This volume of The Cairo School of an Islamic Civilizational Paradigm in International Relations advances the paradigm from intellectual formation to methodological application. It turns to the analytical tools, research approaches, and units of analysis of the Islamic Civilizational Paradigm-demonstrating how a taw?idi episteme informs the actual study of global politics.

Structured in three parts, this volume elaborates core methodological approaches, including maqa?id and sunnan, and illustrates how they generate explanatory, evaluative, and policy-relevant insights. It further develops distinctive analytical contributions of the paradigm, such as its understanding of hegemony and its incorporation of the Ummah as a level of analysis that transcends methodological nationalism. Through sustained comparison with positivist and critical traditions, this volume clarifies both points of convergence and enduring epistemological differences. This volume concludes with reflections by leading International Relations scholars who assess the paradigm's strengths, challenges, and future prospects within an evolving global discipline.

Essential reading for scholars and students of International Relations, this volume presents the Islamic Civilizational Paradigm not as a closed doctrine, but as a cumulative and dialogical project contributing to a more genuinely plural and globally inclusive field of International Relations.

This book examines evolving trends in India's non-traditional statecraft approaches. It analyzes cultural and diasporic diplomacy through sports, dance, and immigration histories, alongside strategic foreign policy and political leadership dynamics. Contributors explore innovative diplomatic tools such as artificial intelligence and big data applications in diplomatic practice, and also includes:

• Comprehensive examination of India's evolving diplomatic strategies beyond traditional statecraft approaches
• Analysis of cultural and diasporic diplomacy including sports, dance, and immigration histories
• Assessment of strategic foreign policy and political leadership in contemporary global context
• Exploration of innovative diplomatic tools including artificial intelligence and big data applications
• Expert perspectives on India's soft power projection across Asia and global diaspora engagement

This title has been co-published with Knowledge World Publishers. T&F does not sell or distribute the print versions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri lanka.

This book discusses the interregional relationship between Africa and Europe.

It examines various issues and dynamics in the relationship including trade, migration, regional integration and organisations, conflict, peace and security, culture, education, technology and innovation, as well as partnerships between African academic institutions and EU member states or state agencies, and with civil society organisations. Explicitly reflecting African views, the book presents unique analyses of data that generate new insights on Africa and its relationship with Europe and the EU, and provides theoretical and conceptual explanations of this, and, by extension, interregionalism. It positively argues that Africa, the African Union and its member states should introspect, reform and make the most of the opportunities that exist in initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and exploit engagement in Africa's interest to transform the continent and promote development. Ultimately, the book challenges and simultaneously adds to, mostly, Eurocentric debates, literature and examinations of the Africa-EU relationship.

This book will be of key interest to researchers and scholars of African Studies, Regionalism, Regional Integration, Development Studies, Human Geography, and, more broadly, to International Relations, Political Economy and Political Science.

This book examines how states adapt to the modern information environment and why some do so more effectively than others.

Drawing on theories of military innovation and strategic culture, this book analyzes how the information environment has altered the character of war by blurring traditional boundaries between military operations, political authority, and society. It compares how four major powers-the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom-have understood and integrated information as a form of national power. Using a comparative case study methodology, this book assesses how different political systems, civil-military relationships, and cultural traditions influence whether information capabilities are treated as a supporting tool or as a central instrument of strategy. Well-known and timely cases-such as Russian information warfare, China's military-civil fusion and Digital Silk Road, and Western democratic constraints on information operations-are used to illustrate broader patterns. This book advances both theory and policy by providing practical recommendations for Western militaries seeking to modernize their cognitive and strategic influence capabilities.

This book will be of interest to students of strategic and military studies, defense studies, and international relations, as well as to military practitioners.

How has cultural production from the Middle East responded to two simultaneous and contradictory trends: growing ease of global mobility brought about by advances in transportation and communication technologies, and increasingly odious restrictions on movement imposed by repressive regimes, civil war, and military occupations in the Arab world?
This book draws on conceptions of space, borders, and mobility from fields such as cultural studies, geography, and anthropology to analyze instances in which movement is arrested, interrupted, or detoured in literature and film from Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt. Each chapter revolves around a particular type or space of (im)mobility, such as airports, underground tunnels, and cross-border infiltration. In many of these cases, the juxtaposition of the possibility of movement that is available to some but not others, or was once available but now is denied, acts as a catalyst for imagining forms of dissent and resistance to repression, ways to circumvent and subvert imposed immobility, and speculative visions of the future.

