"Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was among the most influential intellectuals of the latter half of the twentieth century, a thinker whose pragmatist philosophy ranged effortlessly across literature, politics, history, and poetry. To today's wider public Rorty is best known as the philosopher who forewarned of the 2016 US presidential outcome almost two decades in advance when he presciently predicted that a portion of the electorate would "start looking...

"Why has nationalism come roaring back? Trump in America, Brexit in the U.K., anti-EU parties in Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and Hungary, and nativist or authoritarian leaders in Turkey, Russia, India, and China -- why has nationalism suddenly returned with a vengeance? Is the world headed back to the fractious conflicts between nations that led to world wars and depression in the early 20th Century? Why are nationalists...

"A penetrating look into the unrecognized and unregulated links between autocratic regimes in Central Asia and centers of power and wealth throughout the West. Weak, corrupt, and politically unstable, the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are dismissed as isolated and irrelevant to the outside world. But are they? This hard-hitting book argues that Central Asia is in reality a globalization leader with extensive...

“A sprawling story richly textured with original material, quirky details and amusing anecdotes . . .” —Wall Street Journal
“It is a cause for celebration that Yergin has returned with his perspective on a very different landscape . . . [I]t is impossible to think of a better introduction to the essentials of energy in the 21st century. The Quest is . . . the definitive guide to how we got here.”...

This fascinating and clarifying look at the debate surrounding global warming explores the striking disconnect between the relatively clear-cut concerns of the world's most prominent scientists and the maze of speculation, rhetorical posturing, and outright misinformation that attaches to this issue whenever it's taken up by politicians, PR specialists, and political pundits. Mixing a localized focus on Ireland with insights from scientists and leaders...

"Is English a bridge or a barrier to economic advancement and social mobility as it spreads worldwide? To what extent do domestic and global politics determine those outcomes? Who are the winners, losers, and resisters? How are France and China using the "soft power" of language to overtake English and to what ends? What role do globalization, a knowledge-based economy, and neoliberalism play in these developments? Using education as its lens, this...

A path-blazing lesson on how to reconcile lofty human rights ambitions with political and cultural realities.