Kirjahaku

Half a decade after Arabs across the Middle East poured into the streets to demand change, hopes for democracy have disappeared in a maelstrom of violence and renewed state repression. Egypt remains an authoritarian state, Syria and Yemen are in the midst of devastating civil wars, Libya has descended into anarchy, and the self-declared Islamic State rules a large swath of territory. Even Turkey, which also experienced large-scale protests, has abandoned its earlier shift toward openness and democracy and now more closely resembles an autocracy. How did things go so wrong so quickly across a wide range of regimes? In False Dawn, noted Middle East regional expert Steven A. Cook looks at the trajectory of events across the region from the initial uprising in Tunisia to the failed coup in Turkey to explain why the Arab Spring did not succeed. Despite appearances, there were no true revolutions in the Middle East five years ago: none of the affected societies underwent social revolutions, and the old structures of power were never eliminated. Even supposed successes like Tunisia still face significant barriers to democracy because of the continued strength of old regime players. Libya, the state that came closest to revolution, has fragmented into chaos, and Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has used the recent coup against him as grounds for a widespread crackdown on his opponents, reinforcing the Turkish leader's personal power. After taking stock of how and why the uprisings failed to produce lasting change, Cook considers the role of the United States in the region. What Washington cannot do, Cook argues, is shape the politics of the Middle East going forward. While many in the policymaking community believe that the United States must "get the Middle East right," American influence is actually quite limited; the future of the region lies in the hands of the people who live there. Authoritative and powerfully argued, False Dawn promises to be a major work on one of the most important historical events of the past quarter century.

New Brunswick Landing is a collection of poetry spanning 30-years by Steven Cook. It is the story of an American life at the sparkling of the 21st Century. Born in New York City in 1962, Steven Robert Cook grew up in the woods and playgrounds of New Jersey. Here, a lifelong fascination with words was kindled and nurtured. In his mid-twenties, Cook began what would become a 25-year cross-country odyssey - working, traveling, performing on stages - all the while recording and documenting what he witnessed. From the coast of New Hampshire to the Rio Grande, from the Everglades to the California redwoods, these pages detail the life of friends and lovers, cities and towns, strangers and passers-by in the struggle and passions of night. Nearly 30 years ago, along New Brunswick Landing the journey began. Coming home is both celebration and a circle complete.

New Brunswick Landing is the story of an American life at the sparkling of the 21st Century. Born in 1962 in New York City, Steven Robert Cook grew up in the woods, streets and playgrounds of New Jersey. Here a lifelong fascination with words and poetry was kindled and nurtured. In his mid-twenties, Cook began what would become a 25-year cross-country odyssey, working, traveling, performing on stages - all the while recording and documenting what he witnessed. From the coast of New Hampshire to the Everglades, from the Rio Grande to the California redwoods, these pages and poems detail the life of friends and lovers, strangers and passers-by, cities and towns engaged in the struggle and passion of life.

Get your old-school gaming fix on! Dice Roll Zine is a 36-page A5-size zine for OSR RPGs written by Steven A. Cook and illustrated by some of the best OSR-influenced artists around.The premiere issue includes a barbarian class for B/X games, a saving throw-based method for turning undead in B/X games, a trippy sci-fantasy adventure location called The Purple Mushroom Inn, a chaos mutation die drop table, a collection of random 'dungeon stuff' tables, and other optional rules for old-school games.

After a joint US and British Naval exercise in the North Atlantic the Nuclear Submarine the USS Boise is returning to the mainland US for a refit when it is caught in a catastrophe as the Lost City of Atlantis returns from several millennia of exile from the rest of the world.With a handful of survivors stranded on the island a rescue is launched by HMS Daring, en route to the Falklands. The rescue team is also trapped and become prisoners of Atlantis. Unbeknownst to the modern world, Atlantis is in the midst of a power struggle for domination of the nation and the rest of the world.As the world watches ineffectually, the factions within Atlantis battle against each other, with an army of outcast monsters waiting to destroy the winners. The only hope for the world to avoid falling back into a medieval state is for the few survivors from the ships to ally themselves with one of the factions and petition the Gods of Atlantis to save the Twenty First Century.