Engaging Pakistan examines the role of British and American public diplomacy in Pakistan. It focuses on case studies located in two periods (1955-1964 and 2008-2012) during which there was both intense public diplomacy activity and increasing public hostility, particularly towards the United States. Putting forth this juxtaposition of the two periods, the study provides an opportunity for a fine-grain analysis to contribute to wider theoretical and comparative studies of public diplomacy as well as provide valuable empirical material.

The author argues that limitations in the effectiveness of public diplomacy arise whenever foreign audiences perceive that a state's foreign policy actions are illegitimate and inconsistent with its publicly proclaimed values. US unreliability in the 1960s and unilateralism four decades later undermined its soft power, despite the successes of individual public diplomacy initiatives. Anti-Americanism in Pakistan is usually linked with the aftermath of 9/11, but this volume will reveal that public mistrust stretched as far back as the 1960s. The Pakistani public trusted Britain far more, so that even when unpopular policies were adopted, there was not such a steep decline in its standing. Despite less funding, UK public diplomacy initiatives operated in a more favourable environment than that of the United States. The book focuses on five main areas of public diplomacy activities that generate soft power, namely, communication/information activities, educational exchanges and assistance, volunteering, cultural performances and exhibitions and high-profile visitors' public engagement. These activities are examined in case studies from either a single time frame or covering both periods.

A pioneering study of British and American public diplomacy in Pakistan in the early Cold War and later post-9/11 eras, this book will be of interest to researchers on Modern South Asia, international relations, public diplomacy and diplomatic history, as well as those interested in wider subjects ranging from Cold War studies to sports history.

African Politics: An Introduction is an engaging, broad-ranging guide to the politics of African states, reflecting on contemporary patterns and trends, whilst also situating them in their historical context.

Viewed from the outside, African politics are often said to be too complex and multifarious to understand properly, leading to widespread misunderstandings and stereotypes. This book challenges these assumptions, providing an accessible, reader-friendly guide. Starting with an introduction to the historical roots of African politics right back to the precolonial era, this book goes on to discuss colonialism and the independence movement, before diving into the postcolonial state and the challenges of governance, development, and conflict which many states have struggled with. This book looks in detail at the various actors involved, from religious groups, to political parties, youth politics, women, social movements, and different social classes. At the end of each chapter, a classwork box provides students with a particular example of an African state or event to investigate in more detail, encouraging them to consider the specific and to resist generalizations.

African Politics: An Introduction is perfect for an undergraduate student starting out in their studies of African politics, but it would also be a welcome read for any reader who wants to learn a bit more about the governance of Africa.

This pioneering volume presents a comprehensive assessment of generative artificial intelligence's impact on African journalism, bringing together insights from academics, technologists, and practicing journalists across the continent.

Featuring diverse case studies from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Eswatini, the collection explores how African newsrooms are adopting generative AI. Contributors analyse the use of AI presenters, audience perceptions of AI-generated content, gamification strategies in newsrooms, and the barriers journalists face in accessing these technologies. Painting a picture of the complex political economy of AI-driven news production and consumption, the volume also addresses ethical concerns around AI appropriation, highlighting how existing legal frameworks struggle to regulate generative AI in journalism.

Positioned at the intersection of technology and African media studies, this book offers essential insights into the future of journalism across the continent.

Trust Matsilele is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Birmingham City University, UK, and a Research Fellow in the Communication Department at the University of South Africa.

Lungile A. Tshuma is a Researcher in the Centre for Communication and Culture, Universidade Catolica Portuguesa. Tshuma is also a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Communication and Media, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

This edited volume challenges the hegemonic ideologies that underpin contemporary planning thought and practice, building on and extending the pioneering work of Michael Gunder. Through the lens of fantasy-particularly as theorised in Lacanian psychoanalysis-contributors interrogate how planners' desires, decisions, and subjectivities are shaped by ideological narratives that sustain dominant neoliberal structures. The book includes Michael Gunder's influential work on ideological fantasy, alongside eleven original chapters that collectively deconstruct, traverse, and reimagine ideological constructs in planning.

The volume is organised into three thematic sections. The first section critically deconstructs capitalist ideological fantasies embedded in planning education, urban imaginaries, participatory governance, and neoliberal policy discourses. The second section explores how fantasies operate within environmental governance, housing activism (such as YIMBYism), flat ontologies, and community strategies, while also identifying possibilities for alternative discourses. The final section presents counter-hegemonic perspectives from non-Western contexts, including critiques of China's Territorial Spatial Planning and Iranian philosophical traditions of truth-telling as ethical governance.

