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.

One of the few up-to-date works on the whole of the arms trade, this book puts the global trade in weapons in the context of history and includes recent controversial deals, as well as case studies on Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Darfur. It exposes the cynicism, bribery, and insider deals that characterize the conventional trade and the hidden world of torture. Nicholas Gilby led the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) in its efforts to expose the corruption at the heart of Britain's arms deals with Saudi Arabia over the past four decades. In 2008, he forced the disclosure of many documents concerning corruption in Britain's arms deals with Saudi Arabia.

Even before 11 September 2001, Muslims were generally viewed in the West as enemies of "freedom" and "progress". Yet there is far more to Islam than the stereotypical Occidental view. This No-Nonsense Guide looks at how Islam, a complex faith and civilization, can reconcile itself with the twenty-first century. Critically minded Muslims everywhere are rethinking and reformulating Islam as a contemporary moral and ethical force. Merryl Wyn Davies and Zia Sardar explain the Islamic worldview, examining the Qur'an and Islamic law (sharia), Islam in history, Islam's relationship with the West and its contemporary nature. They analyse the struggle within the faith for a more humane and holistic interpretation of their religion; examine the issues surrounding women, democracy, and economic development; and suggest how we can all move forward after 9/11.

Indigenous peoples have long suffered from exoticization. Outsiders elevate their beauty, remoteness and difference and do not see beyond this to the real problems they face. The No-Nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples looks beyond the exotic images, tracing the stories of different indigenous peoples from their first (and often fatal) contact with explorers and colonizers. Much of this history is told here by indigenous people themselves.They vividly describe why land and the natural world are so special to them; how it feels to be snatched from your family as a child because the government wants to "make you white"; why they are demanding that museums must return the bones of their ancestors; how can they retain their traditional culture while moving with the times; and what kinds of development are positive. This short guide discusses all this and more, raising countless issues for debate.

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.

How much how much has life really changed for women over the last decade? Has the women's movement affected women all over the world? Has it changed women's relationships with men?Nikki van der Gaag answers these questions with hard, sometimes disturbing, evidence. Many women have made huge leaps forward--in legal rights, political representation, employment, education, and health. The rhetoric of "gender equality" slips easily off the tongues of politicians. But beneath the surface the statistics are shocking. And men have changed very little. Vivid testimonies from around the world explain why, especially in this post-feminist age, women's rights are still very much an issue--for men and women alike.

This richly creative book, the work of a uniquely original political writer, takes a new look at world poverty. Wealth and poverty are inseparable. It may comfort the poor to believe "the rich are not happy." But is it true? Strong evidence exists that the rich too suffer from the relationship of injustice, albeit in a different way.Seabrook explains the broad effects of poverty, including crime and the fear of crime, the traffic in people and drugs, and the degradation of the natural world. He examines the phrase "A humanity wasted, in one way or another, by poverty or excess." This is not a figure of speech, he concludes. It refers to the costs of poverty for both the poor and the rich.

Terrorism is a word that is thrown around very loosely by all sorts of people, often by the biggest terrorists of all. But what is its history as a concept and how can we make sense of all the competing meanings? Who stands to gain when the word is used? Barker challenges common misconceptions about terrorism and illustrates the ways in which both terrorism and counter-terrorism undermine popular politics and democratic space.