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In 2001, Biljana Plavšić made history. Indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, she became the only female political leader ever prosecuted for mass atrocities. By the time the Tribunal closed in 2017, after 24 years in operation, she remained the only woman among the 161 people it had indicted. Charged by the Tribunal for genocide and crimes against humanity, Plavśić''s plea bargain made her the first woman to be convicted by an international court since Nuremberg. The only comparably senior Bosnian Serb politician to be sentenced was Radovan Karadžić himself—President to Plavśić''s Vice-President in Bosnia''s autonomous Republika Srpska, a role she then took over after the Bosnian peace. Yet until the Yugoslav Wars erupted in 1991, Plavšić had been an internationally renowned scientist and faculty dean at the University of Sarajevo, with over 100 journal articles to her name. Now in her 90s, and a free woman, Plavšić is also the Tribunal''s oldest convicted defendant. Olivera Simić''s gripping book is based on hundreds of hours of interviews with a stridently unrepentant war criminal, recorded over seven years. How did this biology professor end up running a vengeful ethno-nationalist movement that killed tens of thousands?

A leading Central European journalist investigates how political and intellectual elites in Europe’s democracies underestimate and enable the continent’s authoritarians—from the Cold War onwards. ‘Putin has obviously deceived everyone.’ These were the words of Manuela Schwesig, First Minister of the German state Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She was trying to explain why her federal government had been so closely implicated in Russia’s controversial completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Why have other German, Austrian and European politicians and commentators so often got it so very wrong in their assessments of Moscow policy? Why has the EU been so slow to recognise the danger posed to its liberal values by nationalist autocrats such as Viktor Orbán of Hungary? And why have lessons from past blunders in Western policy—particularly in the Balkans—and the example of German Ostpolitik gone ignored, until it was too late? Paul Lendvai, a veteran reporter on the continent’s centre and east, exposes the role of double standards embraced, blind eyes turned and human and political weakness overlooked in policies of appeasement towards Europe’s authoritarian regimes, past and present. Combining analysis of new developments with decades of personal experience as a correspondent, he provides fascinating political profiles in deceit, sketching both the victims and the perpetrators of political fraud in Central and Eastern Europe.

From the Gulf War to Gaza, a compelling critique of how and why Washington ensnared itself so destructively in the Middle East.After Hamas'' shocking 2023 attack on Israel, the United States stood firmly behind Israel''s near-genocidal war on Gaza, despite widespread moral outrage and significant damage to Washington''s global agenda. But Gaza is only the latest paradox in thirty-five years of Middle East policy. How did this pattern develop, why can''t policymakers learn from repeated Middle Eastern calamities, and what does Gaza''s destruction mean for America''s place in the world?Marc Lynch charts the United States'' disastrously failed approach to the post-Cold War Middle East, where aspirations for US leadership and a calm region have only produced war, instability and humanitarian catastrophe. Lynch exposes the failure of each president''s efforts to transform the Middle East in America''s image, or pivot away from the region; Washington''s refusal to take seriously the views of Middle Easterners; and its fantasy of forging a regional order ''without'' the Palestinian issue.Moving between American politics and Middle Eastern realities, this incisive account explains why US policy has not changed despite its horrifying human costs, from Iraq, Lebanon and Syria to Iran, Yemen and Libya.

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Biography | Goldsmith Book Prize 2025 Winner (Trade) | A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 | A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year With Orwell claimed by all sides of the culture wars, returning to his own world and words offers sharp and surprising lessons for today's crises. Seventy-five years after 1984 first published, George Orwell is back. Progressives denounce 'Orwellian' untruths by Trump, Johnson, Putin et al, while conservatives accuse governments and mainstream media of 'Orwellian' censorship. But what does 'Orwellian' really mean? What would the man himself say about these crises, and what can we learn from his ideas? Orwell's Ghosts reveals Orwell in all his complexity, exploring his commitment to political liberty and economic justice alongside his undeniable chauvinism. This sharp free thinker's commentaries remain invaluable, whether on political truth, disinformation, class, race and empire, or highlighting the promise of socialism and the dangerous appeal of authoritarianism. Even Orwell's misogyny offers troubling lessons about gender politics on the left. All of his books show remarkable resonance between the first half of the twentieth century and today's world. Revisiting Orwell's own age of rapid change and urgent crossroads, this book sheds unique light on both our recent past and our current upheavals.

