Global Politics Audiobooks | Politics

American Presidents in Diplomacy and War: Statecraft, Foreign Policy, and Leadership

American Presidents in Diplomacy and War chronicles the major foreign policy crises faced by twelve American presidents in order to uncover the reoccurring patterns of successful and less successful uses of diplomatic, economic, and military power. In this book, Thomas R. Parker reveals how America's most successful leaders manage events instead of allowing events to control them. Parker explores how the U.S. presidency, from the days of the early Republic to the present, shaped the world. Ranging from George Washington to George H. W. Bush, Parker shows how successful statecraft requires the understanding of complex situations, the prudent evaluation of various courses of action, the ability to adapt and to anticipate, and personal determination. Parker compares each of these leaders to their contemporaries-reasonable political leaders who nonetheless made serious mistakes, such as Thomas Jefferson and Barack Obama-to examine the dangers of being unable to strike the right balance of aggressiveness and caution and to examine the costs of inexperience and ambivalence toward military power. The book concludes by discussing the increasingly complex international situation of today, particularly the manifold challenges posed by China and Russia to U.S. foreign policy, and the continued necessity of effective statecraft.

Thomas R. Parker (Author), Mike Chamberlain (Narrator)

Audiobook

Future Tense: Reflections on My Troubled Land

‘From the vantage point of years in active politics, Tony Leon provides a lucid analytical balance sheet of SA Ltd 2021. Eschewing political correctness, Leon tells it as he sees it.’ – Judge Dennis Davis ‘Anyone who wants to understand South Africa today – a country so beautiful, yet so broken – simply has to read this book.’ - Niall Ferguson, author of The Ascent of Money In his riveting new book, Future Tense, Tony Leon captures and analyses recent South African history, with a focus on the squandered and corrupted years of the past decade. With unique access and penetrating insight, Leon presents a portrait of today’s South Africa and prospects for its future, based on his political involvement over thirty years with the key power players: Cyril Ramaphosa, Jacob Zuma, Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk. His close-up and personal view of these presidents and their history-making, and many encounters in the wider world, adds vivid colour of a country and planet in upheaval. Written during the first coronavirus lockdown, Future Tense examines the surge of the disease and the response, both of which have crashed the economy and its future prospects. As the founding leader of the Democratic Alliance, Leon also provides an insider view for the first time of the power struggles within that party, which saw the exit of its first black leader in 2019. There is every reason to fear for the future of South Africa but, as Leon argues, ‘the hope for a better country remains an improbable, but not an impossible, dream’.

Tony Leon (Author), Charl Van Heyningen (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Elena Quinteros y la Libertad en América Latina

Este audiolibro está narrado por una voz digital. La historia de América Latina es la del individuo frente al Estado. Basta consultar cualquier historia reciente de nuestro continente y encontraremos en ella la esencia de este conflicto eterno: individuo que enfrentan a los Estado en busca de libertad, y unos Estados que utilizan toda su fuerza represiva y censuradora para suprimir las voces incomodas e imponer hegemonías políticas. La historia de Elena Quinteros es una más en esta larga tradición represiva que los regímenes autoritarios latinoamericanos han impuesto en nuestros países casi de forma rutinaria. En este libro, sin embargo, se apuesta por ir más allá de la recopilación de una historia que resulta familiar. Karla Hernández Scott constituye un libro fascinante y apasionante, que utilizando las herramientas académicas de la historia indaga en una anécdota oscura de nuestro pasado reciente, concentrándose no solamente en el hecho en sí sino en sus graves consecuencias históricas y diplomáticas, que en su momento significaron uno de los conflictos diplomáticos más importantes en la historia de las relaciones entre Venezuela y Uruguay. Pero, además, el libro se convierte en un retrato indiscutiblemente humano, tanto de la represión como de la posterior búsqueda de justicia y respuestas, en un contexto en el que pareciera que el olvido se impone a la razón y la impunidad golpea nuestras consciencias. El primer y estremecedor libro de Karla Hernández Scott es un recordatorio de todo lo que no debe seguir pasando en este continente, donde en pleno siglo XXI se busca la justicia, la democracia y la libertad.

