Politikk

Igjen ruller en krig over Europa. Kunne den vært unngått?I tredje bind av sine memoarer tar Thorbjørn Jagland leseren med til Strasbourg og sin tid som generalsekretær i Europarådet.Perioden fra 2009 til 2019 var preget av store og dramatiske hendelser i Europa og verden. Det tillitsfulle forholdet til Russland som ble etablert i årene etter murens fall var i ferd med å slå sprekker. Maidanopprøret i Ukraina i 2013, fulgt av Russlands annektering av Krim, representerte et foreløpig bunnpunkt i øst-vest forholdet. På samme tid var både EU og NATO preget av store indre spenninger. I dette brokete landskapet sto Jagland overfor en dobbelt oppgave - på den ene side å reformere et tungrodd og byråkratisk Europaråd og gjenreise respekten for Menneskerettighetsdomstolen, på den annen side å manøvrere - på vegne av rådets 46 stater og 800 millioner innbygger - i et stadig mer komplisert storpolitisk landskap.Gjennom boka trekker også forfatteren linjene frem til dagens politiske situasjon, og spør seg selv hvordan vi kom hit - om kontinentet ville sett anderledes ut nå, om andre valg hadde blitt fattet da.Det er en like fengslende som lærerik vandring gjennom de siste tyve års politiske historie, fra en utkikkspost helt i kjernen av de geopolitiske beslutningene.

Adania Shibli: En liten detaljOversatt fra arabisk av Oda Myran WinsnesEn litterær perle fra Palestina med stor politisk og moralsk sprengkraft.Denne beskjedne romanen på drøyt hundre sider åpner med en skildring fra sommeren 1949. Scenen er den ugjestmilde Negev-ørkenen i det sørlige Israel, ett år etter Nakba, den «palestinske katastrofen» da anslagsvis 700 000 palestinske arabere ble fordrevet av den unge israelske staten. Under ledelse av en halvgal offiser tar israelske sikkerhetsstyrker livet av en bosetning med beduiner. Blant ofrene er en tenåringsjente som blir voldtatt og drept og begravet i sanden. Shibli skildrer disse voldshandlingene med en språklig sparsommelighet og nøkternhet som gjør dem desto mer uhyggelige og fantasieggende.Mange år senere blir en ung kvinne i Ramallah besatt av denne «lille detaljen» i historien da hun oppdager en notis om den i avisen. Hun gripes ikke bare av selve den grufulle forbrytelsen, men også av det faktum at den fant sted på dagen 25 år etter at hun selv ble født. Kvinnen legger ut på en risikabel road trip sørover mot Negev, langt bortenfor områdene som ID-kortet gir henne adgang til, og innleder sin egen etterforskning for å oppklare hva som skjedde den gangen i ørkenen. Det skal få katastrofale følger.Med sin knappe og treffsikre prosa går Adania Shibli til kjernen av den palestinske opplevelsen av tap og berøvelse, av et liv under okkupasjon. På elegant og sømløst vis lar forfatteren de to delene av romanen overlappe hverandre og sammen kaste lys over en nåtid som aldri slutter å hjemsøkes av fortiden.Det er viktig å understreke at selv om den bygger på historiske hendelser og tar klart stilling i Palestina-konflikten, er ikke En liten detalj hverken sakprosa eller politisk agiterende. Den søker ikke å avdekke skjulte sannheter eller å sørge for at rettferdigheten skal skje fyllest. Den er snarere en vakker og nærmest resignert litterær meditasjon over historiens gjentakelser, fortidens tilbakevendende traumer.«Adania Shibli tar en sjanse når hun overlater vår tilgang til romanens sentrale hendelse - voldtekten og drapet på en ung beduinerkvinne - til to dypt selvopptatte fortellere - en israelsk psykopat og en palestinsk amatørdetektiv med klare autistiske trekk - men hennes indirekte metode rettferdiggjøres til fulle idet boken når sin nervepirrende slutt.» - J.M. Coetzee«Terroren Shibli maner frem, tiltar langsomt, ulmende, helt til den gløder på siden ... En tvers igjennom farlig og overveldende god bok.» - The Guardian

What is intelligence - why is it so hard to define, and why is there no systematic theory of intelligence? Kjetil Anders Hatlebrekke creates a new, systematic model of intelligence analysis, arguing that good intelligence is based on understanding the threats that appear beyond our experience, and are therefore the most dangerous to society.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERTwo long-time friends share an intimate and urgent conversation about life, music and their enduring love of America, with all its challenges and contradictions, in this stunningly-produced expansion of their ground-breaking Higher Ground podcast, featuring more than 350 photographs, exclusive bonus content, and never-before-seen archival material.Renegades: Born in the USA is a candid, revealing, and entertaining dialogue between President Barack Obama and legendary musician Bruce Springsteen that explores everything from their origin stories and career-defining moments to their country's polarized politics and the growing distance between the American Dream and the American reality. Filled with full-colour photographs and rare archival material, it is a compelling and beautifully illustrated portrait of two outsiders-one Black and one white-looking for a way to connect their unconventional searches for meaning, identity, and community with the American story itself. It includes: Original introductions by President Obama and Bruce Springsteen Exclusive new material from the Renegades podcast recording sessions Obama's never-before-seen annotated speeches, including his "e;Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches Springsteen's handwritten lyrics for songs spanning his 50-year-long career Rare and exclusive photographs from the authors' personal archives Historical photographs and documents that provide rich visual context for their conversation. In a recording studio stocked with dozens of guitars, and on at least one Corvette ride, Obama and Springsteen discuss marriage and fatherhood, race and masculinity, the lure of the open road and the call back to home. They also compare notes on their favourite protest songs, the most inspiring American heroes of all time, and more. Along the way, they reveal their passion for-and the occasional toll of-telling a bigger, truer story about America throughout their careers, and explore how their fractured country might begin to find its way back toward unity.

