Globalization and Terrorism: The Migration of Dreams and Nightmares (Globalization (Lanham, MD.).)

Book Description

Globalization and terrorism are both charged concepts; people use the terms loosely without regard for exactitude, often to further political ends. This book carefully defines these concepts, puts them in historical as well as political context, and amplifies the basics with an exploration of the way in which the dreams inspired by globalization can translate all too easily into the nightmare of terrorism. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Customer Reviews:

Spectacular.......2006-06-14

As a law student majoring in international politics and law, this was one of the most accessible and highly commendable books I found in my hours searching the libraries.

Especially if you have slightly radical lecturers (and live in a democratic country where the media is sensationalised and politicized), it is a very balanced read, but above all, most illuminating.

For all those interested in gaining a basic foundation and an innovative perspective on this global issue.

Globalization and Terrorism.......2005-10-26

In late 2004, Jamal Nassar, Chairperson of the Dept. of Politics and Government and one of ISU's most respected professors, published his latest book, Globalization and Terrorism: The Migration of Dreams and Nightmares. Concisely linking two of the most significant concepts of our time, Dr. Nassar's book explains the often-overlooked link between the phenomena of globalization and terrorism - two misunderstood buzzwords with loaded meanings and inadequate definitions. Nassar attempts to confront the way that both of these issues are viewed by the West; he challenges the dominant Western discourse that links globalization with freedom, for example, while attempting to give legitimacy and credence to those who oppose the dominant and dominating trends of global capitalism. In this regard, Nassar's book takes on a tone similar to that of his classroom lectures; those looking for a market-centered, Western outlook on the process of globalization will be disappointed by the book's unapologetically human-centered and empathetic tone.

Initially agreeing with the contemporary definition of globalization, Nassar describes this process as that of "the integration of markets, politics, values, and environmental concerns across the globe." Economic interdependence is often viewed as the core of globalization, with human participation in the global marketplace serving as the force that perpetuates this process. Thus, globalization has become synonymous with the worldwide expansion of modern corporate capitalism. Insofar as we all buy food and clothing from large retailers and superstores, we reaffirm the capitalist, economic aspect of globalization; in this regard, participation in capitalist globalization is currently almost inescapable within the given framework, and it leads to a disparity between the nations who make the rules (those in the developed nations) and those who are expected to follow suit (the developing nations). For this reason, Nassar calls upon the reader to question the given framework in order to create a more charitable and egalitarian world paradigm.

Nassar describes globalization as a process that leads to a "migration of dreams" in which the world's poor are able to learn of the luxuries of the first world in hopes of one day acquiring these luxuries themselves. He uses the example of a town elder in a small African village bringing a battery-operated television set into town along with a satellite dish. The town's people watch in amazement at people with luxuries such as running water, electricity, indoor plumbing, cars, paved streets, etc. From that point forward, the town's people know what is possible for their own future. Often times, though, these expectations remain unfulfilled. Nassar describes this gap between expectations and achievements as the theory of relative deprivation.

Relative deprivation, according to Nassar, is a major contributor to violence. Often times in the West, this violence comes to be known as terrorism, and the goals of the impoverished become overlooked, or even dismissed entirely. Thus, Nassar defines terrorism as merely a "political label given to people who are perceived to be planning or carrying out acts of violence for political objectives." Terrorism, therefore, is in the eye of the beholder, as the issues surrounding politically-motivated violence are never as black and white as the media or government like to portray them.

In a sense, many acts of `terrorism' are simply unfortunate consequences of globalization, as terrorism serves as a horrendous side effect of relative deprivation. In many cases, desperation and the quest to obtain a greater share of power beget violence. So, if globalization causes a migration of dreams, terrorism can be seen as a "migration of nightmares." Nassar details several case studies on the topic of terrorism and its root causes, including chapters on Palestine, Northern Ireland, and Middle Eastern Islamist movements. In these chapters, Nassar reinforces the notion that terrorism is not an inherent personal condition or a human disease; rather, it is a societal condition that arises from national or social struggles to obtain a better life.

