In the book – the Asia Foundation author, Lao – offers a critical examination of contemporary higher education reforms in Thailand situated in the broader historical, socio-economic and political changes (analyse major reforms in Thailand for the past one hundred years). It is argued that historical legacy, policy contexts and belief systems of policy elites play pivotal roles in facilitating policy changes or the lack thereof.
While historical analysis elucidates that the Thai state has always been an active borrower of western ideas, the perseverance of the ‘Thai-ness’ discourse has often been used to suggest its so-called independence and idiosyncrasy. This in-depth analysis of the Thai case aims to contribute to the critical studies in Asian education, comparative higher education, policy borrowing and lending and Thai studies.
This book will appeal to researchers in Education, particularly to scholars studying educational policies within the context of tertiary education. It will also interest scholars specialising in Asian and South-east Asian Studies.

The book combines in a unique way both the past and the presence of two continents, which are quite different – in almost every aspect – now, but which were deeply interconnected during the colonial past – with Europe influencing Africa and Africa planting the seeds of influence on Europe that will be unveiled many years after.

The book concentrates on security structures of both the ‘Old’ and ‘Forgotten’ continent, trying to answer the question why Europe is multilateral and Africa still bilateral in this field. To this end, Prof. Anis and his coauthor dive into the historical experiences and look in them for causes of today’s developments, and future prospects of Afro-Med and Euro-Med.

From comprehensive but content intensive insights on Caspian littoral states Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia and Turkmenistan, to external actors like Turkey, EU, China and the United States, readers are presented how separate actors and factors interact in this unique theater. The book elaborates on the legal classification of the Caspian plateau including the recent ‘Convention on Legal Status of the Caspian,’ to the numerous territorial and environmental security concerns.

Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic and his co-authors present Caspian as the most recent, fresh and novel way, in one stop-shop offering broad analysis on the Caspian region. It is a single volume book for which extensive information is exceptionally rare to find elsewhere. Following the read, authors are confident that a new expanse of scholarly conversation and actions of practitioners will unfold, not only focused on Caspian’s unique geography, but its overall socio-economic, politico-security and environmental scene.

Even before he became a teenager, Harvey Dzodin was fascinated listening to his shortwave radio in Detroit, and was especially captivated by far-off China. This book is the culmination of the decades of
interactions and experiences that Dr. Harvey Dzodin, former ABC executive, presidential appointee and avid commentator on everything global, has had with China and its people. His raw, personal, and sometimes impassioned insights into China’s history, its people, culture and even its current rise on the global stage, give a fresh perspective on perhaps the most consequential country of the twenty-first century. Suitable for both the experienced China hand as well as those with only a cursory knowledge of the Middle Kingdom, Harvey encourages the reader to make their own judgements on China and come to their own conclusion. It is his hope that this book will contribute, in some part, to the sharing of knowledge and the furthering of communication, thus helping to overcome barriers to mutual understanding and informed decision making that plague the world today.

This book takes an interdisciplinary look at the development of essential oils from the agricultural to consumer products sectors. The book espouses a product/market driven and entrepreneurial approach rather than a commodity approach, offering many new ideas and tools to assist the reader in the area of essential oil development. This book uniquely covers both the technical and business aspects in a detail that will inform readers of the complexities of essential oil development, production and business development. This book is the result of the author’s thirty years experience in the industry.

A concise, multidisciplinary analysis of the complex interplay between geopolitics, history and institutions building of pivotal world region – Europe. It is an all-in reader/chronicle of the Europe’s presence and multilateralised future, of an unparallel alternative. This book reminds us that “Europe might (temporarily) get out of fashion, but its very idea remains uncontested.
First published in the US. Book has several editions and is released in English, standard Mandarin and in Russian.

The bard of political journalism and the long-time Washington insider Steve Clemons served as the editor for this mesmerising collection of essays (first published in 2012 by Public Affairs). This book compiles various articles and commentaries written by the Hungarian born investor György Schwartz (George Soros) between 2008 and 2011, detailing his real-time analysis of the 2008 global financial crisis and the subsequent Eurozone crisis (including the theory of reflexivity to explain the structural weaknesses of global financial markets and the political-economic challenges confronting Europe).

For the last 25 years I have been investigating cases of large scale social and urban transformation in South America, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia (over 40 cases).
I learned valuable lessons from studying how neighbourhoods, cities, and regions tried in a wide variety of ways to increase their capacity to continuously learn, solve problems, and innovate themselves out of situations that seemed utterly hopeless.

I am fascinated by the sheer ingenuity and capacity of humans to radically reimagine their futures and collectively reshape their built environments.

