands), most of the other states in the region, including Serbia, Bulgaria, and Albania, have been largely neglected. What is more, no study has examined the whole peninsula as a geographic unit. The ultimate ambition of this 12-chapter volume is to fill this gap and produce a closely argued, fresh interpretation of events for the entire region, from Dalmatia, Wallachia, and Moldavia in the north to Byzantium and the Latin states in the south.

This book will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students and scholars with academic interests in the medieval Balkans, as well as to readers wanting to learn more about the history of the region.

Examining the administration of assets during the trial of the French Templars, as well as the settlement process that took place after the Order's dissolution, this book focuses on material aspects of the proceedings in France that have never been analysed in detail. These include the conflicts that accompanied the seizure of property, the actions of administrators, and the thefts and abuses that occurred at every stage of the process. The actions of Philip the Fair's sons to finalise the takeover of the Templars' property by the Hospitallers are also discussed. This book draws on documents that have not been used in previous research, including the report on the investigation conducted between 1322 and 1325 as part of the agreements concluded by Louis X and Philip V with the Hospitallers. This document is unknown to modern scholars and contains valuable information about the recovery of Templar property and the prosecution of abuses committed during this process.

This book adopts a new approach that departs from the dominant view that considers the Templar affair through the lens of the political aspirations of its most important participants, and this allows new insights into the circumstances and consequences of the Templar trial.

Of particular interest to scholars and students of the history of the Knights Templar, this book will also appeal to historians of the Knights Hospitaller, France under the last Capetians, and the papacy at the beginning of the 14th century.

This book offers a broad introduction to print culture and communication in the Stuart world, exploring the emergence of the anglophone global publishing industry in the early modern period and its interaction with various forms of communication in the Stuart dominions.

The volume begins by providing comprehensive and accessible guidance on how to find and use major online digital resources on early modern print and other forms of communication as well as how to find and analyse material in archives. The second part focuses on the processes of communication and print from composition to dissemination and offers students an introductory overview of these processes at work. The third part consists of case studies showing how the sovereign's relationship with the printing press and other forms of communication shaped key events during the century. The final part introduces how exiled communities and colonies interacted with the printing press both at home and abroad and the place of anglophone communication within these complex linguistic and religious communities.

Written in a clear and accessible style and by leading experts in the field, the book offers a starting point from which to explore this multifaceted and ever-growing field, in particular introducing readers to the new digital resources available to help them engage with key primary material. With a comprehensive glossary, a timeline and specially curated reading lists at the back of each chapter, this textbook is a valuable resource for students and lecturers of early modern Britain, print culture and the history of communication.