Contributors include established and emerging scholars from diverse global contexts, offering interdisciplinary insights for researchers and practitioners in planning, geography, sociology, philosophy, and political studies. This collection stands as both a scholarly tribute to Gunder's intellectual legacy and a call for critical, transformative planning for futures.

This book explores the transition from Soviet socialism to the present state of Central Asia's five countries. The role of the of state in regulating the market has been nowhere so topical, yet highly controversial, as in the case of five post-communist Central Asian states (namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) since they acquired their independence from the Soviet Union in early 90s. The region's economic landscape has undergone profound structural changes towards liberalization over the past three decades. However, in none of the regional states economic transition from the command economy to the free-market economy has reached its logical end, and the state retains a colossal interference over the market affairs. This study, detailed and insightful, will attract scholars of the region, journalists, and analysts of geopolitics.

This book explores the morality of creating peace in a violent world. It includes spiritual and ethical dimensions to show that peace is not only the responsibility of politicians, but that it is everyone's responsibility not to generate violence and hatred.? Peace is shown to be human work; it is the responsibility of the whole community to maintain and create it.? Therefore, peace is not only a political achievement, but also has an ethical and spiritual significance and requires the moral development of the individual in order to secure the recognition and respect of others.

This book will be essential reading for all philosophers of politics, morality and ethics, and is also ideal for those who are researching aspects of spiritual philosophy.

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This book explores what's happening in international affairs and whether the changes will bring opportunity or crisis to China's modernization. How can China reverse the trend of anti-globalization and lead a new wave of globalization? How can Chinese thinkers bring about another great convergence of globalization and modernization? In-depth thinking about these questions and answering them form the theme of this book.?This book puts the main focus on clarifying the relationship between China’s modernization process and economic globalization, exploring the deep-seated reasons for the momentous world changes and the great challenges they have posed to the China’s continued modernization. In particular, it answers the question “What is China’s next step?”, providing the readers with profound insights and forward-looking thinking to understand the changing situation of the world and grasp the future of China.

This book provides a profound exploration of the concept of a "human minimum" as articulated by the renowned African philosopher H. Odera Oruka. It delves into the pressing issue of global inequality and examines how basic rights such as access to food, shelter, education, and healthcare are fundamental to human dignity and should be accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status. In a world where the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, Oruka’s philosophical framework is a blueprint for addressing this divide. Through a critical analysis of Oruka’s work, this book presents the philosophy of a "human minimum" and describes why basic rights are essential to ensuring justice, equity, and sustainable development. It contextualizes these ideas within contemporary challenges, including poverty, unemployment, and the global disparities exacerbated by economic systems that favor wealth accumulation by the few.

This exploration pushes beyond abstract theory, offering practical insights into policy solutions and societal structures that can uphold the dignity of every individual. It argues that achieving this requires not only ethical responsibility but systemic change in political and economic structures. By rethinking development, governance, and social justice through the lens of Oruka’s philosophy, the book presents a compelling case for policies and actions that guarantee the human minimum for all. This book is of interest to scholars of philosophy, social justice advocates, policymakers, and anyone committed to addressing global inequality. It provides a roadmap for how societies can move toward a more equitable future.

This open access book compares Chinese and Western civilizations from multiple perspectives, and it mainly consists of three parts that respectively compare the Warring States and ancient Greece, the Qin and Han dynasties and ancient Rome, and the Central Plains of China and the Western Roman Empire in the face of incursions from neighboring ethnic groups.?

It explores the inner logic behind the different development paths of Chinese and Western civilizations, making a significant contribution to promoting communication and dialogue between the two. This book is of great help for scholars, students, and general readers interested in the comparative study of civilizations, as well as those seeking to foster cross-cultural understanding and dialogue.

In this book, Leif DeVaney brings the traditional philosophical branches of metaphysics and ethics to bear on conservation biology. While many previous attempts at asking and answering ethical questions related to conservation and other environmentally relevant activities exist, few such attempts have engaged adequately with the “rock bottom” approach of metaphysics. Through this metaphysically realistic lens, the ontological
status of the population (as well as other ecological “wholes”) is challenged. DeVaney argues that individual nonhuman animals are found to have interests that parallel human interests. These include the biotic goals of survival and reproduction, as well as freedom from undue pain and suffering. From an ethical standpoint, the conclusion differs drastically from the dominant consequentialist contention that the good of some can be sacrificed for the supposed greater good of the many. DeVaney initiates the establishment of the ?subdiscipline of conservation metaphysics, which naturally leads to a theoretically grounded ethic.

