Across Western Europe, the global financial crisis of 2008 and its aftermath not only brought economic havoc but also, in turn, intense political upheaval. Many of the political manifestations of the crisis seen in other Western and especially Southern European countries also hit Spain, where challenger parties caused unprecedented parliamentary fragmentation, resulting in four general elections in under four years from 2015 onwards. Yet Spain, a decentralised state where extensive powers ...

A laugh-out-loud funny monster picture book. Perfect for fans of There's a Monster in Your Book.Let me be your monster, I'm more fun than you'd think. Don't mind the grime, ignore the slime, you'll soon forget my stink!Slimy, greedy, yucky, cute . . . But who will make the perfect pet? Find out in this monstrously funny tale!With a simple, rhyming text and colourful illustrations, full of humorous details, this fun...

Contesting Spain? The Dynamics of Nationalist Movements in Catalonia and the Basque Country offers an exploration of the dynamics behind contemporary shifts in the orientation of nationalist parties and movements with reference to Catalonia and the Basque country in Spain. The chapters were originally papers presented at a workshop held at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) in September 2014 as part of a research project on ‘The Dynamics of Nationalist Evolutio...

Baabara wants more than anything in the world to be a big sister...Baabara Muttons has everything that a young sheep could wish for. But there's one thing she wants more than anything else in the world: to be a big sister to a real-life actual baby!Well, sometimes wishes do come true. Will the reality of not one ... not two ... but five new baby brothers and sisters live up to Baabara's expectations?A hilariously funny new baby...

On Liberty is the English philosopher John Stuart Mill's classic critique of the ethical limits of governmental authority, and remains one of the most influential philosophical treatises ever written. In this 1859 philosophical treatise, the concept of personal liberty went without codification until the publication of this enduring work which applies an ethical system of utilitarianism to society and the state which to this day remains well known and studied. Mill starts ...

First published on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense was an immediate sensation. In clear simple language it explained to the people of the Thirteen Colonies why they needed to fight for independence from Great Britain.Common Sense has been called "the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era."

On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence, becoming the seventh state to emerge from the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. A tiny country of just two million people, 90% of whom are ethnic Albanians, Kosovo is central-geographically, historically, and politically-to the future of the Western Balkans and, in turn, its potential future within the European Union. But the fate of both Kosovo, condemned by Serbian leaders as a "fake state" and the region as a whole, remains uncert...

This is a scrupulously researched and superbly written account of the events of that fateful week. The narrative proceeds almost on an hour-by-hour basis building up a picture which, while immensely detailed, is none the less presented with the greatest clarity. First published in 1964, The Easter Rebellion quickly established itself as the outstanding narrative history of the 1916 Rising in Ireland. It provides an objective and exciting appraisal of what was perhaps the most decisive week...

In 2004, the French government instituted a ban on the wearing of "conspicuous signs" of religious affiliation in public schools. Though the ban applies to everyone, it is aimed at Muslim girls wearing headscarves. Proponents of the law insist it upholds France's values of secular liberalism and regard the headscarf as symbolic of Islam's resistance to modernity. The Politics of the Veil is an explosive refutation of this view, one that bears important implications for us all....

In July 2011, South Sudan was granted independence and became the world's newest country. Yet just two-and-a-half years after this momentous decision, the country was in the grips of renewed civil war and political strife. Hilde F. Johnson served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan from July 2011 until July 2014 and, as such, she was witness to the many challenges which the country faced as it struggled to...

This fascinating history looks at how the lives of ordinary Dubliners were affected by these three major eventsWhy did so many working-class Dublin men join the British Army? How did the city’s 92,000 Protestants fare in this turbulent time? Dubliners fought on both sides in the Easter Rising. What were their motivations? How did Sinn Féin and the Catholic Church marginalise Labour in the battle for political control of the city after the Rising? Why did so many Dubliners benefit f...

The Hill Times: Best Books of 2016A bold call for a Canadian foreign policy that advances the basic freedoms that enable peace, stability, development, and security.What ends should a democratic country’s foreign policy serve? Avoiding diplomatic disputes? Keeping allies happy? Promoting national and global security? While a qualified yes is the logical answer to all of these secondary questions, Two Freedoms argues for something more, som...