Books

THE ROLE OF THE ARAB-ISLAMIC WORLD IN THE RISE OF THE WEST: Implications for Contemporary Trans-Cultural Relations (Palgrave MacMillan)

This book takes a fascinating look at the role of the Arab-Islamic world in the rise of the West. It examines the cultural transmission of ideas and institutions in a number of key areas, including science, philosophy, humanism, law, finance, commerce, as well as the Arab-Islamic world's overall impact on the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment. Through this survey of cultural exchange and borrowing, the book challenges received Eurocentric narratives of the rise of the West. It also offers a timely and important discussion of the implications of this shared history for contemporary trans-cultural relations. (...) Read more

THE POLITICS OF EMERGING STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGIES: Implications for Geopolitics, Human Enhancement and Human Destiny (St Antony's Series)

Emerging technologies hold great promise but also pose major challenges to global politics, national and international security, human dignity and human destiny. This book examines the latest innovations, key trends and geopolitical and human implications of emerging strategic technologies such as Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Artificial Intelligence. Read more

SUSTAINABLE HISTORY AND THE DIGNITY OF MAN: A Philosophy of History and Civilisational Triumph

SUSTAINABLE HISTORY AND THE DIGNITY OF MAN is a new philosophy of history. This volume outlines how sustainable history is propelled by good governance, which balances the tension between the attributes of human nature – emotionality, amorality and egoisms – and human dignity needs, such as reason, security, human rights, accountability, transparency (...) Read more

CRITICAL TURNING POINTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST: 1915 - 2015

This book takes a refreshing look at the modern Middle East through the prisms of six cascading negative critical turning points. It identifies the seeds of a potential seventh generated by poor governance paradigms and exacerbated by geopolitical competition for the region's natural resources. The authors argue that this problem can only be effectively addressed through the development of endogenous good governance paradigms that are culturally appropriate, affordable and acceptable to the people of the Middle East, while meeting certain minimal criteria that ensure global moral and political cooperation. Read more

NEO-STATECRAFT AND META-GEOPOLITICS: Reconciliation of Power, Interests and Justice in the 21st Century

This book proposes an innovative and comprehensive framework for conducting statecraft in the 21st century. Called neo-statecraft, this framework is based on the reconciliation of power, interests and justice. The author proposes four substrates of neo-statecraft: 1) a new structure he calls meta-geopolitics, which includes seven inter-related dimensions of state power (...) Read more

"EMOTIONAL AMORAL EGOISM": A Neurophilosophical Theory of Human Nature and its Universal Security Implications

The enduring assumption that human behaviour is governed by innate morality and reason is at odds with the persistence of human deprivation, injustice, brutality, inequality and conflict. This book offers a fresh look at human nature and universal security by proposing a new general theory of human nature, "emotional amoral egoism", and a specific theory of human motivation that draw (...) Read more

POTENTIAL GLOBAL STRATEGIC CATASTROPHES: Balancing Transnational Responsibilities and Burden-sharing with Sovereignty and Human Dignity

This book is the result of a Symposium on Potential Global Strategic Catastrophes, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland in 2008. The catastrophes chosen do not include remote and less immediate events. Only those with the potential to produce multiple cascading strategic dilemmas for states and the international system were selected. These dilemmas include balancing the sovereign (...) Read more

SYMBIOTIC REALISM: A Theory of International Relations in an Instant and an Interdependent World

Symbiotic Realism is a theory of relations in a globally-anarchic world of instant connectivity and interdependence. It aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the character of relations generated by four interlocking facets of the global system: the neurobiological substrates of human nature; global anarchy; instant connectivity; and interdependence. It provides a way (...) Read more

THE THREE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL SECURITY IN A TRANSNATIONAL WORLD

In today's transnational world, a sustainable national security policy cannot be achieved through national capabilities alone. Sustainable national security instead rests on three pillars: 1) a multi-sum security principle based on justice at all levels, multilateralism and multidimensionality (including human, environmental, national, transnational and transcultural/transcivilizational security); 2) symbiotic realism in international relations, whereby mutual (...) Read more

THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Proposal for a Multi-sum Security Principle

This book sets out a new and innovative security principle that is highly pertinent to our times: THE MULTI-SUM SECURITY PRINCIPLE. This principle aims not only to promote cooperative interaction between states, but also peaceful coexistence between cultural groups and civilizations. It combines a proposed new classification of global security that comprises five dimensions of security - human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security (...) Read more

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN GLOBAL SECURITY

Sustainable global security can only be achieved when education is made a priority by states and their institutions. When properly realized, education can be a global asset to fight poverty, inequality, insecurity, and disease. This book offers an innovative new philosophy in which cultural, religious, and ideological diversity in education throughout the world is encouraged and respected. The author advocates that whenever "the other" is discussed, maximum sensitivity, respect, (...) Read more

MULTILATERALISM AND TRANSNATIONAL SECURITY: A Synthesis of Win-Win Solutions

In the globalised world of today, states face increasingly complex and transnational threats, which include, among other things, terrorism, international migration, weapons proliferation, poverty and human rights violations. This book maintains that the most effective responses to such threats are multilateral ones – an argument that is supported by an exploration of the various multilateral (...) Read more

POLICY BRIEFS ON THE TRANSCULTURAL ASPECTS OF SECURITY AND STABILITY

By assessing various aspects of globalization through an analysis of issues currently facing states, decision makers, and individuals within communities, this book provides an essential tool for exploring the future implications of policies and decision-making processes. Topics such as ethics and civil liberties, information technology, the role of the United Nations, migration, and regional security are analyzed by a number of experts in the field, and each brief (...) Read more

POLICY BRIEFS ON THE TRANSNATIONAL ASPECTS OF SECURITY AND STABILITY

This book looks specifically at a number of topics that deal with the changing nature of the state in the era of globalization, and the impact of this transformation on global security and stability. Each topic is also represented by a diagram assessing and illustrating the linkages between the challenges currently facing states and recommendations for ways in which the state can move forward. This book may serve as a reference guide for practitioners, students, and academic (...) Read more

THE EMERGENCE OF BLOGS AS a Fifth Estate AND THEIR SECURITY IMPLICATIONS

In the past ten years, the spread of the Internet and other advanced technologies has had a dramatic effect on the way people access and perceive information. One of the most revolutionary technological novelties that characterizes the modern "digital revolution" has been the explosion of weblogs. Blogs have impacted numerous facets of international politics including elections, media reporting from zones of conflict, and corporate and congressional policies. (...) Read more