Karla Hernández Scott (Author), Voz Digital Lucía G (Narrator)

Audiobook

The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives

Acclaimed Reuters reporter Ernest Scheyder reveals the trillion-dollar battle for the resources to power our future. Tough choices loom if the world wants to go green. The United States and other countries must decide where and how to procure the materials that make our renewable energy economy possible. To build electric vehicles, solar panels, cell phones, and millions of other devices means the world must dig more mines to extract lithium, copper, cobalt, rare earths, and nickel. But mines are deeply unpopular, even as they have a role to play in fighting climate change. These tensions have sparked a worldwide reckoning over the sourcing of these critical minerals, and no one understands the complexities of these issues better than Ernest Scheyder, whose exclusive access has allowed him to report from the front lines on the key players in this global battle to power our future. This is not a story of tree-hugging activists, but rather of industry titans, scientists, and policymakers jostling over how best to save the planet. Scheyder explores how a proposed lithium mine in Nevada would help global automakers slash their dependance on fossil fuels, but developing that mine could cause the extinction of a flower found nowhere else on the planet. A hedge fund manager's attempt to resuscitate rare earths mining in California relies on Chinese expertise, exposing the paradox in Washington's quest for minerals independence. The fight to end child labor in Africa's mining sector is a key reason, supporters contend, to dig out a vast reserve of cobalt and nickel under Minnesota's vulnerable wetlands. An international mining conglomerate's plan to extract copper for electric vehicles deep beneath Arizona's desert would destroy a Native American holy site, fueling tough questions about what matters more. In The War Below, Scheyder crafts a business story that matters to everyone. If China continues to dominate production of these critical minerals, it will have a profound impact on the geopolitical order. Beyond China, countries such as Bolivia, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo aim to wield their vast reserves of key minerals. There are no easy answers when it comes to energy. Scheyder paints a powerfully honest and nuanced picture of what is needed to fight climate change and secure energy independence, revealing how America and the rest of the world's hunt for the "new oil" directly affects us all.

Ernest Scheyder (Author), Matt Godfrey (Narrator)

Audiobook

Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading

Brought to you by Penguin. Perhaps the simplest, most powerful moral question you can ask of your life is: 'Am I a net giver, or a net taker?' As head of TED for the past 20 years, Chris Anderson has had a ringside view of the world's most significant thinkers sharing their boldest ideas across every imaginable discipline. Yet there's a single theme that stands out in his mind as the essential connecting thread: generosity. It may seem simple, but generosity has played a key role in building the tools, knowledge, and institutions that have allowed civilisation to flourish. Now, in our unsettled modern world, beset by disruption and division, Anderson believes our collective future depends on reconnecting to this vital human trait. In this profound and inspiring book, Anderson shows how the same technologies that have been a catalyst for negativity can be turned into an exponential force for good - to create chain reactions of generous behaviour. The potential lies in every one of us, right now - for generosity, it turns out, is wired deeply inside you. Gifts of time, talent, connection and kindness have always been part of what it is to be a good human. What's different today, Anderson reveals, is the power each of us has - if we'd only stop to think about it - to catalyse world-changing, self-replicating impact. The people, companies, investors and organisations who understand this, who prioritise generosity - who give more to the world than they take from it - are the ones that will own the future. And they'll be happier as a result. This book shows you how. ©2024 Chris Anderson (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Chris Anderson (Author), Chris Anderson, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Putin's Exiles: Their Fight for a Better Russia