In an era in which "consumers rather than human beings matter," governments in the First World have undertaken the effort to protect corporate profit rather than the overall public good. Modern globalization has become synonymous with the quest for deregulation and the corporatization of the globe, as the current War on Terror seems to exemplify. Forced privatization of the Iraqi economy, for example, can pose a severe hindrance to true democracy, ensuring profit for private enterprise while leaving the common man behind. The disparity caused by these policies and these processes of capitalism spawns political violence that is dismissed as terrorism, while the fight to further the processes of capitalism becomes elevated by those in charge as acts of moral clarity, superiority, and wisdom.

Essentially, Nassar sums up the current wave of anti-Americanism and terrorist activity as "a byproduct of the dream of a more equitable world." While many supporters of US foreign policy would quickly dismiss such a claim as idealist rhetoric, the possible solutions and demands seem far from unreasonable - in order to ease political violence, the world must work to ensure that basic needs are met across the globe, including access to health care, clean water, food, and education.

Refreshingly, rather than looking at terrorism from a reactionary, face-value perspective, Globalization and Terrorism examines the roots of political violence in an effort to cut off terrorism at is roots. This can only occur through overcoming disparity at the expense of the worldwide market, not through the expansion of corporate ownership and global capitalism.

Insightful and illiminating.......2005-10-02

Jamal Nassar's book, "Globalization and Terrorism," brilliantly and insightfully illuminates the effects of globalization on the Middle East and other parts of the world. Furthermore, Nassar breaks down the causes and effects of terrorism in terms of the neverending cycle of violence between those with power and their victims. As techonology seeps its way into the Third World, Nassar explains, new "dreams" of better lifestyles and commodities are introduced to populations that cannot achieve this lifestyle due to economical impossibilities. This in turn brings about "nightmares" of the oppressed. Dr. Nassar brings in personal stories throughout the world that help convey the negative effects of globalization and terrorism giving the reader and more comprehensive, thorough, and compassionate understanding of oppressed people throughout the world. This is a definite read for those looking for a different perspective on globalization and terrorism and their effects.

An Important Contribution.......2005-09-30

Jamal Nassar's book, Globalization and Terrorism is an important academic work, and is refreshing in its moral engagement. It provides a valuable general background to the concepts of globalization and terrorism, situating them within the academic and popular debates of today. The book addresses many hot spots in world affairs today, including Russia/Chechnya, Israel/Palestine, the Congo, Iraq, and Colombia. The chapter on the Israel-Palestine conflict is a must read for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the underlying factors that have fueled terrorism on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. The chapter that introduces Islamism/Islamic fundamentalism is welcome reading as well, as it provides an important background to such figues as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri.
Many readers are afraid of books that provide a fair assesment of the terrorism of both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is one such book, which helps explain the numerous attacks from those who assume that Israel can do no wrong since its creation in 1948.
For an encompassing review of the important concepts of globalization and terrorism, as well as relevant case studies that provide a rich understanding of global terrorist conflicts, pick up Jamal Nassar's book.

Misleading and uninformative.......2005-05-07

There is plenty wrong with this book, but I'll focus on how misleading it is about a major topic, the Arab war on Israel.

First, there is no mention of Jewish rights in the Levant ever being a problem! These rights were attacked in the 1920s and 1930s. The British White Paper of 1939 was a direct attack on Jewish rights and got almost all the Levantine Jews to insist on a state in order to protect their lives, liberty, property, and right to immigrate.

Now, what about Jewish terror? There was some, and it was directed against the British, not to evict the British from Britain, but from the Levant, a place British troops had no more right to be in than the German troops in the Soviet Union in the same decade. It might have been reasonable to look for actual parallels and differences in the goals of Jewish and Arab terrorists, but the author makes no real effort to do this.

Nor does the author explain that Arab terrorism in Israel is in fact a war against Jewish rights there. If the Arabs called off this war, there would be peace. Not because Jews are somehow immune from wanting to be greedy or wicked, but because the Israeli Jews happen to want to survive and prosper. An unnecessary war might be almost the only way to lose all of this. On the other hand, if the Jews call off their self-defense, there may be a very short pause, but after that, it is likely that the Asian Jews will be evicted, if not exterminated. After which there may be another short pause, followed by more misadventures, given that getting rid of the Jews will not benefit those who remain in the region.

Instead, the author says that Arab violence "is to recover lost rights" and is due to colonization of their land. Well, actually that violence is to obliterate Jewish rights. The author is not being honest here.

