Libya is coming in from the cold, but for most of the three decades following the 1969 revolution, the country was labelled a pariah state by the West. Dirk Vandewalle, one of only a handful of western scholars to visit during the time, is intimately acquainted with the country. This history
- based on original research & his interviews with Libya's political elite
- offers a lucid account of Libya's past, & corrects some of the misunderstandings about its present. The author takes the story from the 1900s, through the Italian occupation, the Sanusi monarchy & Qadhafi's self-styled revolution. The final chapter is devoted to the events which brought Libya back into the international fold. As the first comprehensive history of Libya over the last two decades, this book will be welcomed by students of the region, professionals & those who are visiting Libya for the first time.

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In the wake of the civil war & Qadhafi`s demise, the time is ripe for a new edition of Dirk Vandewalle`s classic history of Libya. The book, which was originally published in 2006, traces the country`s history back to the 1900s, through the Italian occupation in the early twentieth century, the Sanusi monarchy &, thereafter, to the revolution of 1969 & the accession of Qadhafi. The following chapters analyse the economics & politics of Qadhafi`s revolution, offering insights into the man & his ideology as reflected in his Green Book. The new edition covers the intervening years, since 2005, when, courted by the West, Qadhafi came in from the cold. At home, though, his people were disillusioned, & economic liberalization came too late to forestall revolution. In an epilogue, the author reflects upon Qadhafi`s premiership & the legacy he leaves behind. ...

Robert Service's The Penguin History of Modern Russia: From Tsarism to the Twenty-first Century provides a superb panorama ...

Kenneth Perkins' book, which was the first English-language history of modern Tunisia, traces its story from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The years from 1881 saw the inauguration of French colonial rule, the creation of the nationalist movement &, finally, independence in 1956. Perkins examines the problems that were created by colonialism, & the measures undertaken to achieve independence. He then describes the subsequent process of state-building, including the design of political & economic structures & the promotion of a social & cultural agenda. In conclusion, he reviews the years since 1987, when a new regime came to power with promises of correcting the most widely perceived faults of its predecessor. Perkins' readable & informed introduction will be a necessity for students of the region, & also for anyone travelling there who wants a more comprehensive approach than most guide books can offer. ...

Nepal emerged as a unified state over two hundred years ago, centred on the Kathmandu Valley with its two thousand years of urban civilisation. While John Whelpton`s history focuses on the period since the overthrow of the Rana family autocracy in 1950-51, the early chapters are devoted to the origins of the kingdom & the evolving relations of its diverse peoples. By drawing on research on Nepal`s environment, society & political institutions, the author portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, which has been constantly buffeted by its neighbours, the two Asian giants, China & India. Economic & political turmoil over the last fifty years came to a climax in the massacre of the royal family in 2001, when the country erupted into civil war. The book is comprehensive & its accessible approach will appeal to students, professionals & those visiting the region. ...

This updated edition analyses the challenges, both internal & external, facing Saudi Arabia in the twenty-first century. Two new chapters discuss the political, economic & social developments in the aftermath of 9/11, painting a vivid picture of a country shocked by terrorism & condemned by the international community. Madawi Al-Rasheed reveals that fragmentation of royal politics, a failing economy & fermenting Islamist dissent posed serious threats to state & society in 2001. She assesses the consequent state reforms introduced under pressure of terrorism, international scrutiny & a social mobilisation of men, women & minorities struggling to shape their future against a background of repression & authoritarian rule. While Saudi Arabia is still far from establishing a fourth state, there are signs that the people are ready for a serious change that will lead them to a state of institutions rather than princes. ...

This lively, accessible book is the first new history of Thailand in English for two decades. Drawing on new Thai-language research, it ranges widely over political, economic, social, & cultural themes. Chris Baker & Pasuk Phongpaichit reveal how a world of mandarin nobles & unfree labour evolved into a rural society of smallholder peasants & an urban society populated mainly by migrants from Southern China. They trace how a Buddhist cosmography adapted to new ideas of time & space, & a traditional polity was transformed into a new nation-state under a strengthened monarchy. The authors cover the contests between urban nationalists, ambitious generals, communist rebels, business politicians, & social movements to control the nation-state & redefine its purpose. They describe the dramatic changes wrought by a booming economy, globalization, & the evolution of mass society. ...

In a work of profound & lasting importance, Albert Hourani tells the definitive history of the Arab peoples from the seventh century, when the new religion of Islam began to spread from the Arabian Peninsula westwards, to the present day. A History of the Arab Peoples is a masterly distillation of a lifetime of scholarship & a unique insight into a perpetually troubled region. For this edition, Malise Ruthven continues the history to include such recent events as the crisis in Iraq, the civil war in Algeria & the aftermath of September 11th. ...

This authoritative study of the Arabians & the Arabic-speaking peoples is a hugely valuable source of information on Arab history. Suitable for both scholars & the general reader, it unrolls one of the richest & most instructive panoramas in history, telling with insight the story of the rise of Islam in the Middle Ages, its conquests, its empire, its time of greatness & of decay. For this revised tenth edition, Walid Khalidi`s timely Preface emphasises that now, more than ever, this magisterial work is of vital importance to the on-going attempts to bridge the Arab/ Western cultural divide. ...

Cold & isolated, yet home to some 4 million people; harsh & unyielding, yet receding dramatically every year: the Arctic is an area that defies definition. No landscape has stood out in the modern mind as so quintessentially timeless: imagined & described as a realm of crystalline purity, as a grey kingdom of frozen death, eternal & unchanging. Possessing a unique ecosystem, & home to some of the world`s most robust peoples, the Arctic has both fascinated & unsettled outsiders throughout history. Today it stands at the epicentre of an unprecedented environmental crisis. Yet for all its renown the Arctic remains far from perfectly understood. In A History of the Arctic, award-winning polar historian John Mc Cannon provides a far-reaching overview from the Stone Age to the present, examining all major aspects of this vital region from a global perspective. Covering the history of each Arctic nation, Mc Cannon discusses many topics, including polar exploration & science, nation-building & diplomacy, environmental issues & climate change, & the role of indigenous populations in Arctic history. With Arctic territorial claims & resource- extraction assuming ever greater importance in the twenty-first century, this book

Includes:: a timely assessment of current diplomatic & environmental realities, along with the increasingly dire risks the region is likely to face in the near future.

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