A cross-national survey of how parliaments adapt to change

This book published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, gives the reader an overview of the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. Also presented here are some of the speeches of the delegates which reflect the myriad rays of human thought emanating from the different religions of the world. Needless to say, special stress has been laid on Swami Vivekananda’s participation in the Parliament and his stupendous success which paved the way for a greater harmony between followers of all the religions of the world.

World E-Parliament-conference

Since the end of the Cold War a plentitude of books and articles have been published on the subject of democracy and international law. During this same period numerous international treaties, declarations, resolutions and policy papers have been adopted. International Democracy Documents brings together the most important universal documents as well as those from Africa, the Americas, the Arab Region, Asia and Europe. The Editors provide a comprehensive General Introduction to the collection, and contextually introduce each chapter. The volume fills a gap in the literature and contributes to the advancement of the study of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. "À n’en pas douter, ce copieux inventaire constituera un outil fort utile, et en tout cas un excellent point de départ, pour celui ou celle qui s’intéresse à la notion de démocratie en droit international. Puisse cet ouvrage contribuer, comme c’est le vœu de ses auteurs (p. 35), à faciliter la recherche, le développement et le renforcement des standards et valeurs démocratiques au plan international..." : Laurent Weyers, Revue Belge de droit international, No. 2014/2 "It is no exaggeration to recommend that every library in the “Third World’s” law schools should have this volume on their shelves." : Pranoto Iskandar, in: Indonesian Journal of International & Comparative Law (IJICL) Volume III Issue 4 (October 2016), p. 799-806

While the Arab uprisings have overturned the idea of Arab "exceptionalism," or the acceptance of authoritarianism, better analysis of authoritarianism’s resilience in pre- and post-uprising scenarios is still needed. Modern Middle East Authoritarianism: Roots, Ramifications, and Crisis undertakes this task by addressing not only the mechanisms that allowed Middle Eastern regimes to survive and adapt for decades, but also the obstacles that certain countries face in their current transition to democracy. This volume analyzes the role of ruling elites, Islamists, and others, as well as variables such as bureaucracy, patronage, the strength of security apparatuses, and ideological legitimacy to ascertain regimes’ life expectancies and these factors’ post-uprisings repercussions. Discussing not only the paradigms through which the region has been analyzed, but also providing in-depth case studies of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran, the authors arrive at critical conclusions about dictatorship and possibilities for its transformation. Employing diverse research methods, including interviews, participant observation, and theoretical discussions of authoritarianism and political transition, this book is essential reading for scholars of Middle East Studies, Islamic Studies and those with an interest in the governance and politics of the Middle East.

Reproduction of the original: The Mother of Parliaments by Harry Graham

The only introduction to cover the full spectrum of political systems, from democracy to dictatorship and the growing number of systems that fall between, equipping readers to think critically about democracy's future trajectory.