This book offers a compelling exploration of Margaret Thatcher's approach to European integration during the years of her premiership, providing a nuanced portrait of one of the most fascinating and influential political figures of recent decades.

Drawing on extensive archival research and featuring excerpts from speeches, private papers, statements, and interviews, this study reevaluates Thatcher's European legacy by revealing the complex evolution of her European policy during the 11 years of her premiership (1979-1990). Challenging conventional narratives, Zanetti deconstructs the image of Thatcher as the master of British Euroscepticism and precursor to Brexit, arguing instead that she was an asset to European integration - although in her own terms. Her approach was fundamentally guided by her primary role as British Prime Minister, adapting both rhetoric and action to secure national interests while engaging pragmatically with the European Community. Throughout her premiership, Thatcher consistently chose to fight difficult and unpopular battles on the European stage, positioning herself as a passionate and constructive critic whose vision for Europe's future was often divergent from that of other European leaders.

This work will appeal to students and scholars of European integration, British political history, and international relations, as well as anyone seeking to more accurately understand the complex relationship between Thatcherism and Brexit.

For over a century, Japan has vexed and disappointed its Western allies by resisting their efforts to protect biodiversity. Consequently, foreign critics have long derided Japan as "the world's boldest eco-outlaw." Its animal protections are equally disappointing: comprehensive assessments by the World Animal Protection Index rank Japan among the worst in the developed world. Given Japan's close relationships with its foreign allies, its systemic disregard for wildlife conservation seems strangely out of character. Wildlife conservation, in fact, arguably stands as one of the greatest and most enduring sources of friction between Japan and the Western order. This enigma is neither easily understood nor rectified.

Loving and Loathing Wildlife in Japan explores Japan's complex relationship with wildlife conservation, an issue that currently challenges societies around the world. Tracing the topic from the seventeenth-century animal laws to the 1999 Act on the Welfare and Management of Animals, W. Puck Brecher examines the four dominant paradigms-compassionate control (pre-1868), utility (1868-1945), conservation (1868-1980), and welfare (1902-1999)-that have dictated how Japan has conceptualized and handled its engagements with wildlife. These paradigms span the broad range of political and attitudinal approaches adopted by modernizing Japan as it sought to manage its wildlife resources. Each offers a distinctive perspective on Japanese society, politics, and their relationship with the natural environment. Collectively, their historical arc invites readers to contemplate patterns that have variously advanced and hindered wildlife conservation, as well as potentials for future improvement. In doing so, the book illuminates historical contexts necessary to understand modern Japan's puzzling reputation as an environmental outlier and its struggle to reconcile tradition with environmental responsibility.

Embedded in Southern voices and epistemologies, this book explores how local communities in Central America understand development and the good life in the context of large-scale infrastructure projects.

The analysis focuses on six case studies: the Reventazon hydropower plant and the Guanacaste tourism projects in Costa Rica, the Barro Blanco hydropower plant in Panama, the Bahia de Tela tourism area in Honduras, and the La India and La Libertad gold mines in Nicaragua. The book draws on extensive in-depth interviews, participatory workshops and surveys to demonstrate how different social groups interpret the impacts of megaprojects. It critically examines the tensions between externally-driven investment initiatives - and the values they promote - and locally-rooted worldviews, wellbeing and ways of life. The volume concludes with a practical workshop proposal to help communities strengthen their resilience and formulate alternative development pathways based on their own cultural and social frameworks.

This book will be of particular interest to scholars in the fields of development and Latin American studies, as well as policy makers and practitioners working in the region.

Renowned Taiwan expert and former intelligence officer J. Michael Cole explains how this Pacific nation has become a tinderbox that could ignite a full-scale global conflict. Drawing on unparalleled access to Taiwanese government sources and two decades of on-the-ground observation, he explores the root causes of the conflict between Taiwan and China - from the identity politics that make "peaceful unification" inconceivable, to the rise of Xi Jinping, the most powerful and authoritarian Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. With in-depth analysis of how the war in Europe is influencing preparations by Beijing, Taipei, and Washington for a potential cross-Strait confrontation, The Taiwan Tinderbox is an impassioned plea for the defense of Taiwan as a priority for the international community and the future of democracy.