Nasser then says that a central part of Zionism was ethnic cleansing! "Ethnic purification was so important to Zionist planners because of the demographics involved." This is a malicious untruth. There's no record of Zionists planning ethnic purification. There were a few instances of some Arabs being evicted during a war that the Arabs started. But in Haifa, the Zionists were begging the Arabs to stay, while the Arabs refused. That does not sound like very efficient planning of ethnic cleansing by the Jews! And many Arabs did stay, with the Jews treating them well. Demographics favored the Jews back then: many were moving to a state that was already about 50% Jewish. I think that in peacetime, demographics still favors the Jews: Israel is small and there are far more than enough Jews to dominate its less than 11,000 square miles. Nor is there any reason to believe that the presence of Arabs in Israel would get rid of Jewish rights. Nasser's entire claim is absurd.

The author discusses Israeli self-defense, something he calls "Israeli terror." Considering how fatal unnecessary violence would be to the Jews, I wonder what would motivate them to commit acts of terror? Why would the Jews prefer to be poor and dead to being happy, alive, and prosperous? I want to know! Nasser says that the Zionists have a "motivation of permanently subjugating the occupied territories." He has to be kidding. Zionists need peace and they know it. And Arabs have something at stake as well, namely a vast Empire. Arabs could use peace too. And that is something the author has conveniently forgotten.

Book Description

In his best-selling book, The Passion Plan, Richard Chang showed individuals how to discover their passion and turn it into personal and professional fulfillment. Now, in The Passion Plan at Work he shows how to bring passion into the workplace--and turn good companies into great ones. Adapting his seven-step model for individuals to an organizational perspective, Chang explains how passion can provide direction and improve performance at all levels of a company. Carefully leading readers through his do-it-yourself process, Chang provides specific guidelines for creating an action plan that galvanizes an organization around passion. Along the way he provides practical tools--questionnaires, worksheets, and checklists--to help assess an organization's Passion Profile and make passion a big part of your company's ongoing success.

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Customer Reviews:

How "Passion-Driven" Is Your Organization?.......2001-03-17

In the Foreword, Frederick W. Smith (chairman and CEO of FedEx) suggests that "Successful leaders of the future will have to tap into the tremendous potential passion offers them. In fact, despite the advances in both physical networks and information networks, that drive the high-tech and high-speed New Economy, successful leaders must invest in a third and vital network -- a passionate people network that sparks the ideas and innovation for lasting success." In his previous work (The Passion Plan), Chang offers a step-by-step process by which an individual can discover, develop, and live the passion to which Smith refers. In this volume, Chang shifts his attention to what Smith characterizes as a "passionate people network", explaining how each and every person involved in an organization "has the potential to strengthen and improve performance. And when passion is involved the possibility that the changes will spread increases exponentially." Human history is filled with countless examples of passionate people who inspired others to join then in achieving seemingly impossible goals. In today's business world, according to Collins and Porras In Built to Last, they could be called Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). Point is, without a passionate commitment by those involved, achieving lasting and significant change is highly unlikely.

Chang organizes his material within ten chapters whose titles correctly indicate the step-by-step process:

Why Passion Works in Organizations: A Timely Source for Timely Change

Putting the Passion Plan to Work: A Model for Organizational Success

Step One: Start from the Heart -- Passion as the Foundation of the Organization's Success

Step Two: Discover Core Passions -- Uncovering the Forces That Will Drive the Organization's Success

Step Three: Clarify Purpose -- Channeling the Organization's Passion Toward a Specific Goal

Step Four: Define Actions -- Planning for Passion-Inspired Change and Growth

Step Five: Perform with Passion -- Translating Passion into Performance in the Workplace and Marketplace

Step Six: Spread Excitement -- Sparking Commitment and Enthusiasm in Employees, Partners, and Customers

Step Seven: Stay the Course -- Keeping the Organization Centered on Passion

Realizing Profit: Moving on to Bigger and Better Things

Chang then includes an excellent resource, "Profiled Organizations", which consists of Web sites of various "superior organizations" which range from Ben & Jerry's to Wainwright Industries. I rate this book so highly because its coverage of material is eloquent, practical, comprehensive, and cohesive. It remains for each organization (regardless of its size or nature) to select, combine, modify, and then apply Chang's key ideas. Those who share my admiration of this book are urged to check out the aforementioned Built to Last as well as Real Change Leaders (Katzenbach and the RCL Team) and The Irresistible Growth Enterprise (Mitchell, Coles & Kahn). Chang invites feedback from his readers which can be directed to www.thepassionplan.com.

