From the outside looking in, it appears as if architect Paul Randolph and his wife, Brenda, have it all. Theyve lived a comfortable life in the same house on Songbird Lane in New Orleans East with their two children, nine-year-old Jason and seven-year-old Janie, for the last ten years. But Pauls life is a lie. None of his dreams of a vine-covered cottage with a little picket fence are anywhere near reality. He feels trapped in a loveless marriage and is emotionally unable to have an affair. Paul is not sexually attracted to women, and he is frightened to make a sexual advance on a man for fear the man will react unfavorably, or even violently. On the Brink follows Pauls journey as he addresses the emotional and psychological aspects of his sexuality. He is torn between his love for his children, his societal position, and a desperate desire for integrity. Weary of suppressing his true self, Paul deliberates his fate, his only desire being wholeness.

Nigeria is in the grip of a serious crisis. The country is seemingly incapable of positive traction at all levels. Nigeria's 'hardware' problem is structural and her 'software' problem is that of an incorrigible leadership.

Colleges on the Brink is about the financial crises many colleges are facing in the post-pandemic era and how they can be resolved. The tools described require changing how colleges spend money while still maintaining core academic values. Ambrose and Nietzel discuss the conditions involving financial exigency and other major budget overhauls, and they outline how to maximize the likelihood institutions can regain financial health. The challenge these colleges face is to come back from the brink and become leaner, financially stable institutions, ready to provide the education students need.

With the disintegration of the Soviet Union and international socialism, Cuba now finds itself isolated as the United States continues to press for its economic and political collapse. How Fidel Castro sees Cuba's plight and what he hopes to do about it emerge from this account of a unique conference held in Havana in 1992. The meeting brought together participants in the Cuban missile crisis from the former Soviet Union, Cuba, and the U.S. to discuss its causes and course. This account is now available for the first time in paperback, on the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This first meeting between Castro, his ex-Soviet allies, and his American foes produced startling revelations about his dealings with the Soviets, chilling details of the number and kind of Soviet nuclear arms that Cuba possessed in 1962, and an illuminating account of Castro's view of the American threat--then and now. The dramatic exchanges between Castro and such conference participants as Anatoly I. Gribkov, former head of the Warsaw Pact; former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara; and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Special Assistant to John Kennedy, reveal misperceptions on all sides that led us to the brink of nuclear war. An extraordinary examination of an international crisis, Cuba on the Brink illustrates the ongoing "Cuba problem," and will help guide our actions toward other countries deemed hostile to our national interest.

To keep pace with its heavier stake in world affairs, Pakistan has had to significantly reform its foreign and domestic policy. On September 11th, 2001, Pakistan's entire world picture changed irrevocably. Suddenly a strong ally of the United States, Pakistan quickly dismantled the Taliban position within its own borders and aided the United States in attacking the Taliban government in Afghanistan. In Pakistan on the Brink, historian Craig Baxter and a team of specialists explore this U.S.-Pakistani relationship with great dexterity. This collection of essays scrutinizes many aspects of Pakistan's foreign policy, including its evolving relations with the United States, India, and Afghanistan. Essential to understanding Pakistan's foreign relations is a focus on Pakistan's domestic policies. The contributing scholars deftly analyze the following domestic aspects: Pakistan's developing economy, controversial election process, education system, and local government. Pakistan on the Brink is an imperative source for scholars of South Asia, Pakistan, and political science.

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Yemen is facing a unique confluence of crises. A civil war in the North, a secessionist movement in the South, and a resurgence of al Qaeda are unfolding against the background of economic collapse, insufficient state capacity, and governance and corruption issues. The security challenges are the most important in the short run, because economic and governance issues cannot be addressed without a minimum of stability. This volume brings together analyses of the critical problems that have dragged Yemen close to state failure. It provides an assessment of Yemen's major security challenges by recognized experts, and it broadens the discussion of the tools available to the international community to pull Yemen back from the brink. Separate chapters examine the resurgence of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the complex relationship between al Qaeda and the Yemini tribes, the Southern secessionist movement, and the civil war in Saada. Contents include • Yemen: Avoiding a Downward Spiral • What Comes Next in Yemen? Al-Qaeda, the Tribes, and State-Building • The Political Challenge of Yemen's Southern Movement • War in Saada: From Local Insurrection to National Challenge • Instrumentalizing Grievances: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Contributors include Sarah Phillips (Centre for International Security Studies, University of Sydney), Stephen Day (Rollins College), and Alistair Harris (RUSI and former diplomat and UN staff member).