The Republic of Moldova remains largely unknown, as does the armed conflict that pitted it against the Moldovan Republic of Transnistria in 1992, a self-proclaimed entity established on the eastern bank of the Nistru/Dniester River. The Moldovan-Transnistrian conflict is not only linked to the collapse of the USSR, the Moldovans’ desire for recognition of their language, independence, or, for some, reunification with Romania, as well as the Transnistrians’ wish to preserve the USSR and then achieve their own independence, but it is also a legacy of the region’s past, of changes in sovereignty and borders, and of population movements that have occurred over the centuries, driven by wars, occupations, and revolutions. The Moldovan-Transnistrian conflict, currently “frozen,” is the subject of a long and complex negotiation process involving various actors (Russia, Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and the OSCE), whose regional ambitions are the source of numerous tensions. This book examines the origins of the Moldovan-Transnistrian conflict, the conflict itself, and the negotiations for its resolution through the lens of the region’s history, its population, the related linguistic and identity issues (such as those concerning the Romanian roots of Moldovan culture and language), and the role of the various actors involved, including states, regional and international organizations, local political groups, and ordinary Moldovan and Transnistrian citizens who participated in the 1992 conflict.

‘History of Diplomacy and Technology’ is timeless reminder of dynamic changes of technology and enduring continuity of diplomacy. Technologies have changed conduct of diplomacy, but the essence of diplomacy has remained the same: the peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiation, mediation, and representation. In long history of diplomatic continuity and technological changes, there are many inspirations for exploring future of diplomacy in the AI era.

The modern world faces a range of challenges, with transnational organized crime being a significant concern. Globalization and technological advancements have contributed to the evolution of international crime, making it increasingly sophisticated. This book examines key transnational crimes, covering traditional issues such as drug trafficking alongside more recent challenges like cybercrime and environmental offenses. It begins with the Palermo Convention, which serves as a key instrument in the fight against transnational crime, despite being adopted over 20 years ago.

This book of the Australia-born, Oxford-based scholar, McRobbie is a non-fiction study of literary freedom from a political-philosophical perspective. It adds an original perspective on the issue of literary freedom as it synthesizes debates from human rights as well as providing a new way of addressing the question “How do we mitigate against the harm caused by hate speech?” by applying Amartya Sen’s capability approach to this question.

How can I prevent hate and killing of minorities, people of other religions or races? How to make love and tolerance great again and contain intolerance? In this book Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann is searching for the Golden Nuggets of Tolerance in islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism in a a Global Tolerance Tour. He interview the five Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Malala Yousafzai, Kailash Satyarthi, Shimon Peres, Lech Walesa and the Dalai Lama. He followed Pope Francis on his historic tour to the Holy Land, and discussed with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), the Sathguru in India, cardinals and scholars. He formulated 60 Codes of Tolerance with 80 best practices. Let us all protect our globe from the radicals and impeach the hate-mongers with active tolerance and no tolerance for intolerance, Hoffmann demands from the silent majorities.

The author, Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann, grew up in the Harz Mountains near the border with East Germany, the son of refugees from Silesia. Influenced by this experience, he became politically active in the fight for peace, freedom, and human rights as a young man.
He worked in the German Bundestag, the European Parliament, and the US Senate. A fully qualified lawyer, he earned his doctorate in Political Science under Professor Karl Dietrich Bracher at the University of Bonn, graduating summa cum laude.
Afterward, he worked in the editorial department of ZDF’s “heute-journal” news program and at major media companies. In October 2000, Federal President Johannes Rau awarded him the Federal Cross of Merit at Bellevue Palace for “the development of digital media in Germany.” He has also received international recognition for his Global Tolerance Initiative (www.loveistolerance.com).
… The credo of today’s internet entrepreneur and geostrategist:
“We need a new Politics 3.0 with humanity, creativity, and effectiveness. Radical reforms with heart and mind. Only in this way can our democracy survive the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with artificial intelligence and the power ambitions of a strong, totalitarian China in peace, freedom, and prosperity.”
In this book, Dr. Hoffmann makes over 100 concrete proposals in 41 thematic areas.

This compelling collection of insights from seasoned civil engineering professionals sheds light on the crucial aspects of sustainable development through the unique perspective of those who help build our world.

This book emphasises the devastating impact of emissions from unchecked development while highlighting the absence of effective worldwidemitigation strategies. It offers unconventional perspectives that may challengeconventional thinking—the views expressed are occasionally controversial, sometimesunconventional, and at times deliberately provocative.

The accessible yet authoritative approach makes complex concepts understandable without sacrificing depth or nuance.