Explores how militant Islamism emerged and has grown to become a source of profound global alarm. This history of Islamist terrorism in the region chronicles historic links with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India; highlights the close military and intelligence links between India and Israel; outlines the ambitions of Pakistani, Afghan, and Al Qaeda jihadists to establish an “apocalyptic realm” covering South, Central, and Western Asia; and offers fresh strategies for defeating jihadist extremism.

(JIHADISTS * ISLAMIC TERRORISM * SECURITY)

The general consensus among philosophers is that the use of torture is never justified. While allowing that torture constitutes a moral wrong, Allhoff nevertheless argues that, in exceptional cases, it represents the lesser of two evils. He also looks at the empirical ramifications of his arguments, addresses criticisms of torture, and analyzes the impact its adoption could have on democracy, institutional structures, and foreign policy.

(TERRORISM * TORTURE)

The security of the state affects the security of women, but the systemic insecurity of women acts to unravel the security of all. Explores the question of whether the security of women helps determine the security of states and proves that the situation of women is a vital variable in the incidence of peace and war. Notes discrepancies between national laws protecting women and the enforcement of those laws, abnormal sex ratios favoring males, the practice of polygamy, and inequitable family law. Emphasizes the importance of an R2PW, or state responsibility to protect women. Also questions conventional definitions of security and democracy, and argues that “the true clash of civilizations will be one of gender, played out on the international stage.”

(SECURITY * WOMEN AND WORLD SECURITY)

The Cold War has been succeeded by a “war on drugs” and a “war on terror,” and there are currently some 20-30 civil wars worldwide. Investigates 1) why conflicts are so prevalent and intractable, even when one side has much greater military resources; 2) whether the “state of emergency” is more useful than peace; 3) why the efforts of aid organizations and international diplomats founder so often; and 4) who benefits from wars. To bring wars successfully to any end, we must understand the complex vested interests on all sides.

(WAR RECONSIDERED * SECURITY)

Critically examines and illustrates the centrality of policing in Africa’s transition societies. Outlines and assesses the emergence and impact of the diversity of state and non-state policing agencies. Also engages with the nature, scope, and diversity of international interventions for police capacity-building in countries emerging from war as part of security sector reform.

(SECURITY * POLICING IN AFRICA * AFRICA)

Uniting for Peace, London; founding trustee, Fortune Forum charity). Pluto Press, April 2012, 216p, $25pb. Globalization has created an interconnected world, but has not diminished violence and militarism. The power of global elites, entrenched under globalization, has created a deadly cycle of violence, and attempts at peaceful national development are routinely blocked by Western powers. Mehta, the author of The Fortune Forum Code: For a Sustainable Future (2006) and The United Nations and its Future in the 21st Century (2005), centers the 2008 financial crisis in US attempts to block China's model of development. Europe and the US conspire with regional dictators to prevent countries from developing advanced industries, and this system has fed terrorism. A different world is possible, based on policies of disarmament, demilitarization, and sustainable development. Topics include the military-industrial complex, the West’s addiction to arms sales, the ill effects of military spending, the culture of militarism, how to stop terrorism and non-state actors, forced migrations and refugees, future faultlines in the world, a practical way of reducing arms and armies, global security architecture for today’s world, and making the 21C the century of soft power.

(SECURITY * MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX * POVERTY AND MILITARISM * ARMS SALES ADDICTION)

NGOs have become one of the main instruments in building peace, especially as UN sanctioned peacekeeping missions begin to streamline or withdraw from countries and bilateral peacekeeping sponsored by powerful states. During the last three decades, the UN has relied more and more on NGOs and sub-contractors in peacebuilding. Describes the difficult choices, consequences and lessons learned from the UN and foreign governments commissioning NGOs and other subcontractors working on six peacebuilding policy goals: reconciliation, security, human rights, the rule of law, foreign aid, and election monitoring. The study examines the effects of the UN and powerful states increasingly relying on NGO peacebuilding in diverse countries such as Bosnia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, the Philippines, Chechnya, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

(SECURITY * PEACEBUILDING AND NGOs)

Brings together a range of specially-commissioned chapters to provide an introduction to Security Studies in the 21st century. The third edition has been expanded to cover non-military challenges to security, and includes new learning aids. Chapters discuss environmental security, human security, security implications of the arms trade, causes of war, military strategy and the new world order, the transformation of war, nuclear strategy, challenges and opportunities for the nuclear non-proliferation regime, terrorism and insurgency, the utility of force, and regional security and conflicts.

(SECURITY TEXTBOOK * HUMAN SECURITY)

A collected work by 27 Jewish, Muslim, and Christian scholars and religious leaders on the ten "practice norms" of the peacemaking paradigm called "Just Peace." Just Peace theory, like the paradigm it most resembles, Just War theory, is a list of specific practices that are applied to concrete contexts. Each "practice norm" is a separate chapter with a general introduction and then commentary by one Christian, Jewish, and Muslim contributor and a short conclusion.

(PEACE-BUILDING * JUST PEACEMAKING * SECURITY)

An overview of the global nuclear weapons industry, identifying 322 banks, insurance companies, pension funds, and asset managers from 30 countries that invest significantly in 20 major nuclear weapons producers.  Nuclear weapons spending worldwide in 2011 was US$105 billion for all nine nuclear nations, of which the US accounted for $61.3 billion and Russia was a distant second at $14.8 billion.  Together, despite a recent decline, the world’s nuclear arsenal still amounts to  >20,000 bombs with a combined force of 150,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs.  Public support for a nuclear weapons ban in 2008 was 86% in France, 83% in China, 81% in the UK, 77% in the US, 69% in Russia, 67% in Israel, 62% in India, and 46% in Pakistan.  This report urges financial institutions to divest, on humanitarian, legal, and environmental grounds.  Includes 19 boxes on such topics as nuclear weapons companies at a glance, making these weapons illegal, environmental effects, the nine nuclear-armed nations, the Norwegian divestment, and what legislators and religious groups can do.  [NOTE: A handsomely produced report that clearly states the problem in its many dimensions, offering a fresh approach to abolishing nuclear weapons.] (Download at www.don’tbankonthebomb.com or www.icanw.org ).

(SECURITY * NUCLEAR WEAPONS INDUSTRY)