This book explores the influence of religion, culture, community, and digital innovation as key dimensions of climate change communication in Asia.

As climate change continues to shape our world, effective communication plays a vital role in bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and public action. Against this backdrop, this book examines the role of climate change communication in Asia by showcasing unique cases and examples from selected countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, China, South Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan. Divided into four key parts, the chapters draw on a broad selection of examples including rising sea levels in Jakarta, increasing numbers of typhoons in East Asia, extreme heatwaves and climate-induced agricultural losses in India and Pakistan, and accelerated glacial melt in Central Asia.

Overall, the book demonstrates the importance of distinguishing regional experiences from Western perspectives and highlights the critical role that climate change communication plays in raising awareness and promoting informed responses in Asian countries. This book will serve as a valuable reference source for students, academics, and industry professionals at both local and global levels.

This seminal volume offers a systematic analysis of the factors, rationales, and evolving forms of private philanthropic engagement in education from countries across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Providing a critical and nuanced examination into the dynamics of private philanthropy's role in education, the volume features a diverse range of case studies from Lebanon, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, furthering debate at the intersection between philanthropy and education policy. Chapters showcase a variety of methodologies such as network analysis to explore philanthropic foundations such as the Lemann Foundation in Brazil, Grupo Luksic in Chile, and Fundacion Perez Companc in Argentina, as well as European philanthropic foundations active in sub-Saharan Africa, providing a novel, more regionally focused perspective on education and philanthropy. Other chapters employ a variety of research methods to explore how these non-state actors promote what are thought to be politically and economically expedient policies. Documentary analysis of archival sources, interviews, institutional theory, Resource Dependence Theory, Bourdieusian theoretical frameworks, and critical policy analysis also feature in the book.

Offering insights and direction for future research in the field, this volume will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students in international and comparative education and education policy. Policymakers as well as regional and international organizations, including NGOs and INGOs, that support educational interventions in the Global South will also find the volume of use.

This book analyzes how cyberspace transforms power, sovereignty, and security in twenty-first century international relations. The study covers cyber capabilities across great powers, middle powers, and small states including analysis of major incidents like Stuxnet, WannaCry, and SolarWinds and also includes:

• Comprehensive examination of how cyberspace transforms power, sovereignty, and security in twenty-first century international relations
• Analysis of cyber capabilities across great powers, middle powers, and small states including US, China, Russia, Israel, Iran, and others
• Development of Cyber Leviathan concept as organizing framework for understanding contested digital authority and governance structures
• Investigation of cyber conflict evolution from supporting instrument to primary arena of great-power rivalry and strategic competition
• Case studies of major cyber incidents including Stuxnet, WannaCry, SolarWinds, and election interference operations

This title has been co-published with Knowledge World Publishers. T&F does not sell or distribute the print versions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri lanka.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Russia's Arctic policies since the 2022 war with Ukraine began. Covering geopolitical transformations, domestic evolutions and the role of climate change, it traces how, for around two decades, Russia has renewed its strategic interest in the Arctic region. It reflects on how, with more than half of the circumpolar territories, Russia's Arctic regions generate between 10 and 15% of Russia's GDP and a quarter of its exports, with the yet-to-be-explored reserves of the Arctic continental shelf also offering immense potential.

Russia's Arctic analyses the growth of hydrocarbon deposits in the far north of Siberia and nearby offshore areas and how this has contributed to the rapid development of the Northern Sea Route. Marlene Laruelle and Jean Radvanyi examine the tremendous long-term importance of the region for Russia, regardless of internal political developments and the state of relations with the West. Long a place for science diplomacy and transborder dialogue, the region has once again become a hotspot for geostrategic tensions and a new interface between an expanded NATO and Russia. While the West is imposing increasingly broad sanctions specifically targeting Arctic hydrocarbon development projects, the Russian government is striving to circumvent or mitigate their effects with countermeasures by relying on their allies, most of whom are Asian.

Laruelle and Radvanyi convincingly contend that Russian Arctic development policy must take into account the economic needs of the Russian budget and the geopolitical realities of decoupling from the West and pivoting towards the so-called 'Global South'. Additionally, it must consider the heavy legacies of the past in terms of population, infrastructure, and pollution, as well as future projections regarding the impact of climate change.

How did the War on Terror impact Al-Qaida in the decade after 9/11?

