The No-nonsense Guide to Islam


Book Description

A balanced portrayal of |real Islam|, looking beyond the common perceptions and polemical debates. It shows what Islam has achieved and shows why a better understanding of Muslims is needed throughout the world. But it also explains why Islam needs to make itself more relevant by showing it can create a tolerant and peaceful society, and explores the steps for reform. A plain-speaking, independent view that informs current debates and puts modern developments into the context of the history of Islam and its people.




The No-Nonsense Guide to World History


Book Description

Most people's knowledge of world history is hazy and incomplete at best. This updated No-Nonsense Guide gives a full picture, revealing the hidden histories and communities left out of conventional history books—from the civilizations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America to the history of women. The new final chapter includes material on the financial crisis and the world response to climate change. Chris Brazier is co-editor at New Internationalist. His previous books include Vietnam: The Price of Peace. He is principal writer for UNICEF's The State of the World's Children report.




The No-nonsense Guide to Global Terrorism


Book Description

A highly accessible history of terrorism looking at core examples from the Middle East, instances of state terrorism and terrorist fringes of political movements. Covers the theories justifying and guiding terrorist acts and the battle of images that accompanies them, including: the proliferation of terrorist activities over recent years and international hotspots, the war on terror', terrorist acts carried out by states and the constraints on democracy and political and civil liberties that so often characterise the response to terrorism.'




The No-nonsense Guide to World Music


Book Description

A look behind the catch-all term world music' aiming to explore the reasons for the contemporary interest in world music, who its audience is and why it has become such a popular genre. Through chapters on the many different genres that make up this multi-faceted area, the case for music as a powerful harmonising tool is aptly put forward.'




The No-nonsense Guide to International Development


Book Description

Building dams in India, planting trees in Burkina Faso, rescuing street children in Brazil - these are images of aid and international development with which we can all identify. However, what passes for development all too often improves life for the better off while actively hurting the very people the venture was meant to support. Maggie Black exposes the hypocrisy and reveals a more accurate picture of what is happening in development's name, arguing for a process to be put inplace that trule defends the interests of poor people.




The No-nonsense Guide to Global Media


Book Description

The power and influence of the mass media grows daily, crucially affecting the way all of us see and understand each other. The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Media introduces readers to the political economy of the major mediafilm, television, radio, recording, publishing and the Internet. Peter Steven looks at the ever greater concentration of ownership and at the convergence of technologies and media functions. At the same time, he emphasizes the diversity of local media production and media around the world. The media is more than the economics of ownership and the technology of production, he stresses; it is also audiences, in all their annoying and wonderful diversity.




The No-nonsense Guide to Conflict and Peace


Book Description

This invaluable guide is excellent for students, peace groups and activists. With tables, maps, case studies and quotes it looks at how conflict escalates and ways it can be prevented. It examines the changing types of war, including the War on Terror and ethnic conflict such as in Rwanda; the role of diplomacy and the UN and what steps ordinary people are taking to re-build communities. It also offers ideas and inspiration for creating lasting peace.




The No-nonsense Guide to Water


Book Description

Water sustains life: without it, humans cannot survive for more than a few days. And yet this precious fluid is becoming increasingly politicized as the debates about control and ownership of water itself, and of the many organizations which govern its use, gain force. Maggie Black explores the many roles water plays in human life and, as the defense of water rights looks set to become an explosive issue, provides a clear overview on the vital issues of distribution, technology, irrigation, land use and commodification.




The No-nonsense Guide to Fair Trade


Book Description

From coffee farms in Peru and cocoa production in Ghana to jeans manufacture in China and the Banana War of Guatemala and the Caribbean, this fully revised No-Nonsense Guide tells the human story behind the products we consume. Examining the contest between 'free' and 'fair' trade around the world, David Ransom argues that the key question is not whether trade should be regulated or deregulated, but whether it is to be the master or servant of the people.




The No-nonsense Guide to World Poverty


Book Description

The world is wealthier than ever, yet the gap between rich and poor is getting bigger. Jeremy Seabrook summarises his celebrated work on the meaning of povertym, drawing on the experience of poor people in both rich and poor societies. He concludes that the opposite of poverty is not wealth but sufficiency. the relatively poor majority of the world's people do not aim to be rich but to be safe. Economic growth will never overcome the problems that it is largely responsible for creating. This is a call for radical thinking about the way we live.