In this new edition of his acclaimed book, Olivier Roy examines the political development of Central Asia, from the Russian conquests to the ` War on Terror` & beyond. During the anti-Gorbachev coup in August 1991, most communist leaders from Soviet Central Asia backed the plotters. Within weeks of the coup`s collapse, these very same leaders
- now transformed into ardent nationalists
- proclaimed the independence of their nations, designed new flags, invented new slogans & discovered a new patriotism. How were these new nations built, without any traditional nationalist reference points? In ” The New Central Asia”, Olivier Roy argues that Soviet practice had always been to build on local institutions & promote a local elite. Thus Soviet administration
- as opposed to Soviet policy making
- was always surprisingly decentralized. With home-grown political leaders & administrative institutions, national identities in Central Asia emerged almost by stealth. Roy`s compelling analysis of the new Central Asian states
- Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirghizstan & including Azerbaijan
- makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the geopolitics of Central Asia.





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Featuring topics ranging from giant galaxies to microscopic bacteria, this encyclopedia explores & explains the world we live in & beyond. Bring key school subjects to life for your child with this encyclopedia packed with hundreds of topics, thousands of fantastic pictures & countless ways to find out more about everything. Open up a whole universe of knowledge & wonder for your child. Starting with an exciting voyage through outer space, they`ll explore the living world, people & places & even have an under-the-skin encounter with the workings of the human body. It is perfect for dipping in & out of, or for reading through, your child will learn from special features including maps, charts, timelines & thousands of facts on key curriculum topics. It is perfect for homework, projects or just for fun! ...

With a preface by Norman Davies, author of Europe: A History. Revised & updated following Russia's attack on Georgia. No longer the sick man of Europe, Russia is run by an authoritarian ex-KGB regime with the cash to put its ideas into practice. Under Vladimir Putin's autocratic rule, it silences its critics & bullies its neighbours. The murders of Anna Politkovskaya & Aleksander Litvinenko have sent a grim warning to other critics & the sham presidential 'election' in 2007 that put Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin as Putin's h&-picked successor showed how Russia's rulers, not the voters, dictate the country's political future. The New Cold War explains the Kremlin's use of energy blockades & trade sanctions, military sabre-rattling & propaganda wars against its neighbours
- & why a divided & demoralised West is responding so feebly. It is an incisive & disturbing account of why we are perilously close to defeat
- & how we can still win.

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Revised & updated with a new preface on the Crimean crisis While most of the world was lauding the stability & economic growth that Vladimir Putin`s ex-KGB regime had brought to Russia, Edward Lucas was ringing alarm bells. First published in 2008 & since revised, The New Cold War remains the most insightful & informative account of Russia today. It depicts the regime`s crushing of independent institutions & silencing of critics, taking Russia far away from the European mainstream. It highlights the Kremlin`s use of the energy weapon in Europe, the bullying of countries in the former Soviet empire, such as Estonia, Georgia & Ukraine
- & the way that Russian money weakens the West`s will to resist. Now updated with an incisive analysis of Russia`s seizure of Crimea & its destabilisation of Ukraine, The New Cold War unpicks the roots of the Kremlin`s ideology & exposes the West`s naive belief that Putin`s sinister & authoritarian regime might ever be a friend or partner.
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This new illustrated edition of Evelyn Rose`s classic book has been completely revised & updated by Evelyn`s daughter Judi, ensuring it continues to be the culinary bible of Jewish cuisine. Packed with mouth-watering ideas for both family meals & those special occasions when you want to impress without spending hours in the kitchen, the book contains over 1000 fail-safe recipes for which the author is justly celebrated. Ideal for novices & experienced cooks alike, the easy-to-follow recipes showcase the diversity of Jewish cooking which draws influences from Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean & Middle East. From soups & starters to desserts, breads & baking, the recipes provide inspiration for everyday cooking as well as step-by step features on entertaining through the seasons. A guide to the major Jewish festivals, such as Passover, explains the `why` & `hows` of much-loved symbolic dishes as well as providing menu plans. ...

The year is 1905 & King Edward VII has invited himself & his mistress to a shooting weekend with the Dilbernes. Now Isobel, the Countess, must turn a run-down mansion into a palace fit for a king. Just as well the family fortunes have been restored, but money can`t solve everything...not even a kidnapping. The servants refuse to condone the King`s morals; Isobel`s daughter, Lady Rosina
- now widowed & wealthy
- insists on publishing a scandalous book, & the mis-spent pasts of Viscount Arthur & his Irish-American wife Minnie rear up to blacken the family name. When fate deals a hand in the middle of the shooting party, Isobel must consider not only her leading position in Society, but her entire future. Fay Weldon brings an aristocratic Edwardian household to fabulous, vibrant life in this gorgeously witty tale of manners & morals, commoners & countesses, from one of Britain`s best loved authors.