A groundbreaking exploration of justice, democracy and Islamophobia, inviting us to reconsider our assumptions and build a more equitable future.Change has run amok! Technology advances by the minute, and much of what we think we know about the world fades in front of our eyes. How we are, how we know, how we live our daily lives—all shifting quicker than we can cope with.Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s tenth Prime Minister, asks how we might rethink ourselves for these confusing, uncertain and volatile times, and shape fairer, more sustainable futures. Anwar’s passion is rooted in experience: he spent, in total, over a decade behind bars after three separate miscarriages of justice, from his days as a student activist to his time as Leader of the Opposition.Alongside reflections on his time in prison are critical investigations into truth, justice, post-colonialism, Islamophobia, democracy and global order. Anwar assembles ideas from East and West, North and South, to explore how we can create a new inclusive synthesis for a good society and world. Vividly expressed, expertly dissected, this is a timely book for our turbulent age.

From northern Europe’s earliest inhabitants to the search for security in the twenty-first century, Kalnins sweeps through the full story of a remarkable Baltic state.The history of the Latvian people begins some four and a half millennia ago with the arrival of the proto-Baltic Indo-Europeans to northern Europe. One branch of these migrants coalesced into a community which evolved a distinctive and remarkably robust culture and language, and which eventually developed into a loose federation of tribal kingdoms that stretched from the shores of the Baltic sea to the upper Dniepr river. But these small independent kingdoms were unable to resist the later invasion of the Teutonic Knights in 1201, an invasion that initiated nearly eight hundred years of helotry for the Latvians in their own domains. In the centuries of domination by successive European powers that followed, the inhabitants nonetheless preserved a powerful sense of identity, fostered by their ancient language, oral literature, songs and customs. These in turn informed and gave impetus to the rise of national consciousness in the nineteenth century and the political activities of the twentieth which brought the modern nation-state of Latvia into being.This book traces the genesis and growth of that nation, its endurance over centuries of conquest and oppression, the process by which it achieved its independence, and its status as a member of the European community in the twenty-first century.

This book is a major reinterpretation of Pakistani politics. Its focus is conflict among groups, communities, classes, ideologies and institutions, which has shaped the country''s political dynamics. Mohammad Waseem analyses the millennium-long conflict between Hindus and Muslims as separate nations but intermingled faiths, and the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh renaissances that created a twentieth-century clash of communities and led to partition.Political Conflict in Pakistan addresses multiple clashes: between the high culture as a mission to transform society, and the low culture of the land and the people; between those committed to the establishment''s institutional constitutional framework and those seeking to dismantle the ''colonial'' state; between the corrupt and those seeking to hold them to account; between the political class and the middle class; and between civil and military power. Waseem exposes how the ruling elite centralised power through the militarisation and judicialisation of politics, rendering the federalist arrangement an empty shell and grossly alienating the provinces. He sets all this within the contexts of education and media as breeders of conflict, the difficulties of establishing an anti-terrorist regime, and the state''s pragmatic attempts at conflict resolution, under pressure from minorities. This is a wide-ranging account of a country of contestations.

A stark warning: Washington is at real risk of strategic defeat in any war with China.This book dissects precisely how the United States imagines fighting the People''s Republic of China, and why it risks failing. Franz-Stefan Gady contends that the US military approach to a potential conflict over Taiwan is unlikely to succeed, relying heavily on both rapidly established information superiority and a decisive victory. This may increase the threat of nuclear escalation between the world''s only superpowers.The more likely scenario is a prolonged war of attrition across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. America''s society, armed forces and industrial capacity are ill-prepared for this--a deficiency stemming from a military culture that prioritises advanced technology over mass, and from a lack of public or political will for the sacrifices required by such a conflict.Gady''s superb research and analysis, based on US doctrine, force structure and general ''ways of war'', reveal the significant risks to the United States in a potential conflict with China, whether in the 2020s or 2030s.