This book focuses on the planning and design methods of pocket parks in the disciplines of urban planning and landscape architecture. It fills the gap in the current pocket park planning by innovatively exploring the service mechanism and planning methods of the pocket parks to alleviate the scarcity of outdoor recreational spaces in the high-density environments. This book integrates the results of previous research and our latest research results. Taking urban renewal as the planning scenario, the book systematically introduces the basic characteristics of mini-parks, planning principles and methods, and development promotion and assurance strategies. This book is used as a textbook for planning and design courses, as well as a professional reference book for urban planners and landscape architects. The authors have also made great efforts to use simple language and a large number of visual illustrations in the text. Through these approaches, the authors expected that the publication of this book would not only facilitate teaching and practical application, but also attract more interest and attention from ordinary people, and motivate them to actively participate in the planning, design, and management of mini-parks around them. Only when this goal is achieved, can the original value of mini-park development be finally realized.

Routledge Handbook on Civil Society in the Middle East and North Africa provides a comprehensive and multidimensional exploration of civil society across the MENA region, tracing its historical emergence, diverse expressions, and contemporary transformations.

Moving beyond simplified narratives, the volume critically examines how civil society actors engage with power, navigate constraints, and shape sociopolitical change across vastly different national and regional contexts. Spanning the late Ottoman period to the post-Arab Spring landscape, this volume interrogates the evolution of civil society under conditions of colonial rule, authoritarianism, conflict, and economic liberalization. Contributors explore a wide range of themes - including feminist mobilizations, Islamist reformist movements, sectarian dynamics, humanitarian crises, and the growing role of grassroots activism - while also unpacking the influence of international actors, donor agendas, and transnational solidarities. Through rich case studies from Tunisia, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and beyond, the handbook highlights both formal and informal modes of civic engagement: from NGO-ization and legal advocacy to migrant-led organizing, cultural resistance, and religious community networks. It challenges Eurocentric assumptions and introduces alternative conceptual frameworks that reflect the region's complex realities, offering fresh insight into how state-society relations are contested, reimagined, and rebuilt across time and space.

This essential resource is ideal for scholars, students, and practitioners of Middle East politics, sociology, international relations, gender studies, and development. It will also serve anyone interested in understanding how civil society continues to resist, adapt, and reimagine itself in the face of authoritarianism and upheaval.

This volume examines environmental disasters worldwide, often stemming from extractive industries like fossil fuels. Questioning human desires for comfort, convenience, and national defense, it confronts the relentless pursuit of profit in a capitalist system. From the development of nuclear weapons to the damaging effects of climate change, the book questions humanity's capacity to address these challenges. As temperatures soar, can we endure inconvenience and unite globally to tame climate change?

From the lethal coal mines of India to the haunting aftermath of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, each chapter presents different cases of struggles against relentless exploitation. Among other topics, the book discusses China's environmental crisis, Nigeria's oil-infested lands, and Australia's uranium conflicts. It sheds light on the Amazon's indigenous defenders confronting mining and disease, while Vietnam and Cambodia grapple with the enduring legacy of Agent Orange. Finally, it looks into the Philippines' battle against mining giants and mirrors Russia's oil-ravaged reindeer herders.

Presenting the fight for survival against the onslaught of profit-driven extraction, the volume pictures a world where tradition clashes with modernity, and where the price of progress is often paid in blood and displacement. Hence, this book underscores the urgent need for cooperation in safeguarding our planet's future.

This book analyses historic and contemporary border regime developments in East Africa, and draws a complex picture of borders control in Africa beyond stereotypical “Western” imaginations. Based on ethnographic research, it describes the everyday realities of Kenyan border officers dealing with colonial border legacies on the ground, and analyses actual enforcement practices. Moreover, the book examines the implementation process of One Stop Border Post (OSBP), which is currently taking place all over the African continent. OSBPs stand in between regional, pan-African as well as neo-colonial, capitalist interests, and will shape cross-border trade, migration, security and transnational relations in the future. The book offers a critical analysis of this implementation process with reference to local voices from different borderlands of Kenya with Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Sudan and Uganda. The case studies thereby exemplify the ambivalent reality of borders worldwide, which simultaneously open and close at the same time, whereby reproducing inequalities.

