The universal jubilation that greeted Nelson Mandela's inauguration as president of South Africa in 1994 and the process by which the nightmare of apartheid had been banished is one of the most thrilling, hopeful stories in the modern era: peaceful, rational change was possible and, as with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the weight of an oppressive history was suddenly lifted. R.W. Johnson's major new book tells the story of South Africa from that magic period to the bitter disappointment of the present. As it turned out, it was not so easy for South Africa to shake off its past. The profound damage of apartheid meant there was not an adequate educated black middle class to run the new state and apartheid had done great psychological harm too, issues that no amount of goodwill could wish away. Equally damaging were the new leaders, many of whom had lived in exile or in prison for much of their adult lives and who tried to impose decrepit, Eastern Bloc political ideas on a world that had long moved on. This disastrous combination has had a terrible impact - it poisoned everything from big business to education to energy utilities to AIDS policy to relations with Zimbabwe. At the heart of the book lies the ruinous figure of Thabo Mbeki, whose over-reaching ambitions led to catastrophic failure on almost every front. But, as Johnson makes clear, Mbeki may have contributed more than anyone else to bringing South Africa close to "failed state" status, but he had plenty of help.

In 1977, Johnson's best selling How Long Will South Africa Survive? offered a controversial and highly original analysis of the survival prospects of apartheid. Now, after more than two decades of the ANC in government, he believes the question must be posed again. "The big question about ANC rule," Johnson writes, "is whether African nationalism would be able to cope with the challenges of running a modern industrial economy. Twenty years of ANC rule have shown conclusively that the party is hopelessly ill equipped for this task. Indeed, everything suggests that South Africa under the ANC is fast slipping backward and that even the survival of South Africa as a unitary state cannot be taken for granted. The fundamental reason why the question of regime change has to be posed is that it is now clear that South Africa can either choose to have an ANC government or it can have a modern industrial economy. It cannot have both."

The Pursuit of a Brave New World in International Law presents critical perspectives on various inter-related themes in the areas of human rights, international law, terrorism and international criminal justice. The discussions reflect the wide-ranging subjects that John Dugard has engaged with over the last five decades as an international law scholar, teacher and judge. The essays pay homage to Professor Dugard’s impressive body of work as both a theorist and practitioner of international law and international human rights law. While some of the discussions in the volume critically examine his views, as expressed in his academic writings, judicial opinions and official United Nations reports, others deal with subjects that have been inspired by or are related to Dugard’s work. Contributors are: Neil Boister, Trevor P. Chimimba, James Crawford, David Dyzenhaus, Christopher Greenwood, Larissa van den Herik, Christof Heyns, Maurice Kamto, Tiyanjana Maluwa, Max du Plessis, Thomas Probert, Arnold Pronto, Philippe Sands, William A. Schabas, Ivan Shearer, Hennie Strydom, Mia Swart, Dire Tladi, Annemarieke Vermeer-Künzli and Abdulqawi Yusuf.

An engaging look at the road to a sustained economic recovery The global finance system can be regulated to prevent massive credit fraud, tame capitalism, confront the sovereign debt crisis, and move towards investing in the real economy and full employment. "Obamanomics", and American reinvention can lead to a sustained economic recovery but only together with major domestic, European, and global monetary reforms in cooperation with emerging nations. For decades, the U.S. dollar has served as the world's reserve currency. But after the global market meltdown and the resulting massive stimulus spending meant to keep the Great Recession from becoming an even Greater Depression, confidence in America's ability to make good on its growing debt is at all-time lows. In Brave New World Economy: Global Finance Threatens Our Future, Wilhelm Hankel and Robert Isaak—two extremely controversial, yet highly respected experts on international economics and management—describe how "Obamanomics," the Euro crisis, and shift of economic growth from the West to emerging economies, if handled properly, can lead to true economic stability and job creation. Highlights America's 'Great Bluff' bail-out strategy to cope with the crisis and the reforms Obamanomics must make to bring about sustainable job recovery Describes the risks and rewards of borrowing from future generations—in the United States, Europe, and the developing world—to save the current generation Details how money became separated from government control and why the interbanking credit system threatens western nations with bankruptcy, undermining pensions, and the human right to work Points out why nation-states need to go back to helping themselves and not rely on the false promises of regional integration and globalization Shows how legalizing underground labor will create more jobs How we arrived at this economic crossroads isn't as important as the decision as to which path to take. The Brave New World Economy points us in the right direction.