The classical conundrum of Thucydides's Trap is identified by Harvard scholar Graham Allison as the force propelling the US and China to war, with the situation between the US and China held up against preceding instances of Thucydides's Trap to show how likely war is, and also what either party can do to avoid it.

This Second Edition continues to showcase current and cutting-edge best practices but has broadened its focus beyond intelligence to show how SATs can be used across different disciplines and professions, from business and law enforcement to homeland security

Contrary to the usual image of the press as cantankerous, obstinate, and ubiquitous in its search for truth, Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky depict how an underlying elite consensus largely structures all facets of the news.

Does a poet's heart beat under Donald Trump's brash exterior? This bestseller rearranges his quotes and tweets into hilarious poetry. It's a new word order and a perfect stocking filler

From the creator of the CCK Philosophy YouTube channel comes this timely and explosive re-evaluation of Marx and Nietzsche for the 21st-century left.

The extraordinary inside story from Donald Trump's only niece of the factors that helped make the US president into the world's most dangerous man

A popular take on world events that puts the 'geo' back in geopolitics

Permanent Record is the essential and courageous memoir of Edward Snowden - the man who risked everything to expose the shocking mass surveillance used by governments across the world to spy on their own citizens.

In The Righteous Mind, psychologist Jonathan Haidt answers some of the most compelling questions about human relationships:Why can it sometimes feel as though half the population is living in a different moral universe? Why do ideas such as 'fairness' and 'freedom' mean such different things to different people? Why is it so hard to see things from another viewpoint? Why do we come to blows over politics and religion?Jonathan Haidt reveals that we often find it hard to get along because our minds are hardwired to be moralistic, judgemental and self-righteous. He explores how morality evolved to enable us to form communities, and how moral values are not just about justice and equality - for some people authority, sanctity or loyalty matter more. Morality binds and blinds, but, using his own research, Haidt proves it is possible to liberate ourselves from the disputes that divide good people.'A landmark contribution to humanity's understanding of itself' The New York Times'A truly seminal book' David Goodhart, Prospect'A tour de force - brave, brilliant, and eloquent. It will challenge the way you think about liberals and conservatives, atheism and religion, good and evil' Paul Bloom, author of How Pleasure Works 'Compelling . . . a fluid combination of erudition and entertainment' Ian Birrell, Observer'Lucid and thought-provoking ... deserves to be widely read' Jenni Russell, Sunday Times

'I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea.'Yeonmi Park was not dreaming of freedom when she escaped from North Korea. She didn't even know what it meant to be free. All she knew was that she was running for her life, that if she and her family stayed behind they would die - from starvation, or disease, or even execution. This book is the story of Park's struggle to survive in the darkest, most repressive country on earth; her harrowing escape through China's underworld of smugglers and human traffickers; and then her escape from China across the Gobi desert to Mongolia, with only the stars to guide her way, and from there to South Korea and at last to freedom; and finally her emergence as a leading human rights activist - all before her 21st birthday.'Clear-eyed and devastating' Observer

'Meticulously researched and superbly written ... The Putin book that we've been waiting for.' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland 'Books about modern Russia abound ... Belton has surpassed them all. Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia ... Hair-raising' The TimesTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'An outstanding expose of Putin and his criminal pals ... [A] long-awaited, must read book' SUNDAY TIMES 'Books about modern Russia abound ... Belton has surpassed them all.Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia' THE TIMES A chilling and revelatory expose of the KGB's renaissance, Putin's rise to power, and how Russian black cash is subverting the world. In Putin's People, former Moscow correspondent and investigative journalist Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and his entourage of KGB men seized power in Russia and built a new league of oligarchs. Through exclusive interviews with key inside players, Belton tells how Putin's people conducted their relentless seizure of private companies, took over the economy, siphoned billions, blurred the lines between organised crime and political powers, shut down opponents, and then used their riches and power to extend influence in the West.In a story that ranges from Moscow to London, Switzerland and Trump's America, Putin's People is a gripping and terrifying account of how hopes for the new Russia went astray, with stark consequences for its inhabitants and, increasingly, the world. 'A fearless, fascinating account ... Reads at times like a John le Carre novel ...A groundbreaking and meticulously researched anatomy of the Putin regime, Belton's book shines a light on the pernicious threats Russian money and influence now pose to the west' Guardian

'We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, "e;I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive ..."e;'Hunter S. Thompson is roaring down the desert highway to Las Vegas with his attorney, the Samoan, to find the dark side of the American Dream. Armed with a drug arsenal of stupendous proportions, the duo engage in a surreal succession of chemically enhanced confrontations with casino operators, police officers and assorted Middle Americans.This ebook edition of Hunter S. Thompson's iconic masterpiece, a controversial bestseller when it appeared in 1971, features the brilliant Ralph Steadman illustrations of the original. It brings to a new generation the hallucinatory humour and nightmare terror of Hunter S. Thompson's musings on the collapse of the American Dream.