Countries At The Crossroads

Travel to criminal underworld of eighteenth-century London in this start to a trilogy that Entertainment Weekly" calls "a rollicking historical adventure." The year is 1763. Gideon Seymour, thief and gentleman, is hiding from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric, and from the gaping hole fall two curious-looking children. Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to a faulty experiment with an antigravity machine. Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine--and Peter and Kate's only chance of getting home. Soon Gideon, Peter, and Kate are swept into a journey through the dangerous underworld of eighteenth-century London, traveling the routes of notorious highwaymen and even entering King George's palace. And along they way they form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery. Filled with adventure, intrigue, and plenty of twists and turns, this start to a trilogy is written by a history scholar and wordsmith who makes the extraordinary believable, and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Countries at the Crossroads: An Analysis of Democratic Governance evaluates government performance in seventy strategically important countries from across the globe, including emerging market countries and at-risk states. The in-depth comparative analyses and quantitative ratings--examining Accountability and Public Voice, Civil Liberties, Rule of Law, and Anticorruption and Transparency--serve as a valuable tool for public analysts, educators and students, government officials, and the business community.

Countries at the Crossroads is a survey of democratic governance that evaluates performance in 60 key countries that are at a crossroads in determining their political future. The Countries at the Crossroads survey offers scholars, analysts, and officials a comparative tool for assessing government performance in the areas of civil liberties, rule of law, anticorruption and transparency, and accountability and public voice. Countries at the Crossroads features reports on Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Colombia, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with one set of 30 countries analyzed in odd years and the other 30 in even years.

Presents a critique of the Bush Administration's Iraq policy, arguing that it stemmed from misconceptions about the realities of the situation in Iraq and a squandering of the goodwill of American allies following September 11th.

Featuring chapters by an international group of scholars and academics, Rural Youth at the Crossroads discusses the challenges and contexts facing youth from rural communities in countries with legacies of socialism undergoing social, political, and economic transition. The chapters employ a variety of sources and approaches to examine rural youth outcomes, and the well-being and sustainability of rural areas. The book focuses particularly on career and educational goals, the often contradictory relations between rural schools and communities, majority-minoritized group relations, community engagement, and political attitudes. Individual chapters examine these questions and dynamics within Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Vietnam. In total the volume represents a unique and timely comparative discussion of the relationship between youth and rural development within transitional societies, and the challenges and opportunities for enhancing the well-being and sustainability of rural communities. Aimed at informing strategies to revitalize rural social space, this book is targeted towards social scientists with interest in sociology and rural sociology, demography, education, youth development, community/regional development, rurality, public policy, and identity formation in transitional contexts. As such, this book will have international appeal to researchers, educators, and policymakers in transitional countries, and to those interested in these topics, regions, and communities.