Political Science Books

Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City, Gallagher, John ISBN: 9780814334690

Experts estimate that perhaps forty square miles of Detroit are vacant-from a quarter to a third of the city -a level of emptiness that creates a landscape unlike any other big city. Author John Gallagher, who has covered urban redevelopment for the "Detroit Free Press" for two decades, spent a year researching what is going on in Detroit precisely because of its open space and the dire economic times we face. Instead of presenting another account of the city's decline, "Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City" showcases the innovative community-building work happening in the city and focuses on what else can be done to make Detroit leaner, greener, and more economically self-sufficient. Gallagher conducted numerous interviews, visited community projects, and took many of the photographs that accompany the text to uncover some of the strategies that are being used, and could be used in the future, to make twenty-first century Detroit a more sustainable and desirable place to live. Some of the topics Gallagher discusses are urban agriculture, restoring vacant lots, reconfiguring Detroit's overbuilt road network, and reestablishing some of the city's original natural landscape. He also investigates new models for governing the city and fostering a more entrepreneurial economy to ensure a more stable political and economic future. Along the way, Gallagher introduces readers to innovative projects that are already under way in the city and proposes other models for possible solutions-from as far away as Dresden, Germany, and Seoul, South Korea, and as close to home as Philadelphia and Youngstown-to complement current efforts. Ultimately, Gallagher helps to promote progressive ideas and the community leaders advancing them and offers guidance for other places dealing with the shrinking cities phenomenon. Readers interested in urban studies and environmental issues will enjoy the fresh perspective of "Reimagining Detroit."

The Return of the State?, Eppler, Erhard ISBN: 9780955497575

In the wake of the economic crisis that caught the world unprepared in 2008, the state has seen a remarkable comeback. After an age of neoliberalism, in which the cutting back of state activity was the mantra, it was the state that was turned to when banks and markets failed. Governments all over the world developed rescue and stimulus packages and even nationalized significant parts of the financial sectors. The state has regained political and economic power and is using it. But what exactly is the state and what can and should it do? Where is the line between what the market can, and what the state needs, to provide? What can and should civil society expect from the state? Erhard Eppler answers these vital questions, drawing on historical and political examples from all over the world.

Al-Qaeda's Post-9/11 Devolution: The Failed Jihadist Struggle Against the Near and Far Enemy, Celso, Anthony ISBN: 9781441155894

This examination of al-Qaeda's decline since the 9/11 attacks focuses on the terror organization's mutation and fragmentation. It looks at its partnership with the local and regional jihadist networks that played a pivotal role in the Madrid, London, and Fort Hood attacks, arguing that, although initially successful, such alliances actually unraveled following both anti-terror policies and a growing rejection of violent jihadism in the Muslim world. Challenging conventional theories about al-Qaeda and homegrown terrorism, the book claims that jihadist attacks are now organized by overlapping international and regional networks that have become frustrated in their inability to enforce regime change and their ideological goals. The discussion spans the war on terror, analyzing major post 9/11 attacks, the failed jihadist struggle in Iraq, al-Qaeda's affiliates, and the organization's future prospects after the death of Osama Bin Laden and the Arab Spring. This assessment of the future of the jihadist struggle against Muslim governments and homegrown Islamic terrorism in the West will be an invaluable resource to anyone studying terrorism and Islamic extremism.

Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times, Goodman, Amy ISBN: 9781401309893

The award-winning journalists and authors of The Exception to the Rulers and Static return with this revolutionary work that celebrates the ordinary heroes who have stood up, often at great risk, to defend democracy and change America for the better.