This is the first book to analyse the inner workings of the group through the eyes of its mid-level leaders in Pakistan, who were, in practice, running al-Qaida's affairs when communications with Osama bin Laden were slow or absent.

The book relies on a large collection of little-known Arabic primary sources about al-Qaida, including the "Abbottabad documents" - the group's own, internal communications between 2002-2011. Al-Qaida's performance is assessed in three areas: the war in Afghanistan; the war in Iraq; and international terrorism. Chapters explain why the group's contributions to the Afghan war were modest, shows the reasons for Al-Qaida's inability to influence events in Iraq, and charts its fading ability to organize international terrorist attacks.

The Abbottabad documents reveal that Al-Qaida's demise after 9/11 was not simply the result of effective counterterrorism. Rather, the group's organizational weaknesses and the fallibilities of individual leaders played a vital role. The book gives us the first glimpse into the instances where bin Laden's lack of strategy meant al-Qaida's mid-level leadership had to grapple with the consequences. It also documents the detrimental impact of the relationship between al-Qaida and the Taliban.

With its authoritarian distortions, the Marxism of the 20th century sundered the connections between the practice of Communism, and its essentially democratic ethos.

This book reconstructs those vital threads by turning to the work of Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. In the wake of the rise of neoliberalism and the new global order that it ushered in, Gramsci and the Struggle for Democratic Communism asks: what form of political rule can facilitate the transition away from capitalism's increasingly apocalyptic end game?

To answer this question, Wayne puts Gramsci into dialogue with key thinkers from his own historical period, from Marx, Lenin and Trotsky through to John Dewey and Walter Lippmann. Wayne argues that Gramsci's contribution to Marxism helps clarify the political inheritance that class democracies bequeath a revolutionary transition. Wayne then puts Gramsci into a critical dialogue with contemporary thinkers such as Stuart Hall, Ernesto Laclau and Antonio Negri, analysing such crisis situations as Britain and Venezuela under neoliberalism. In the final chapter he develops the concept of 'elongated dual power' to explore how revolutionary change can be reconciled with democratic principles as the old choice between barbarism or revolutionary change looms once more on the horizon.

Tackling the critical issue of the growing skepticism toward science, this volume explores the complex forces driving the anti-science movement. It dissects the phenomenon of increasing anti-science advocates using academic research boosted by lived experiences fighting online disinformation.

The book focuses on the alarming erosion of trust in scientific authority. It highlights how misinformation, the politicization of scientific issues, an epistemic revolution of knowledge hierarchies, and a cultural shift toward prioritizing personal beliefs over facts have contributed to this trend. It explores the implications of a society increasingly skeptical of scientific expertise, driven by the rapid spread of misinformation on digital platforms and a deepening distrust in traditional institutions. Illuminating the path that led us here, the author advocates for the importance of critical thinking and digital literacy as tools to combat misinformation. This volume is not just an analysis of the current state of skepticism toward science; it is a call to action, encouraging a recommitment to the values of scientific inquiry and evidence-based decision-making in an age marked by doubt.

Both theoretically informed and accessibly written, the book will appeal to students, academics, and general readers, alike.

From Martha Washington to Jill Biden, Mars Attacks! to Scandal, and the Ladies' Home Journal to Vogue this diverse collection examines how the nation's First Lady has become an important cultural icon within an underestimated yet symbolic position in US social politics and culture.

Academic work on the First Lady has tended to be historical or biographical in approach, but The First Lady in Contemporary Popular Culture takes the field in a new direction by focusing instead on representations of the First Lady. It explores how real and imaginary American First Ladies have been represented, reconsidered, and re-imagined by different writers, filmmakers, and fashion designers. Despite her apparent marginal position at the periphery of US politics, as this collection shows, representations of the First Lady have become increasingly significant on the cultural stage in the 21st century.

Using a range of feminist, cultural, media, postmodern, race, and communication-based perspectives, the contributors suggest new ways of understanding the First Lady and the complexities of her office. The authors explore campaign autobiographies, Curtis Sittenfeld's speculative fiction, James Patterson's on-the-run thrillers, as well as atypical representations of the First Lady, such as in Roland Emmerich's box office hit Independence Day (1996), gossip magazines, and historical fashion plates.

Removed from the patriarchal hierarchy of White House politics and expectations, the First Lady emerges as a cultural force of her own and this collection demonstrates how she subtly carves out cultural agency and gender identity despite her perceived (in)visibility in the public eye.

The Europa Directory of International Organizations 2026 is an essential guide to understanding the complex architecture of the international system.