Nearly a decade into a devastating conflict, Yemen stands at a crossroads, grappling with destruction, socio-economic decline, and political deadlock. This edited volume provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of Yemen's current crisis, emphasizing the urgent need for a holistic and forward-looking approach to post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding.

Yemen at the Crossroads: Crisis and Reconstruction examines the historical roots, geopolitical implications, and local dynamics of Yemen's conflict. Structured into two comprehensive parts, the book first provides a thorough examination of the conflict's evolution and peacemaking processes, and then shifts to envisioning and strategizing for post-conflict recovery and sustainable development. By highlighting the interplay between local political dynamics and international interests, this book enhances our understanding of Yemen's conflict and illuminates potential pathways toward peace and reconstruction.

Yemen at the Crossroads: Crisis and Reconstruction is an essential resource for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners involved in conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction. It aims to guide efforts toward a resolution that respects the resilience and aspirations of the Yemeni people, fostering a just, inclusive, and sustainable peace.

This book uses the case of football fandom in Hong Kong to shine new light on the globalization of sport and culture, and on the intersection of culture and society in a postcolonial territory. Based on in-depth interviews, textual analysis, and survey data, the book explores the lived experience of football fans in Hong Kong.

Using the theoretical framework of 'banal cosmopolitanism,' the book explains how elite men's football from Europe, particularly the English Premier League, became extremely popular in the city when live TV broadcasts became more frequent in the 1990s. It argues that although football fandom in Hong Kong has been hugely transformed by globalization, how it has changed has to be understood in local context. The book also reveals how Hong Kong's colonial legacy is manifested in the English Premier League's popularity in the city and in the rapid decline of professional men's football in Hong Kong, which tells an important story about the relationship between sport, culture, and globalization in the early 21st century.

This is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the sociology or culture of sport, football, globalization, or the history, culture or politics of Asia.

This biography traces the extraordinary story of the Molteno family coming from an Anglo-Italian origin, whose legacy helped shape South African political and social life from the 19th century onward. At its centre stands Sir John Charles Molteno, the first prime minister of the Cape Colony, who fiercely defended South African interests against British colonial authority. Of his 19 children, five left a distinct imprint on history: Betty, a passionate political activist; Percy, a Liberal MP in the British Parliament; Charlie, a defender of Black voters' rights; James, Speaker of both the Cape and Union parliaments; and Barkly, a naval commander at the Battle of Jutland. Spanning continents and generations, the book chronicles their shared fight against racism, imperialism, and segregation-long before such ideas gained wider currency. A timely account of a remarkable family committed to justice, reform, and public service.

Appeals to readers of political history, African studies, and biography, offering rare insights into a family that worked to unify and uplift a fractured society.

The subject matter also includes:

• Introduces the rich historical biography of a multigenerational South African family with Anglo-Italian roots and deep political impact.
• Provides timely and inspiring narrative of anti-racism, reform, and public service.
• Includes major political and historical figures: from Sir John Charles Molteno to members of the British Parliament and leaders in the Cape and Union governments.
• Explores global and local history, including British imperialism, African resistance, women's rights, and naval warfare.
• Offers rare insights into a family that worked to unify and uplift a fractured society

Print editions not for sale in Sub-Saharan Africa

This book examines the aftermath of eSwatini's fiftieth anniversary of independence and the COVID-19 pandemic, when many citizens of this last absolute monarchy in Africa took to their communities in unprecedented protests for democratic reform. For raising their voices, they were met with brutal police violence. Customary Nationalism in Crisis offers snapshots of life in the Kingdom leading up to and in the aftermath of this epic moment, providing lessons to the world on the power of the government to shape our lives through the guise of custom and tradition and the power of ordinary people to resist this.

Through a range of research written primarily by scholar-nationals of eSwatini, the book shows how ordinary women, men, and young people redefine language and their identities-ethnic, racial, and gender-and question what it means to be a citizen, from their classrooms to clinics, and from their workplaces to the halls of Parliament. Customary Nationalism in Crisis shows that, despite the persistence of authoritarianism, citizens also adapt over the long-term to survive and thrive.

This volume will appeal to scholars and students in African studies, political science, anthropology, sociology, and gender studies, as well as policymakers, human rights advocates, and development practitioners interested in southern Africa.

The chapters in this volume were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Contemporary African Studies.

