When many scholars are asked about early human settlement in the Americas, they might point to a handful of archaeological sites as evidence. Yet the process was not a simple one, and today there is no consistent argument favoring a particular scenario for the peopling of the New World. This book approaches the human settlement of the Americas from a biogeographical perspective in order to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of this unique event. It considers many of the questions that continue to surround the peopling of the Western Hemisphere, focusing not on sites, dates, and artifacts but rather on theories and models that attempt to explain how the colonization occurred. Unlike other studies, this book draws on a wide range of disciplinesÑarchaeology, human genetics and osteology, linguistics, ethnology, and ecologyÑto present the big picture of this migration. Its wide-ranging content considers who the Pleistocene settlers were and where they came from, their likely routes of migration, and the ecological role of these pioneers and the consequences of colonization. Comprehensive in both geographic and topical coverage, the contributions include an explanation of how the first inhabitants could have spread across North America within several centuries, the most comprehensive review of new mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome data relating to the colonization, and a critique of recent linguistic theories. Although the authors lean toward a conservative rather than an extreme chronology, this volume goes beyond the simplistic emphasis on dating that has dominated the debate so far to a concern with late Pleistocene forager adaptations and how foragers may have coped with a wide range of environmental and ecological factors. It offers researchers in this exciting field the most complete summary of current knowledge and provides non-specialists and general readers with new answers to the questions surrounding the origins of the first Americans.

Though the United States is often referred to as "a nation of immigrants," the history of migration to, and settlement in, America is much more tumultuous than such a simple descriptor implies. This history encompasses not just the hopeful Europeans that famously passed through Ellis Island in the late nineteenth century, but Central and South Americans fleeing poverty and violence in the twentieth century, as well as refugees from war-torn regions in Asia and the Middle East. It also includes the hundreds of thousands of African slaves imported to the New World during the colonial era and the Native American peoples who were displaced by settlers. Through pictures and primary sources, this book explores different aspects of migration and settlement in American history and demonstrates how the legacies of immigration restriction, chattel slavery, western conquest, and manifest destiny continue to define the country today.

Tracing presidential administrations since Lyndon B. Johnson, this book argues that the Trump administration's policy toward Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem is not an aberration but the culmination of over 50 years of American foreign policy. Under the Johnson administration, the United States rhetorically supported the applicability of international law regarding Israeli settlements. However, throughout the 1970s, administrations did little to reverse the construction and expansion of settlements. Moreover, presidents sent mixed signals regarding Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories. The Israeli settlement movement received support when Reagan argued that settlements were not illegal. Since then, American presidents have opposed settlement activity to various degrees, but not based on their illegality. Rather, presidents have described them as unwise, unhelpful, or obstacles to peace. Even when presidents have had opportunities to confront Israeli settlements directly, domestic pressure and America's special relationship with Israel have prevented serious action beyond rhetoric and condemnation. This volume will be of interest to scholars and students of the history and politics of American foreign policy, American relations with Israel, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In recent years many Latin American countries have liberalized their trade and investment regimes, opening their markets to free international trade. At the same time, regional economic integration has boomed. This book is the first systematic analysis in any language of these globally significant developments, and the first comprehensive legal study of dispute settlement relating to foreign direct investment and trade in the region. Undertaken by an expert in the field, this study describes the current institutional framework of Latin American trade and investment law as well as specialized legal issues in the region's various economic blocs. Among the many issues and topics raised the following may be mentioned: • questions of compliance and procedure in the context of today's international investment regime; • formalized dispute settlement mechanisms; • alternative dispute resolution channels, including dispute prevention practices; • legitimacy and transparency of the various dispute settlement mechanisms; • inclusion of social clauses in trade and investment agreements; and • avoidance of investment treaty liability. In order to offer a most accurate view of the effectiveness of the protection granted to foreign investors, special attention is given to relevant case law – completely covering the period 1985–2015 – as well as arbitral precedents before international bodies and in jurisdictions across the region. The book concludes with a critical examination of the future prospects of international economic law dispute settlement in the Americas, pinpointing current trends and unveiling future possible avenues for change. As an in-depth explication of how the rules and principles of international economic law are applied in Latin America, this book has no peers. For practitioners drafting business agreements with Latin American companies, or needing to ensure availability of appropriate remedies, this book's detailed insight into international litigation in the region, including case law illustrating the main topics, will prove to be of immeasurable value. Professionals in the arbitral community worldwide, as well as governments, dedicated research centres and officials in international organizations will welcome this book's model for comparative integration studies, systematic guidance on procedure and case law of domestic and international courts and arbitral tribunals, and extensive treatment of dispute settlement mechanisms in trade and investment agreements.

Land settlement in Latin America has become a subject of growing concern as governments renew efforts to develop agrarian potential and to relieve the pressure on overpopulated rural and urban areas. In this book, land settlement is viewed as the development of resources, both human and natural. The spatial organization of land settlement is examined in light of social and spatial patterns that may complement economic activities, lead to viable communities, and facilitate the provision of social and cultural amenities. The farm family is seen as the basic socioeconomic unit, and the family farmstead as the basic spatial nucleus.