Within a clear, unique framework the structure and recent activities of all major intergovernmental organizations and multilateral institutions are described in detail. With additional extensive background information this publication offers an insight into the role and evolving functions of these organizations in today's world.

The contact details, key personnel and activities of more than 2,000 international and regional entities have again been thoroughly researched and updated for this 26th edition.

Highlights in this edition include:

- the response of the international community to humanitarian emergencies, conflicts and climate crises throughout the world.

- specially-commissioned introductory essays, including on the role of international organizations in a changing global order.

- a fully revised Who's Who section with biographical details of the key players in the international system.

This book examines the intersection of military intelligence and corporate influence in modern warfare exploring private military companies, technological advancements in intelligence gathering, cyber warfare threats, and economic dimensions of conflict. The book assesses how corporate entities shape intelligence strategies and security policies, redefining contemporary battlefields.

• Comprehensive analysis of the intersection between military intelligence and corporate influence in modern warfare
• Examination of private military companies and their role in contemporary security operations
• Assessment of technological advancements in intelligence gathering and cyber warfare capabilities
• Analysis of economic dimensions of warfare and corporate involvement in national security
• Expert insights into evolving intelligence strategies beyond traditional state actors

This title has been co-published with Knowledge World Publishers. T&F does not sell or distribute the print versions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri lanka.

Ludwig Wittgenstein left an indelible footprint on contemporary philosophy. His influence has been rich and wide-ranging. However, the interpretation or understanding of Wittgenstein's views - both his early views and his late views - is exceedingly fraught and contentious. How was Wittgenstein's thought received by his contemporaries, such as Frank Ramsey, Bertrand Russell, Gilbert Ryle, and Elizabeth Anscombe? How did it shape the philosophical outlook of later philosophers, such as Michael Dummett, Willard
Quine, Hilary Putnam, and Richard Rorty? And how does it continue to influence contemporary philosophers such as Crispin Wright, Simon Blackburn, Penelope Maddy, and Charles Travis?

The Routledge Handbook of Wittgenstein and Other Philosophers: Part 1 examines the impact and influence of Wittgenstein's thought on some of the most significant philosophers of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Comprising forty chapters by a
stellar line-up of contributors, Part 1 considers Wittgenstein's impact on the forementioned figures as well as many more, with chapters for example on Wilfrid Sellars, Noam Chomsky, Thomas Nagel, Cora Diamond, Saul Kripke, Robert Brandom, and John McDowell.

Analyzing the trajectory of global capitalism as seen from working-class and anti-colonial movements in the Global South, this book demonstrates how theoretical work in Marxist political economy and scholarship in social history can work in tandem to articulate the structures of world-historical capitalism.

Marxist Theory and Social History of the Global South presents a distinct approach to social history, exploring Marxist theory from an explicitly anti-imperialist perspective from the Global South to unfolding Marxist political economy, empirical work on anti-fascist movements in the 1970s Global South, engagement with experimental art as left politics in the Global South, historiographies of labor movements, and writings on historical methods. Approaching the humanities and the social sciences through the lens of anti-authoritarian, anti-imperialist Marxist political economy, this book engages with Marxism articulated in a range of different forms to determine that one must break with nationalist historiography and must not view decolonization as a uniform struggle against colonialism for all people. Analysis must view decolonization as affecting categories of people unevenly and narrate decolonization through the overlooked question of class struggle to effectively dismantle power and hierarchy.

Providing an important theoretical framework for contemporary Marxist theory and social history, Plys has created a key resource for advanced students and researchers in sociology, social theory, political science, postcolonial studies, economics, and cultural studies, expanding coverage of a deeply overlooked area in political sociology.

China's foreign policy is one of the most significant forces shaping global politics today. This book examines the evolving logic, instruments, and contradictions of China's approach in an era of intensified great power competition. It explores China's reshaped relations with the United States and Europe, its deepening yet uneasy alignment with Russia, its evolving security and economic strategies along its periphery, and its expanding influence in the Global South. Rather than portraying China as pursuing a singular, coherent grand strategy, the chapters reveal a complex picture of ambition and constraint, cooperation and competition, confidence and insecurity.

This edited volume brings together a collection of previously published articles from the Journal of Contemporary China, offering a cohesive and insightful analysis of these themes. At its core is a compelling idea: China's foreign policy combines hard-nosed concerns about power, security, and rivalry with a strategic reliance on institutions, economic ties, and global governance. This duality explains why China alternates between challenging the existing international order and working within it.