Book Description

Irrigation is the supply of water to agricultural crops by artifical means, designed to permit farming in arid regions and to offset drought in semi-arid regions. Irrigation has long played a key role in feeding expanding populations and is expected to play a still greater role in the future. Inevitably, however, irrigation entails the addition of water-borne salts which accumulate and induce the self-destructive twin phenomena of water-logging and salination. Moreover, this often negatively affects adjacent lands and water resources.

Is irrigation sustainable, and if so, how and under what conditions? That is the question that has impelled the writing of this book, which attempts to select and organize the disparate facts into a unified exposition, combining physico-chemical, agronomic, environmental, and economic principles into practical recommendations.

Chapters include: The Nature of Salinity, Effects on Crops, Irrigation Water, Waterlogging and Drainage, Salinity Control, Early Warning Systems, Scaling up from the Field, and a Conclusion which addresses directly the question of whether or not irrigation is sustainable. An appendix covers the economic aspects of salinity management.

Book Description

There is growing scientific evidence that somatic awareness--the ability to perceive, interpret, and act upon the basis of one's own internal bodily sensations--can be a powerful tool in maintaining health and facilitating recovery from illness. This book examines the nature of somatic awareness and evaluates its clinical utility across a wide range of medical conditions, including migraine, unexplained dizziness and shortness of breath, and immune system illnesses such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. Integrating holistic and traditional health care considerations, chapters describe how mental health and medical practitioners can help patients harness "the placebo effect" and other inner resources for healing.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding discussion on mind-body and body-mind awarene.......2005-01-02

Donald Bakal presents an outstanding discussion on mind-body and body-mind awarenesses. Of particular interest is a discussion of people who are densely insensitive to their bodies and to their mental and emotional connection with their bodies. Where many people who are suffering pain or other symptoms can productively answer the question, "What do you think/feel your body is saying?" these people may even be unaware of the possibility that their bodies may be symptomatic due to psychological tensions in their lives. When asked about factors that might contribute to their symptoms, they draw a complete blank.

The fact that their bodies are complaining about disharmonies in their lives may be grossly evident to caregivers, but it may be extremely difficult or impossible for caregivers to raise the body awareness of these people to a point that they can deal with their body problems in any way other than physical interventions. These people prefer medications and surgery - i.e. to have others "fix" them - rather than the spectrum of wholistic approaches that is the focus of the IJHC.

This suggests that people may self-select into treatment modalities that are consonant with their beliefs and awarenesses. Counselors may be treating a very different population from those seen in a chirpractor's or acupuncturist's office - despite the fact that the symptoms presented by these populations may be similar.

Bakal has good discussions on a variety of interventions that help wholistically, addressing the meaning behind the symptoms. His approach is from the body side of the spectrum, rather than from the psychological side - which makes for interesting reading for those who are coming from the opposite side of this continuum.

Book Description

Recognizing the increased interest in forest management world wide, this book addresses the current knowledge gap by defining sustainable forest management, clarifying methods by which ecological knowledge can be applied and how traditional silvicultural methods can be improved.

Sustainable forest management involves the enhancement of various aspects of forest functions such as conservation of biodiversity, conservation of soil and water resources, contribution to the global carbon cycle as well as wood production. To establish ecological and silvicultural theories to enhance these functions harmoniously, recognizing the relationship between stand structures and their functions is essential.

This volume presents target stand structures for aimed forest functions in relation to stand development stages, as well as ecological and silvicultural methods to lead and maintain them. Ecological and silvicultural strategies are discussed, both on stand and landscape levels, and from local to international levels in temperate and boreal forest zones.