This book analyses the internalization of conflict in the minds of children living and growing up in the Kashmir valley, and its effect on their identity formation and Schooling. It integrates the socio-cultural, socio-political, geo-political, and psycho-social contexts to understand the unfolding of childhood amidst conflicts.

This volume highlights the socio-cultural context, amidst which children live in Kashmir, which influences the way they look at, interpret, and give meaning to their everyday environment-be it rural, urban, peaceful, violent, or within or away from family. This forms a significant part of how children's lives are negotiated in Kashmir. It deliberates upon the interplay between conflict, education, and identity during the childhood years, especially since the traditional education systems tend to neglect the experiences of children amidst conflict. It also explores how children imitate, observe, and reflect on the conflicts in their surroundings.

The book will interest scholars and researchers from the departments of education, sociology, social work, political science, peace and conflict studies, and South Asian studies.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of US naval presence and strategy in one of the world's most strategically significant regions. Spanning from the Cold War era to the present day, the book traces the trajectory of US engagement in the Indian Ocean, examining the factors driving strategic shifts, security challenges and evolving alliances. It investigates how the US has transitioned from a posture of dominance to one of diffusion, engaging with regional partners to address emerging threats and seize opportunities. The book also looks at the rise of China and how it has impacted US presence in a somewhat transformed region-the Indo-Pacific.

Part of the International Politics in the Age of Disruption series, the book will be indispensable for students and researchers of military studies, security studies, political studies, international relations and South Asian studies.

This book examines the social life of fishing communities in South India. It shows how modernization has brought changes to coastal communities in the post-Independence era.

It focuses on inter- and intra-community dynamics, social structure, the role of religion and migration. The volume also links how developmental discourses have transformed the fabric of these communities, as well as the impact of environmental degradation on their traditional livelihoods.

The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of sociology and social anthropology, development studies, demography, history of migration and diaspora studies and South Asian studies.

This book unpacks the complexities of social development in India, focusing on the institutional bottlenecks that hinder effective policy implementation.

While governments and organizations design ambitious policies for economic growth, human capital development, education, agriculture, and social welfare, their impact is often diluted due to governance inefficiencies, bureaucratic inertia, and weak last-mile service delivery. Through a blend of empirical and evidence-based research, policy analysis, and real-world case studies, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that drive - or obstruct - sustainable development in India. It explores pressing socio-economic issues, such as demographic shifts, sustainable futures, workforce dynamics, digital governance, e-markets, bureaucracy, and gender-based violence. The book serves as a vital resource for those seeking to understand governance challenges and the institutional reforms necessary for meaningful change. By highlighting both the problems and potential solutions, it fosters a dialogue on creating resilient and inclusive institutions that can effectively deliver on their promise of social progress.

Part of the Innovations, Practice and the Future of Public Policy in India series, this volume will be of interest to policymakers, policy practitioners, researchers, development practitioners, and engaged citizens, particularly as we move towards a tech-savvy public sector. It will be an essential resource for students and researchers of development studies, sociology, public policy and governance, economics, and South Asian studies.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

This book explores South Asia's postcolonial politics through the lens of circulatory networks-of objects, people, and ideas-as the region navigated pivotal historical junctures. The contributors reexamine epochal moments in South Asia's international relations, including the Second World War, the 1947 Partition, and the 1971 Liberation War, drawing insights from social history, memory studies, and popular discourses. Through thematic case studies, the historically informed contributions illuminate the complex entanglements between elite and everyday politics. By investigating diverse sites-borderlands, diaspora communities, battlefields, memorials, visual archives, and personal chronicles-the volume demonstrates how practices of remembering, forgetting and commemorating are intrinsic to the region's ongoing identity formation. The folding of time, colonial with postcolonial, is repeatedly brought home in these contributions. This nuanced engagement with the international realm reveals how macro-politics and micro-histories are inextricably linked in South Asia's postcolonial experience.

This volume will appeal to students and scholars across multiple fields, including International Relations, political science, history, South Asian studies, postcolonial studies, memory studies, and cultural studies. Researchers and policy analysts working on South Asia and interested in the intersection of identity politics, historical memory, and state formation will find the book's theoretical and historical framing of South Asian politics particularly valuable.

The chapters in this book were originally published in India Review.