Swords and Sustenance

Swords and Sustenance PDF Author: Robert Legvold
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262263573
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
The stability of the former Soviet states is threatened by their precarious geopolitical position within a turbulent economic and political environment. Swords and Sustenance explores the complex economic dimension of national security for two key post-Soviet countries, Belarus and Ukraine—that is, how they have dealt with the challenges posed by internal economic and political reform and their relationships with Russia and the West. The book first examines how differing commitments to economic and political reform (reform is largely absent in Belarus) affect Belarusian and Ukrainian approaches to security. It then considers the central role of Russia, and how Russian interests and policies toward Belarus and Ukraine limit the two countries' foreign and domestic policy choices. Two chapters discuss the national security implications for Belarus and Ukraine of two key economic factors in their foreign policy: energy trade (in the form of oil, gas, and pipelines) and military-industrial cooperation (including the sale of arms). Finally, the book considers the relationships of Belarus and Ukraine with regional and global institutions and explores the policies of the EU, NATO, and the United States toward Belarus and Ukraine.

Swords and Sustenance

Swords and Sustenance PDF Author: Robert Legvold
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262263573
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Get Book Here

Book Description
The stability of the former Soviet states is threatened by their precarious geopolitical position within a turbulent economic and political environment. Swords and Sustenance explores the complex economic dimension of national security for two key post-Soviet countries, Belarus and Ukraine—that is, how they have dealt with the challenges posed by internal economic and political reform and their relationships with Russia and the West. The book first examines how differing commitments to economic and political reform (reform is largely absent in Belarus) affect Belarusian and Ukrainian approaches to security. It then considers the central role of Russia, and how Russian interests and policies toward Belarus and Ukraine limit the two countries' foreign and domestic policy choices. Two chapters discuss the national security implications for Belarus and Ukraine of two key economic factors in their foreign policy: energy trade (in the form of oil, gas, and pipelines) and military-industrial cooperation (including the sale of arms). Finally, the book considers the relationships of Belarus and Ukraine with regional and global institutions and explores the policies of the EU, NATO, and the United States toward Belarus and Ukraine.

Struggle over Identity

Struggle over Identity PDF Author: Nelly Bekus
Publisher: Central European University Press
ISBN: 6155211841
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Rejecting the cliché about “weak identity and underdeveloped nationalism,” Bekus argues for the co-existence of two parallel concepts of Belarusianness—the official and the alternative one—which mirrors the current state of the Belarusian people more accurately and allows for a different interpretation of the interconnection between the democratization and nationalization of Belarusian society. The book describes how the ethno-symbolic nation of the Belarusian nationalists, based on the cultural capital of the Golden Age of the Belarusian past (17th century) competes with the “nation” institutionalized and reified by the numerous civic rituals and social practices under the auspices of the actual Belarusian state. Comparing the two concepts not only provides understanding of the logic that dominates Belarusian society’s self-description models, but also enables us to evaluate the chances of alternative Belarusianness to win this unequal struggle over identity.

Swords and Plowshares

Swords and Plowshares PDF Author: Louis L. Schwartz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Minneapolis (Minn.)
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description


The Misenchanted Sword

The Misenchanted Sword PDF Author: Lawrence Watt-Evans
Publisher: Wildside Press
ISBN: 1434443388
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
The old wizard wasn't exactly happy with Valder, who'd led his enemy to his hut. Now hut and magical supplies were destroyed. But he'd promised the young scout a magic sword to get him safely back to his own lines -- and a much-enchanted sword Valder would get! The resulting sword gave perfect protection -- sometimes! It could kill any man -- or even half demon. In fact, once drawn, it had to kill before it could be put down or sheathed. Army wizards told Valder that the sword would keep him alive until he'd drawn it 100 times; then it would kill him! It wouldn't prevent his being wounded, maimed or cut to pieces, but it wouldn't let him die. If his new job as Chief Assassin for the army didn't make him use up the spell, he'd be practically immortal. Not bad, it seemed. There had to be a catch somewhere. There was -- and it was a lulu!