Customer Reviews:

This is genuine "inside baseball".......2006-11-06

I found this book enthralling and (if the word hasn't been too overused to have lost all meaning) unique. Every baseball fan has heard and read countless postgame comments by managers and is all too aware that, for obvious reasons, such remarks are far from candid. Now managers are even interviewed during the game on many telecasts, but candor is still a rare commodity. What purports to be inside information consists far too often of timeworn truisms and meaningless cliches. By contrast, Red Rolfe's diaries, which were written contemporaneously and never intended for publication, give the reader unparallelled access to what really goes on inside a manager's head. Rolfe never pulls any punches in breaking down the factors that led to a specific victory or defeat. This book is a gem and William Anderson's skilled editing enhances its appeal.

The View from the Dugout.......2006-07-09

Most of the work is a review of the Tigers's games from 1949 thru 1952 summarizing the turning points in each contest with very little insight into the managerial strategy of Rolfe. At the end of each recap there are comments by Rolfe concerning the mundane perfomances of his players and why the game was won or lost. There should have been more emphasis on how Rolfe actually prepared for each game and the strategies that he planned employ against each opponent instead of the brief summaries that covered each game. A View from the Dugout was more like a review from the press box.

This Book Fills A Void in Tiger Baseball History.......2006-04-17

Author William Anderson edited this book on the journals of former Tigers' manager Red Rolfe for the same reason I read the book. He was 12 years old when his father took him and his brother to his first game in 1950 to see the Tigers, and he became hooked on Hoot Evers. As an 8 year old I was just becoming a Tiger fan in 1952 listening to the games on the radio with my grandfather when I became hooked on Johnny Groth. Unfortunately, this time period has been pretty much ignored in covering the team's history. The Bengals finished a respectable 4th in 1949 with Rolfe the Red at the helm, and made a run at the American League pennant in 1950 before finishing three games behind the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, with the exception of George Kell, the big bats of Wertz, Groth, and Evers were silenced in 1951 compared to the previous year. The pitching suffered as well with the loss of Art Houtteman to the army. Determined to add power to the lineup in 1952 Charley Gehringer, who had replaced Billy Evans as general manager, swung a big trade sending Kell, Evers, Johnny Lipon, and Paul "Dizzy" Trout to Boston in exchange for Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Johnny Pesky, Don Lenhardt, and Bill Wight. Fred Hutchinson replaced Rolfe as manager, and the team actually played slightly worse under Hutch than it did for Rolfe as the team finished in last place for the first time in its history. This book was of special interest to me because it brought to life Red Rolfe's comments for the games he managed in Detroit at the time period I became interested in following them. Rolfe's wife faithfully kept score of the games to make it easier for him to have the time to write a journal. An important piece of Detroit Tigers' baseball history has been preserved for us thanks to Red Rolfe, his wife, and editor William Anderson. My only regret is that I wish my boyhood hero, Johnny Groth, had agreed to be interviewed by William Anderson.

Book Description

For those looking to raise a family in a storybook American town, or a change of pace from hectic city life, this book is the answer.

Customer Reviews:

A Poor Offering.......2007-08-10

This is not a very good book. 50% of the book is devoted to Mr. Crampton's less than interesting observations of life in a small town. His advice is mostly extremely basic common sense stuff that any normal person should already know. He offers very few interesting insights.

The other half of the book is his list of the 120 best small towns in America. This part of the book is even more weak. It's obvious Mr. Crampton did a lot of internet travel to gather his data as the descriptions are clearly culled from the towns' chamber of commerce websites. He offers zero insight or information gained from him (or someone else) actually visiting / living in the towns and conveying what the towns are actually like.

His ruse is painfully evident as the "more info" listing for each town is merely a link to their respective chamber of commerce website! What "more info" could there be given that the author merely copied the site? Even his internet research was exceptionally lazy.

The book should be titled "A Compilation of America's Best Small Towns' Chamber of Commerce Website Info plus Non-insightful Musings of the Armchair Travelling Author."

And how do the towns qualify as being best? By Mr. Crampton's estimation they must have a highschool, and a hospital, and at least a few other businesses that aren't Walmart. Could the bar be set any lower? With that criteria one could throw 120 darts blindfolded at a map and do just as well as this book.

The book could be fodder for a Garrison Keilor Ketchup skit, "you know June, why don't we retire to the country, find a town with a highschool and live out our days..... Dear, have you been getting enough Ketchup lately..."