The future of Russia lies outside the country. Since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some one million Russians have fled the country and gone into exile. Motivated by opposition to the war, by guilt for their country's deeds, by personal hatred for the Czar-like Putin, and by a vision of a better Russia, shorn of autocracy, the exiles have mounted an organized resistance to Putin's rule. The resistance includes followers of the imprisoned Putin opponent Alexi Navalny, dissident Russian Orthodox priests, and journalists feeding Russians back home the kind of coverage that Kremlin-controlled media censors. Most aggressively, some exiles are actively aiding the Ukrainian fight against Russia's armed forces in hopes of hastening Russia's defeat and Putin's demise. Paul Starobin, a veteran analyst of Russia, travels to places like Armenia and Georgia to meet with exiles and has conversations with prominent figures throughout Europe and America, as he takes measure of this rebellion-and its potential to fix a nation plagued by revanchist imperial dreams. Putin's Exiles is an indispensable work for anyone trying to understand Russia today-to go beyond Putin's propaganda and the tightly controlled narrative inside the country, and look outside its borders to the diaspora of Russian exiles, who are imagining and fighting for the future of their country.

Paul Starobin (Author), David Aranovich (Narrator)

Audiobook

Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto

'Why, in our affluent society, do so many people live in poverty, without access to health care, working multiple jobs, and are nevertheless unable to make ends meet, with no future prospects, while the planet is burning? In his international bestseller, Kohei Saito argues that while unfettered capitalism is often blamed for inequality and climate change, subsequent calls for “sustainable growth” and a “Green New Deal” are a dangerous compromise. Capitalism creates artificial scarcity by pursuing profit based on the value of products rather than their usefulness and by putting perpetual growth above all else. It is therefore impossible to reverse climate change in a capitalist society; in fact, the system that caused the problem in the first place cannot be an integral part of the solution. Instead, Saito advocates for degrowth and deceleration, which he conceives as the slowing of economic activity through the democratic reform of labor and production. In practical terms, he argues for the following: the end of mass production and mass consumption. decarbonization through shorter working hours. the prioritization of essential labor over corporate profits. By returning to a system of social ownership, he argues, we can restore abundance and focus on those activities that are essential for human life, effectively reversing climate change and saving the planet.'

Kohei Saito (Author), Kohei Saito, TBD, Troy Glasgow (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph Over China

In The Decisive Decade, Dr. Jonathan D. T. Ward offers a comprehensive framework for how the US can, and must, defeat China on the world stage economically, diplomatically, militarily, and ideologically. International security and American supremacy are at stake-and now is the time for the US to take action. China's global power and influence grows every day. Working from a deep sense of national identity, the Chinese Communist Party is leading its country toward what it deems 'the great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation,' and executing a long-term Grand Strategy to topple over its chief adversary, the US. As China becomes increasingly repressive domestically and aggressive overseas, it threatens to upend America's global dominance at every turn. Ward provides novel and practical strategies that our government, as well as our businesses and our citizens, can utilize to undermine our adversary. Exhaustive campaigns in the economic, diplomatic, military, and ideological arenas, he argues, must be taken to achieve victory. With expert analysis of the history of US-China relations, as well as insight into how the Russia-Ukrainian war can inform our strategic thinking, The Decisive Decade presents a unique toolkit for our triumph over China. We can succeed, but it won't be easy; it will take all of our nation's ingenuity, confidence, and willpower to win.

Jonathan D.T. Ward (Author), Rick Adamson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Russia's War

In the early hours of February 24, 2022, Russian forces attacked Ukraine. The brutality of the Russian assault has horrified the world. But Russians themselves appear to be watching an entirely different war-one in which they are the courageous underdogs and kind-hearted heroes successfully battling a malign Ukrainian foe. Russia analyst Jade McGlynn takes us on a journey into this parallel military and political universe to reveal the sometimes monstrous, sometimes misconstrued attitudes behind Russian majority backing for the invasion. Drawing on media analysis and interviews with ordinary citizens, officials and foreign-policy elites in Russia and Ukraine, McGlynn explores the grievances, lies and half-truths that pervade the Russian worldview. She also exposes the complicity of many Russians, who have invested too deeply in the Kremlin's alternative narratives to regard the war as Putin's foolhardy mission. In their eyes, this is Russia's war-against Ukraine, against the West, against evil-and there can be no turning back.