Globalization and National Security

Globalization and National Security PDF Author: Jonathan Kirshner
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135917299
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
In this book, top scholars of international relations assess the consequences of globalization for national security, identifying three distinct ‘processes’ of globalization - the intensification of economic exchange, the flow of information, and marketization (the expansion of the set of social relations governed by market forces)-exploring how they can affect the capacity and power of states as well as conflict within and among them. Though much has been written on the topics of globalization and national security, there has been relatively little in the way of a systematic examination of the impact that globalization has on a state's national security. These essays deal with how state-less actors, such as terrorists, utilize the benefits of globalization, changing the nature of the security game. Failure to account for the influence of globalization will make it increasingly difficult to understand changes in the balance of power, prospects for war, and strategic choices embraced by states.

Fall of the Swords Collection

Fall of the Swords Collection PDF Author: Scott Michael Decker
Publisher: Next Chapter
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1378

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Book Description
All four books in 'Fall Of The Swords', a series of fantasy novels by Scott Michael Decker, now in one volume! The Peasant: Following a civil war, an empire grapples with the devastating fallout. His conscience heavy, Peasant General Guarding Bear wants to usurp the tyrannical emperor’s throne. But the general’s rivals continue to play games, seeking to avenge their name and reclaim the Northern Imperial Sword. With his reign threatened and no progeny to his name, the Emperor plots to conceive an heir by stealth. Soon, Guarding Bear enters a world of deception, smoke and mirrors, and must decide where his loyalties lie. The Bandit: Tired of lying in wait, the exiled Noble Bandit seizes his chance at revenge. Meanwhile, as the birth of the Royal Twins nears, Peasant General Guarding Bear is repatriated by the Emperor. Fearing for the safety of his heirs, the emperor orders the general to lay siege to his enemy’s fortress. In preparation, the general recruits the aid of a powerful wizard and a skilled young healer – but none of them suspects a traitor in their midst. As loyalties are tested and new alliances made, who will rise above and claim victory as their own? The Heir: The future of the Empire hangs in the balance. Separated from birth, the Royal Twins have been raised in opposite corners of the empire. Meanwhile, bandits continue to lay waste to the kingdom in their attempt to force the Emperor to relinquish the Northern Imperial Sword. Among them is the Noble Bandit, nemesis of Peasant General Guarding Bear. Tasked with rearing one of the twins, the Peasant General wastes no time in preparing the boy for his destiny of ridding the kingdom of the bandits once and for all. But long-kept secrets are brought to life as the Heir is mistaken for his long-lost brother, and his new rival declares himself Emperor of the northern lands. Their path leads them towards a final confrontation that will forever change the fate of the realm. The Emperor: Seeking Sword looks to the south for only one thing: The Northern Imperial Sword, which now lies dormant in the vaults of the Eastern Empire. Without it, Seeking Sword will always be a bandit. And to get it, he'll have to defeat the Heir. Abandoned to bandits as an infant, Seeking Sword has known adversity, but nothing has prepared him to lead a campaign against such an adversary. It isn't the Heir's formidable fighting skills nor his tactical acumen that so dismays the bandit Emperor. It's the beloved devotion of his people.

Hierarchy and Egalitarianism in Islamic Thought

Hierarchy and Egalitarianism in Islamic Thought PDF Author: Louise Marlow
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521894289
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
By examining a wide range of Arabic and Persian literature from the eighth to the thirteenth century, Louise Marlow shows the tension that existed between the traditional egalitarian ideal of early Islam, and the hierarchical impulses of the classical period. The literature demonstrates that while Islam's initial orientation was markedly egalitarian, the social aspect of this egalitarianism was soon undermined in the aftermath of Islam's political success, and as hierarchical social ideas from older cultures in the Middle East were incorporated into the new polity. Although the memory of its early promise never entirely receded, social egalitarianism quickly came to be associated with political subversion. This 1997 book will be of use to a wide readership of Islamic historians and of scholars assessing the impact of the modern Islamic revival.