A very weak text that I'll be returning to Amazon post haste!

Make that 3 1/2 stars.......2005-03-28

Actually, I would have given "Making Your Move" 4 stars had I found the descriptions of the individual towns more interesting. But, what I did find was a witty style of writing, some laugh-out-loud moments, and some very down-to-earth advice on the pearls and perils of small-town life. One might apply Norm's smart and insightful guidelines to just about any sparsely populated area in the quest for new habitation. So even though his selections failed to fire me up, they did make me realize that I may not be cut out for small-town living after all. And that, in itself, is worth far more than the price of a book. Thanks, Norm, and make that four stars.

Part of the story.......2003-03-12

This book is a good place to start if you're thinking of moving to a town of 15,000 or less. It will point you to many interesting communities. However, having used his previous book to guide my last move, and as a resident of one of the towns highlighted in this book (Grinnell), I can honestly say that data only carries you so far. Crampton could provide readers with a great benefit by lengthening the amount of description and flavor for each town. In particular, one key element missing is the 'dynamic' of a town: is it progressive? conservative? excited about education? quick to vote down taxes and bonds? These elements form the 'culture' of a small town, and believe me, the culture of a small town will be *very* important to you!

A good guide to start.......2003-01-08

As a resident of one of the 120 "best small towns" recommended by Norman Crampton, I was delighted to see Silver City on the list.

While Crampton's book is a good place to start your search for small town living, it is important to realize that each small town offers a unique personality. Some generalizations simply do not apply to Silver City. For example, it is not necessary to join a church (or country club) in order to fit in here. Even a small community like ours has diverse sub-populations: recent retirees, most of whom have some affinity for the arts; old-timers, most of whom are the conservative church-goers Crampton describes; and Hispanic families, many of whom have worked in the mines.

These groups rarely interact, although we usually get along very peacefully. We also have a number of folks who teach at the university -- and we rarely see them around town.

To learn about Silver city, you won't get much information from the Chamber of Commerce or the editor of the newspaper. You'd do better to spend some time hanging out at the AIR cafe, talking to whoever comes in. The morning and afternoon groups are quite different and everyone is friendly.

The author gives some nuts and bolts about each small town. Unfortunately, with the exception of weather, much of this information will change by the time the book is printed. And your decision may well be made by factors that can't be added up.

The best part of the book is the section on economics of small town living. Here, he's right on. You have to budget for travel to a large city now and then. Air travel will be more costly and you need time to drive to a large airport. His view of housing prices seems optimistic. If you move to a desirable city (such as Silver City) expect to pay more for a house than he allows.
And if you move to retire, your economic picture will be quite different. Many newcomers to Silver City are beginning a second career as an artist or writer. Moving without a job is scary -- and I do not recommend it unless you fit the profile I describe in my own book, Making the Big Move.

Book Description

As Yehuda Berg showed with The 72 Names of God, hidden beneath the surface of ancient texts exist powerful, transformative technologies. In Kabbalah: The Dreams Book, Berg examines the meanings of dreams by using Kabbalistic principles. Dreams, he says, offer valuable messages and wisdom, and to ignore them is the same as leaving a potentially life-changing letter unopened. Berg shows readers how to interpret the directions in their dreams, from how to find a soul mate to ways to deflect negative energy and judgments.

Customer Reviews:

A Must............2006-08-06

....for anyone looking to understand or make sense of how to understand their dreams. My dreams will mean a lot more to me after reading this small but powerful book. Beginner to Intermediate level.

An expensive choice.......2005-03-15

Sorry, but this is definitely not worth the money, it's a dream interpretation book in a small format with a bit of Kabbalah thrown in, I think there are better books on the market!

Small Cute Helpful Book on Dreams.......2004-12-05

I bought this little book a few days after I had a very strange dream. I find it helpful understanding why we dream and how we can use dreams to get in touch with our mind in a way that we cannot do while we are awake. The book does not end with mere interpretations of dreams; instead, it explains what we can do when we have dreams with negative implications. Also the book explains some dreams have less importance and need no interpretations. Having read this book, I no longer feel that a scary dream simply means something bad. The use of this book requires no knowledge of Kabbalistic views. I recommend this book to those who are wondering what dreaming itself means and how dreams correlate to actual life.

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