Written in clear, accessible language, this book is essential reading for students, policymakers, and general readers in the fields of international relations, political science, Asian studies, and global governance. It offers valuable insights into China's growing global role and its profound implications for the future of international relations.

This edited volume examines how political violence and coercion are central to state capture.

Departing from accounts that largely emphasize economic influence, corruption, and institutional weakness, this volume demonstrates how armed force, intimidation, and repression can be decisive in enabling elites and armed actors to control state institutions. The book examines how, across different political and institutional settings, political and economic elites can work in alliance with armed actors-including militias, paramilitaries, and organized crime networks-to shape policy, extract resources, and undermine accountability. Through comparative case studies spanning the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and southern Europe, the chapters show how, in fragile and vulnerable states, violence and corruption can become embedded in everyday governance. By systematically integrating political violence into the study of state capture, the book offers a timely framework that bridges political economy, security studies, and state-building debates.

This book will be of great interest to students of political violence, corruption, state fragility, governance in contested spaces, and international relations.

Caribbean Network Diplomacy: Addressing Global Challenges through Regional Collaboration analyses how Caribbean small states use communication networks, regional institutions, and collaborative coalitions to exercise diplomatic influence in an increasingly complex global system. This book advances a network-based understanding of diplomacy, demonstrating how strategic communication and coordination enable small states to shape outcomes beyond traditional bilateral and multilateral channels.

Drawing on original empirical research and in-depth case studies, including the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), this book examines how networks facilitate collaboration, agenda-setting, and collective action in areas such as global health and climate governance. It also critically examines the limits of networked diplomacy, addressing challenges such as political fragmentation, uneven power relations, and resource constraints, and considers how to navigate them.

This book will appeal to scholars and postgraduate students of international relations, diplomacy, global governance, and Caribbean studies, as well as policymakers and practitioners interested in small-state diplomacy, regional cooperation, and networked approaches to global problem-solving.

This book analyzes Japan's evolving strategic role in the Indo-Pacific region amidst intensifying geopolitical rivalries and alliance shifts. The study covers Japan's diplomatic recalibrations, economic statecraft, and maritime strategy in response to China's expansionist behavior. It explores Japan's deepening partnerships with Quad nations and democratic allies for regional stability and also includes:

• Critical examination of Japan's evolving strategic role in the Indo-Pacific region amidst intensifying geopolitical rivalries and alliance shifts
• Analysis of Japan's diplomatic recalibrations and economic statecraft in response to China's expansionist behavior and regional security challenges
• Investigation of Japan's deepening partnerships with Quad nations and democratic allies for maintaining regional stability and security cooperation
• Assessment of Japan's military capabilities and air power development within the framework of constitutional constraints and defense modernization
• Study of Japan's maritime strategy and regional engagement balancing pacifist identity with proactive security responsibilities

This title has been co-published with Knowledge World Publishers. T&F does not sell or distribute the print versions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri lanka.

Hilary Putnam is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. This volume deals with the manifold aspects of Putnam's philosophy, either by reconstructing its internal evolution or by showing its originality and relevance for contemporary debates.

Putnam's contributions have had a profound impact across a wide range of philosophical subdisciplines. His thought, therefore, poses a challenge to the drive toward specialization that characterizes contemporary philosophy. As he openly argues in Realism with a Human Face, philosophical reflection must satisfy two equally legitimate demands: the scholastic conception of philosophy suggests that efforts should be directed towards the solution of tiny and neatly defined problems, while the cosmic conception urges us to address the general question of how knowledge relates to the essential ends of human reason. To reflect on Putnam's philosophy, therefore, is to reflect on how philosophical work should be done. The chapters in this volume feature a pluralistic approach that attempts to cover the whole spectrum of Putnam's philosophy, from his work in epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind, to his reflections on ethics, pragmatism, Jewish philosophy, religion, and politics. Taken together, the chapters not only recognize the limits, challenges, and fruitfulness of Putnam's thought, but also provide novel assessments of his philosophy and use it as a springboard for developing new and original theoretical insights.

Interpreting Putnam will appeal to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, ethics, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, pragmatism, history of analytic philosophy, and American philosophy.

After 1945, Britain wanted to be a new country.

The authority of state and church were giving way, the Empire was dismantled, and it was no longer clear who was leading whom in matters of morals. Individuals were left to reinvent their ethical lives anew.