In a time of global backlash against women's rights and gender issues, this book echoes the importance of protecting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women by conceptualising and analysing relevant sexual and reproductive health rights issues (SRHR) in Africa and the Caribbean. It examines the linkages that exist around SRHR issues between the two regions and how this understanding can help to support the protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights both in Africa and the Caribbean. It focuses on providing historical, conceptual and contxtual understandings of SRHR issues in the African continent and the Caribbean region. The main topics engage theoretical and contemporary issues, e.g., limitations to the single use of courts as avenues for reducing obstetric violence, abortion rights, maternal mortality, gender-based violence, and adolescent sexuality. The book presents diverse perspectives in the examination of SRHR issues by offering legal, socio-political, and medical frameworks for analysing and understanding sexual and reproductive health and rights. It further contributes to the discourse and strategies to protect the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and men to improve both women’s and men’s quality of life/well-being and to also achieve gender equality.

This book offers a comparative analysis of municipal service delivery in four major Bangladeshi cities: Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, and Rajshahi. Using the SERVQUAL model, it evaluates service quality through five dimensions?Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy?providing a detailed understanding of citizen satisfaction in varied urban settings.

The book’s strength lies in its comparative framework, which examines the distinct challenges and governance structures of each city. This analysis identifies common issues while uncovering unique dynamics, enabling a thorough exploration of service delivery systems. It highlights effective practices and areas for improvement, fostering a balanced view of urban governance.

Key municipal services such as street lighting, waste management, water supply, sewerage systems, and birth registration are assessed in detail. By focusing on practical reforms and innovations, the book bridges academic research with real-world application, offering actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and practitioners.

With its emphasis on practical solutions and comparative insights, this book is an essential resource for those involved in urban development. It provides valuable lessons for enhancing service quality and citizen satisfaction, contributing to more effective governance in developing countries.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of how Muslim Community Organisations (MCOs) in Australia perceived and responded to Islamophobia between 2014 and 2018?a period marked by the rise of ISIS, a surge in anti-Muslim political rhetoric, and culminating in the Christchurch terrorist attack on praying Muslims in New Zealand. Grounded in an agency-structure framework, it explores how MCOs navigated systemic power to resist Islamophobia through civic, discursive, and political strategies. Arguing that their agency is both pragmatic and transformative, the book reveals how these organisations operated within and against the constraints of Australian politics.

Building on this analysis, the final chapter reflects on the author's engagement with Muslim organisers to examine how the Australian state's response to the 2023 War on Gaza?marked by its complicity?shook the Muslim community, catalysing new forms of activism that depart from the pre-Christchurch context and may redefine the contours of anti-Islamophobia, Muslim-led advocacy.

This study is essential reading for scholars of Islamophobia, social movements, and Australian politics, offering valuable insights into the intersections of power, resistance, and identity.

This book explores how Kazakhstan has navigated its identity and geopolitical relationships since the January 2022 protests and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. What began as a study of Soviet legacy in Kazakhstan shifted focus when major events in 2022 altered the country's internal politics and regional standing.
We trace Kazakhstan's complex history with Russia from the incorporation of Kazakh nomadic territories into the Russian Empire through the Soviet era to today's complex relationship. The Soviet policies of collectivization and sedentarization dramatically transformed traditional Kazakh society, with devastating consequences like the Asharshylyk famine that continue to shape national memory and identity.
The book examines Kazakhstan's development under Presidents Nazarbayev and Tokayev, looking at how their "social contract" prioritized economic growth and stability over political freedoms. We provide a detailed look at the January 2022 protests, their aftermath, and Tokayev's subsequent reform agenda aimed at political modernization.
In the shadow of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, we show how Kazakhstan walks a diplomatic tightrope?maintaining necessary ties with Russia while avoiding Western sanctions and developing new partnerships, especially with Turkic states. Using postcolonial theory, we analyze how historical power dynamics continue to influence Kazakhstan's search for identity and place in the world.
Through five chapters, we offer readers a window into Kazakhstan's evolving sense of self, its changing relationships with global powers, and the potential for Pan-Turkism to provide a complementary alliance to Russian-dominated regional frameworks.