Jade Mcglynn (Author), Jade Mcglynn (Narrator)

Audiobook

Robert's Rules of Order Fast Track: The Brief and Easy Guide to Parliamentary Procedure for the Mode

Must-Have Advice on Running Effective and Organized Meetings Easy, accessible, and to the point. Robert's Rules of Order gives you everything you need to know to conduct shorter, fairer, and more orderly meetings. In this new and improved update, you'll find: -The fundamentals of parliamentary procedure, with tips on knowing which rules to use for your meetings. -Simple suggestions for making, seconding, and debating motions. -A primer on voting, from knowing when it's required, to breaking ties, to handling absentee and proxy votes. -Straightforward strategies for setting and sticking to an agenda and efficiently recording your meeting's minutes. -Tips for handling disruptive members and tyrannical chairs. -All-new guidance on conducting the modern virtual meeting. Jim Slaughter is an attorney, professional parliamentarian, and past president of the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers. He serves as parliamentarian to many of the largest trade and professional associations. He is co-author of Notes and Comments on Robert's Rules. Jim is a partner in the North Carolina law firm Rossabi Black Slaughter, PA. © 2022 Jim Slaughter © 2023 DK Audio

Jim Slaughter (Author), Greg Lockett (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Wretched of the Earth

'The Wretched of the Earth' by Frantz Fanon, published in 1961, is a groundbreaking exploration of the psychological, social, and political dimensions of colonialism and decolonization. Drawing from his experiences as a psychiatrist during the Algerian War of Independence, Fanon delves into the dehumanizing effects of colonial oppression on both the colonized and the colonizers. Fanon introduces the concept of 'colonial alienation,' describing the internal conflict experienced by the colonized torn between their indigenous culture and the imposed values of the colonizer. This fracture contributes to a profound psychological degradation of the colonized, necessitating not only political and economic decolonization but also psychological and cultural liberation. The book discusses the role of violence in the struggle for freedom, acknowledging its moral complexities and seeing it as a cathartic force for breaking free from colonial chains. Fanon critiques nationalist movements that replicate colonial structures, emphasizing the need for a genuine grassroots revolution beyond mere political independence. Anticipating challenges post-independence, Fanon warns against reproducing colonial mentalities and calls for a radical societal transformation. He explores postcolonial identity complexities, advocating for authentic cultural expressions rejecting both colonizer influence and mimicry. 'The Wretched of the Earth' has left an indelible mark on postcolonial studies, political theory, and cultural critique. Its insights into the enduring legacies of colonial oppression and the ongoing struggle for genuine decolonization make it a seminal text, influencing scholarly discussions on the complexities of liberation, violence, and identity in the postcolonial world.

Frantz Fanon (Author), Maxwell Anderson (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Warum die Welt keinen Frieden findet - Auf dem Punkt (Ungekürzt)

Der Wunsch nach weltweitem Frieden ist ebenso redlich wie verständlich. Doch er führt auch dazu, dass uns aufflammende Konflikte und Kriege in Schrecken versetzen - ganz besonders, wenn sie in geografischer Nähe auftreten, wie es seit dem russischen Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine der Fall ist. Sehen wir also der Realität ins Auge, fordert der renommierte Militärexperte Carlo Masala: Wenn wir verstehen, warum Konflikte, Kriege und Gewalt ein Kennzeichen des internationalen Systems sind und welche Spielregeln dort gelten, dann können wir in Zukunft politisch wie als Gesellschaft auch besser damit umgehen. Klar und verständlich analysiert Masala die Hintergründe einer Welt im Umbruch. Zugleich zeigt der Kriegsforscher, welche Strategien die Auswirkungen von Konflikten minimieren sowie Sicherheit und Stabilität fördern können.

Carlo Masala (Author), Patrick Imhof (Narrator)

Audiobook

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