The lives and works of the philosophers discussed in this book were caught up this sea-change. Bernard Williams, Philippa Foot, Iris Murdoch, Richard Wollheim, Charles Taylor and Alasdair MacIntyre were all characters in search of a moral England, with a particular vision of the good society. From communitarianism to swinging Sixties' individualism, and radical theories of art - which understood questions of ambiguity, error and forgiveness more than the state ever could - this is the story of their sometimes convergent but often discrepant ideas on ethical life in the second half of the twentieth century.

Undoing the Moral Empire is a work of biography, social history and the history of ideas that masterfully reconstructs the shifting sentiments of the post-war era, reconfiguring enduringly relevant questions of freedom, virtue, and society.

The definitive textbook on EU politics and governance, now in its 9th edition, has been thoroughly updated to take into account the ongoing developments and evolution of the EU. Major changes, recent developments, and the crises that have befallen the union in recent times are analysed within this context.
By detailing the evolution of European integration, Nugent and Ripoll Servent give the necessary historical context to their exhaustive analysis of policies, process, institutions and treaties. In this revised edition, this has grown to include new chapters that detail both diverse theoretical perspectives and inter-institutional relations. In doing so, The Government and Politics of the European Union enables students with no prior knowledge of the EU to truly master the subject.
With a new structure to increase readability, a broad range of pedagogical features - document excerpts, case studies, maps figures - and a fully developed companion website with resources for both students and lecturers, this text remains an essential for students new to EU studies.

This new edition offers:
- Updates on all main institutions, policies and processes
- Authoritative coverage of the main institutions, policies and processes of the EU
- A new chapter on theory that includes a broader and more diverse range of theoretical perspectives
- A new chapter on inter-institutional relations.
- Increased amount of visual features i.e. tables, figures, boxes, alongside new chapter summary points to aid student learning
- New companion website including a curated list of video material, multiple-choice questions, links to official sources, additional case studies and regular updates

Reflecting the numerous recent shocks and challenges to the global system and to the EU's place in that system, McCormick's European Union Politics cuts through the myths and misunderstandings about EU politics.

It explains the origins of the EU, the way in which its key institutions work, and its impact on policies as diverse as the economy, education, climate change, and the defence of Europe from new threats.

This new edition covers critical recent developments, including the 2024 European Parliament elections, leadership changes within the European Commission and the European Council, the rise of right-wing political parties, developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the dramatic aftermath of the 2024 US presidential election.

Striking a balance between theoretical insights and practical content, the book ties the work of the EU to real-world events. With illustrations, maps, figures and tables, this text is ideal for those studying EU politics and policies, and a valuable resource for anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of this critical actor in European and global affairs.

In Neomedievalism in International Relations: Scattering the International, Elucidating the Empire, we explore the evolution of Neomedievalism and its transformative role in rethinking world politics. Drawing on Hedley Bull's concept of a post-state-centric world, the book examines how Neomedievalism, with its metaphorical reference to the Middle Ages, offers a fresh lens through which to understand the fragmentation of state authority, the rise of non-state actors, and the impacts of globalisation and technology.

The book investigates Neomedievalism in International Relations (IR) theory, arguing that it illuminates the process of "scattering the international"-the breakdown of state-centric world politics and the decentralisation of political power. It further shows how Neomedievalism aids in "elucidating the empire," offering insights into the dynamics of political development, past and present empires, and the growing influence of transnational forces.

By evaluating Neomedievalism as an alternative to state-centric models of world order, the book contributes to the much-needed evolution of global political theory, proposing a path towards a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of contemporary world politics. It will appeal to scholars and students of IR and political theory, particularly those interested in non-state actors, polity formation, informal power, and the evolving structure of world politics.

Regal tells the story of the engagement of philosophers, naturalists, and scientists in what we now call "cryptozoology," a much longer history than most appreciate.

Most believe cryptozoology - the study of mysterious, unrecognized creatures - emerged in the 20th century. But the fascination with monsters and the unknown stretches back to the ancient world. Long before the term was coined, philosophers and naturalists pondered the existence of cryptids, weaving them into the fabric of scientific curiosity. Challenging the notion that mainstream science has always dismissed cryptids, it reveals a rich history of inquiry and debate.

Offering a groundbreaking examination of the long and complex history of cryptozoology, Regal situates it within broader debates about biology, evolution, and the limits of scientific knowledge. A fascinating read for students and scholars of cryptozoology, the history of biology and zoology, and science, technology, and society studies.