France is the only country that never decolonised its colonies, emotionally, financially or strategically. In the aftermath of losing the Second World War, notwithstanding de Gaulle''s attempts to convince his people otherwise, the French knew the game was up. (The Resistance fighters were heroes; but heroes are lonely.) For France, after 1945, the Second World War blended into the early Cold War, which Paris jumped into the day before it began. It fought in Indochina, and lost again. The independence war dragged on in Algeria. Then France lost there, too--painfully, with millions of its ordinary citizens expelled to a homeland that many of them hardly knew. But Sub-Saharan Africa was still there. France produced a postcolonial antidote: ''Françafrique'', France''s sphere of influence (or ''backyard'') over its former West and Central African colonies. France loved Africa. Some Frenchmen died for ''Françafrique''; others made millions from it. The entire toxic edifice is now crumbling away. Young Africans are happy about this--but not so many of their parents, who often live in France. In his inimitable style, Gérard Prunier recounts a tragic transcultural saga, with one leg in the past and one in the future: the end of ''Françafrique''.

From climate change to far-right politics, a captivating look at the Netherlands’ modern challenges—and a homage to the timeless ingenuity of the Dutch.From deeply unpromising marshy beginnings, the Netherlands grew into a naval, imperial, artistic, cultural, economic, scientific, agricultural and footballing superpower. How did it get there? Journalist Nicholas Walton paints a vivid portrait of one of the world’s most remarkable places. Drawing on interviews and his own years living in the Netherlands, as well as Dutch history and popular culture, he tells a story of floods and riots, engineering brilliance and wartime treachery. Through ten walks around their towns and cities, fields and beaches, he reveals how the Dutch built a system that organised politics and tamed the water. But now, the country faces an unpredictable future: sea levels are rising, and extreme weather is swelling the rivers that cut across this flat land. At the same time, farmers are protesting with their tractors on the streets and voters are voicing their discontent over everything from immigration and inequality to a dysfunctional housing market. Amid the existential challenges of the twenty-first century, Orange Sky, Rising Water asks whether the extraordinary Dutch success story can continue—or will the country, its people and its way of life be swept away?

An indispensable guide to Greenland-why it matters, who covets it and why this wilderness of 56,000 inhabitants could become the next global flashpoint. Greenland is no ordinary island. From its discovery by Norsemen to its contemporary strategic significance, it has been a frontier for human exploration and empire, today emerging as a facilitator of geoeconomic competition. This book delves into the rich history and complex politics of Greenland, revealing how this icy expanse has shaped-and been shaped by-the world. This short history begins with the Vikings, whose mysterious disappearance from Greenland in the 1400s remains one of history's great puzzles. It then explores the island's gradual transformation from a Danish possession to an autonomous territory, charting its role during the World Wars and its strategic importance during the Cold War. Greenland finds itself at the centre of a renewed 'great game', balancing transatlantic ties, rising Chinese influence, and mounting domestic pressures for independence. And that's before President Trump's agenda is factored in. Starting from Trump's plan to purchase Greenland, Elizabeth Buchanan dissects the island's contemporary role and poses four provocative scenarios for its future-from full independence to an icy geopolitical standoff with Denmark. So You Want to Own Greenland? is an essential read for anyone curious about the future of this frozen frontier and its place on the global stage.

How did a jihadi group transform into the movement rebuilding Syria after Assad?In December 2024, to global astonishment, former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a coalition to overthrow the Syrian regime. This fascinating account unravels HTS''s dramatic transformation since 2019, from a besieged insurgent enclave to a conservative Islamist government.Drawing on interviews with HTS leaders including Ahmad al-Sharaa himself--as well as diplomats, dissidents and opponents--the authors reveal the group''s pragmatic evolution while ruling Idlib province, in the face of global and local constraints. They uncover how HTS approached religious minorities, redefined its understanding of sharia, and embraced a non-radical conservative society. HTS reshaped its identity not only in northwest Syria, but on the world stage, aligning with NATO member and secular republic Turkey, confronting both al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and marginalising die-hards in its own ranks, in favour of a popular, mosque-based Islam.This book offers a glimpse into HTS''s startling journey, blending frontline narratives with sharp analysis to decode the group''s success in outmanoeuvring the regime and mapping its own path to power.

