The No Nonsense Guide To Human Rights

Ball and Gready review the development of today's assumptions about human rights and introduce readers to alternative models from history and from today's human rights debate. From the material rights of citizenship to the more abstract rights of the imagination, the authors present a clear overview of today's human rights debate and prompt discussion about alternative models for the future. Splendid series of pocketable guides to issue politics...rigorously clear.' - The Guardian'

Today animals need protecting more than ever: those bred for laboratories, zoos, and hunting, and also those reared intensively on farms. And out in the wild, animals are losing their habitats to environmental exploitation. Dispelling the myth that the protection of animals’ rights is a modern, Western concern, this No-Nonsense Guide to Animal Rights explains the key issues, charts the growth of the animal rights movement, and looks at the welfare and protection laws. And it includes a practical day-to-day guide to what individuals can do to minimize exploitation.

Globalisation has become one of the most used and encompassing words over the past decade, of undeniable influence in economics, politics and activism. Globalisation is literally all around; every aspect of life is affected by a global structure of communication and economy. This fully revised and updated guide condenses this complex subject into clear, concise commentary. It examines the debt trap, the acceleration of neoliberalism, competition for energy resources, the links between the war on terror, the arms trade and the alternatives to corporate control.

"Religion" is a term that the media often use without any clarification. But it is a loaded word that encompasses hundreds of different beliefs. Religion can be seen as a source of war and peace, love and hate, dialogue and narrow-mindedness. The globalization of communications has raised awareness of religious conversion, with more people than ever before belonging to a different religious community than their parents. The No-Nonsense Guide to Religion considers how religion has shaped our culture, and how our culture is shaping religion today.

How much has life really changed for women during the last decade? Has the womens movement affected women all over the world? Has it changed womens relationships with men? Nikki van der Gaag answers these questions with hard, sometimes disturbing, evidence. Many women have made huge leaps forwardin legal rights, political representation, employment, education, healthbut beneath the surface the statistics are shocking. Vivid testimonies from women and men around the world explain why, especially in this post-feminist age, womens rights are still very much an issue for men and women alike. "She has made a special effort to correct many of the misconceptions and biases related to the feminist movement, to link the liberation of women who constitute half of society to the liberation of men and to the dispossessed majority living on earth." from the introduction by Nawal El Saadawi

'Meltdown', 'crisis', 'downturn', and the dreaded 'R-word': recession. These words have migrated from business sections to headline news. From barter to coins, from the origins of banking to today's credit crunch, this highly topical book explores cash, borrowing, and lending, and delves into the dark side of the global financial system. But as we teeter on the brink of a global depression, space develops for new thinking. From doing away with tax havens, putting teeth into regulation, and taxing currency transactions, this book makes suggestions for a fresh start and argues that another (financial) world is possible.

The ending of the Cold War was supposed to increase global security and divert expenditure previously earmarked for arms purchases to more constructive ends. Instead, the arms trade has flourished. Not only conventional arms, but also police and surveillance equipment, have been provided by Western countries seeking to make a profit from conflict in unstable parts of the world. Foreign debt has remained high, development has been held back, and human rights have been systematically abused, all with the connivance of an arms trade prepared to turn a blind eye to the uses to which increasingly sophisticated weaponry is put, so long as hefty profits can be reaped. This disturbing book names the players in the arms trade and charts the impact that it has had on war, human rights, and development. The financial and trade mechanisms that permit the arms trade to continue are revealed, amid sordid tales of bribery and corruption. Gideon Burrows concludes his examination by reviewing the ways in which this trade can be controlled or even abolished.

Who was the first black queen? How much do you know about China's history? 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 textbooks from the civilizations of Africa, Asia and Latin America to the history of women. This updated and revised edition of one of the best-selling No-Nonsense Guides includes a new chapter from the perspective of the end of the first decade of the 21st century and includes material on the financial crisis and the world response to climate change. A perfect read for someone who wants to embrace the whole of history, rather than disconnected dynasties and events all in one slim volume.