Export Pipelines from the CIS Region

Export Pipelines from the CIS Region PDF Author: Andreas Heinrich
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 3838205391
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
This timely collection offers fresh perspectives to the analysis of the 'New Great Game' – the fight for access to the Caspian Sea region's energy resources. To date, the export of the Caspian crude oil and natural gas has only been assessed geopolitically, which oversimplifies the political dynamics of the region and neglects to acknowledge the Caspian countries as actors in their own right.

Mipham's Sword of Wisdom

Mipham's Sword of Wisdom PDF Author: Khenchen Palden Sherab
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1614294402
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
Presents the Nyingma-lineage understanding of valid cognition in Buddhism. Its core subject is the Buddhist view of the two truths—the relative truth of conventional appearances and the absolute truth of emptiness and buddha nature—and how the two truths are inseparable. The main questions posed are: How can we know the two truths and how can we be certain that our knowledge is accurate? “The great scholar and advanced spiritual master Jamgon Mipham’s Sword of Wisdom is a classic work that explicates valid cognition. I am happy to see it now available in English with commentary and scholarly appendices that will be very helpful for serious students in understanding this profound and important text.”—His Holiness the Sakya Trichen Mipham’s Sword of Wisdom explores the Nyingma-lineage understanding of valid cognition in Vajrayana Buddhism. This translation, a clear and concise primer on higher realization through valid cognition in Buddhist philosophy, presents these ideas in English for the very first time and includes the sutra presentation of the two truths and the tantra teachings of the two truths as the purity and equality of all phenomena. When you’ve finished Mipham’s Sword of Wisdom, you’ll have rich insights into Nyingma teachings on valid cognition, a profound new understanding of the two truths and their inseparability, a solid foundation in valid cognition through direct perception and reasoning according to the traditional Indian treatises of Dharmakirti and Dignaga, and much more.

Fantastical Tales - The Ultimate Collection of Sword & Sorcery Action-Adventures, Time Travel & Mythical Worlds

Fantastical Tales - The Ultimate Collection of Sword & Sorcery Action-Adventures, Time Travel & Mythical Worlds PDF Author: Robert E. Howard
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1969

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Book Description
This carefully crafted ebook: "Fantastical Tales - The Ultimate Collection of Sword & Sorcery Action-Adventures, Time Travel & Mythical Worlds" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Robert Ervin Howard (1906-1936) was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre. Howard created Conan the Barbarian, a character whose cultural impact has been compared to such icons as Batman, Count Dracula, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, and Tarzan. Table of Contents: 'Conan the Barbarian' Stories: Cimmeria The Hyborian Age — Conan's World The Frost Giant's Daughter (Gods of the North) The God in the Bowl The Tower of the Elephant Rogues in the House Shadows in the Moonlight (Iron Shadows in the Moon) Black Colossus Queen of the Black Coast The Slithering Shadow (Xuthal of the Dusk) A Witch Shall Be Born The Devil in Iron The People of the Black Circle Shadows in Zamboula (Man-Eaters of Zamboula) The Pool of the Black One Beyond the Black River The Black Stranger Red Nails Jewels of Gwahlur (The Teeth of Gwahlur) The Phoenix on the Sword The Scarlet Citadel The Hour of the Dragon (Conan the Conqueror) Kings of the Night The 'Solomon Kane' Stories: Red Shadows Skulls in the Stars Rattle Of Bones The Moon of Skulls The Hills of the Dead The Footfalls Within Wings in the Night Solomon Kane's Homecoming - A Poem The 'Bran Mak Morn' Stories: Kings of the Night Worms of the Earth The Children of the Night The 'Turlogh Dubh O'Brien' Stories: The Dark Man The Gods of Bal-Sagoth The 'James Allison' Stories: The Valley of the Worm The Garden Of Fear Other Fantasy Stories: Almuric People of the Dark Black Canaan Spear and Fang The Voice of El-Lil Witch from Hell's Kitchen