A radical reinterpretation of the relationship between two states whose history has always been intertwined, particularly revisiting Germany’s involvement in the Palestinian question. According to common perception, the Federal Republic of Germany supported the formation of the Israeli state for moral reasons--to atone for its Nazi past--but did not play a significant role in the Arab--Israeli conflict. However, the historical record does not sustain this narrative. Daniel Marwecki''s pathbreaking analysis deconstructs the myths surrounding the odd alliance between Israel and post-war democratic Germany. Thorough archival research shows how German policymakers often had disingenuous, cynical or even partly antisemitic motivations, seeking to whitewash their Nazi past by supporting the new Israeli state. This is the true context of West Germany''s crucial backing of Israel in the 1950s and ''60s. German economic and military support greatly contributed to Israel''s early consolidation and eventual regional hegemony. This initial alliance has affected Germany''s role in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to the present day. Marwecki reassesses German foreign policymaking and identity-shaping, and raises difficult questions about German responsibility after the Holocaust, exploring the many ways in which the genocide of European Jews and the dispossession of the Palestinians have become tragically intertwined in the Middle East''s international politics. This long overdue investigation sheds new light on a major episode in the history of the modern Middle East.

Selected by The Times as 'Best History Book of the Year' An absorbing journey through a region caught between history, geography and ideology. What is 'Central Europe'? Where do its borders lie? Does it even exist? Attempts to define it usually yield more questions than answers. But perhaps the wrong questions are being asked. Luka Ivan Jukic disentangles the enigma of Central Europe through its birth, death and rebirth. Today, Poland, Croatia and even Ukraine proudly align themselves with it, and so with Western civilization. But the term originally described an unrecognisably different world--one formed in the eighteenth century by the unique inheritance of the Habsburg dynasty across Germany and a sprawling Danubian realm; by the rise of standard High German; and by its intermediate position between an 'advanced West' and 'backwards East'. Two devastating world wars shattered this extraordinary civilization, reducing it to a Cold War frontier. Its unexpected reincarnation in the 1980s, as an ideological antidote to the Soviet East, spawned myths and polemics, but little clarity. Yet 'Central Europe' seems to feature in every contemporary crisis, from Russian aggression to European disunity. Why is it still such a powerful political idea?

Lithuania is often portrayed as a small nation- state that has survived against the odds of history: together with Estonia and Latvia, it won independence at the end of the First World War, lost it to the Soviet Union in 1939–40, regained it in 1990–1, and joined NATO and the EU in 2004, angering the Kremlin. But Lithuania’s rich and complex history stretches back much further than these events, and much further than many realise.In the fourteenth century, Europe’s last pagan dynasty ruled a vast empire stretching from forests on the Baltic shores to the steppes north of the Black Sea. Forging a remarkable, liberty-based union with the Kingdom of Poland, for 400 years the Grand Duchy of Lithuania blocked Moscow’s pretensions to rule all of Rus’, particularly Belarus and Ukraine. Yet it was in competition with Poles, and under Russian imperial rule, that the modern ethnic Lithuanian nation emerged in the nineteenth century.This is a lively and accessible history of a fascinating country that was once much larger than it is today; a land where, for centuries, peoples and communities—including Belarusians, Ukrainians, Germans, Poles, Russians, Jews, Karaites and Tatars—lived together in concord and discord.

The captivating story of the West’s love affair with Indian spirituality—from the orientalism of the British Empire to modern counterculture.In 1897, an Indian yogi exhibited himself at London’s Westminster Aquarium, demonstrating yoga positions to a bemused audience. Four years earlier, Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda spoke at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where Annie Besant extolled the ‘exquisite beauty’ of his spiritual message. The Victorians were fascinated by, yet suspicious of, Indian religious beliefs and practices. But within two generations, legions of young Westerners were following the ‘hippie trail’ to the subcontinent, the Beatles meditating at the feet of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Journalist Mick Brown’s vivid account charts this eccentric history of Western obsessions with Indian faith, through a curious cast of scholars, seekers, charlatans and saints.From bestselling epic poems on the Buddha to murder plots, magic and the occult, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West’s search for enlightenment.