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China has become the powerhouse of the world economy & home to 1 in 5 of the world`s population, yet we know almost nothing of the people who lead it. How does one become the leader of the world`s newest superpower? & who holds the real power in the Chinese system? In The New Emperors, the noted China expert Kerry Brown journeys deep into the heart of the secretive Communist Party. China`s system might have its roots in peasant rebellion but it is now firmly under the control of a power-conscious Beijing elite, almost half of whose members are related directly to former senior Party leaders. Brown reveals the intrigue & scandal surrounding the internal battle raging between two China`s: one founded by Mao on Communist principles, & a modern China in which `to get rich is glorious`. At the centre of it all sits the latest Party Secretary, Xi Jinping
- the son of a revolutionary, with links both to big business & to the People`s Liberation Army. His rise to power is symbolic of the new emperors leading the world`s next superpower.
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In The New English Garden the leading garden writer Tim Richardson, author of The Arcadian Friends, discusses twenty-five significant English gardens made or remade over the past decade. Together these represent a coherent overview of what remains probably the most inventive garden culture in the world. With the benefit of an international perspective, the author surveys a wide spectrum of gardens in styles ranging from the cutting-edge naturalistic planting design of the Sheffield School to the scientific imagery of Througham Court. While many of these gardens are challenging or thought-provoking, other reflect the sensuously romantic tradition of English planting design, which has also been moving ahead in interesting ways. Through Tim Richardson`s incisive writing, The New English Garden presents all that is most interesting about garden-making in England in the twenty-first century & is beautifully illustrated by Andrew Lawson`s photography of some of England`s most famous gardens, from Prince Charles`s garden at Highgrove, Christopher Llyod`s garden at Great Dixter & Arabella Lennox-Boyd`s garden at Gresgarth right up to the Olympic Park in 2012. The Full List of Gardens is: * Armscote Manor * Mount St John * Packwood House * Scamptson Hall * Daylesford House * The Lynn Garden, Ascott * Great Dixter * Througham Court * Crockmore House * Pettifers * Waltham Place * Highgrove * Living Wall, Athenaeum Hotel * Trentham * Plaz Mataxu * Cottesbrooke Hall * Olympic Park * Temple Guiting * Angel Field * Hanham Court * Tilbuty Hall * Gresgarth * Bury Court * The Laskett * Wildside ...

Building upon the ever-more-popular principles of The New English Kitchen & The Savvy Shopper, Rose Prince`s new book celebrates good British food & shows how to make the most of ingredients & leftovers. Hot chestnut & honey soup, whipped potatoes with Lancashire cheese, melted ale & cheddar to eat with bread, baked haddock soup, saffron buns & watercress & radish sauce for pasta: just a few of the 200 completely delectable & original recipes in this inspiring new book. The New English Table explores affordable & easy good food. Rose Prince unlocks a larder of new & unfamiliar English ingredients from cobnuts to red Duke of York potatoes to watercress & also shows how eating local can mean good eating at the same time as being good for the environment. She explains how & where to shop & introduces a rhythm of cooking, identifying which foods are right for everyday meals, & which are perfect for the occasional feast. She shows how to make the most of costly ingredients
- traditional breeds, organic produce & handmade foods
- & how to recycling leftovers for yet more delicious meals. Leftovers from a roast beef joint, for instance, become an aromatic salad with toasted green pumpkin seeds & herbs, or, simmered with fungi & red wine, a rich braise to eat with mash or buttered ribbons of pasta. The New English Table is proof that good eating does not have to cost the earth.

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This was supposed to be the era when democracy came into its own, but instead power & wealth in Britain have slowly been consolidated the hands of a small elite, while the rest of the country struggles financially & switches off politically. We are now ruled by a gang of fat-cats with fingers in every pie who squabble for power among themselves while growing richer. Bored with watching corrupt politicians jockeying for power, ordinary Britons are feeling disconnected from politics & increasingly cynical about the back-scratching relationship between politicians & big business. The New Few shows us what has led to this point, & asks the critical questions: why has Britain become a more unequal society over the past thirty years? Why have the banks been bailed out with taxpayers` money, while bankers are still receiving huge bonuses? Why have those responsible not been held accountable for the financial crash? Why has power in Britain become so concentrated in the hands of corrupt politicians who have been exposed cheating their constituents in the expenses scandal? Despite this bleak diagnosis, there are solutions to the rise of the new ruling class in the modern West. The New Few sets out some of the ways in which we can restore our democracy, bringing back real accountability to British business & fairness to our society. ...