Shedding light on the origins of the Second World War in Europe, Stalin’s Gamble aims to create a historical narrative of the relations of the USSR with Britain, France, the United States, Poland, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia, and Romania during the 1930s. The book explores the Soviet Union’s efforts to organize a defensive alliance against Nazi Germany, in effect rebuilding the anti-German Entente of the First World War. Drawing on extensive research in Soviet as well as Western archives, Michael Jabara Carley offers an in-depth account of the diplomatic manoeuvrings which surrounded the rise of Hitler and Soviet efforts to construct an alliance against future German aggression. Paying close attention to the beliefs and interactions of senior politicians and diplomats, the book seeks to replace one-sided Western histories with records from both sides. The book also offers an inside look at Soviet foreign policy making, with a focus on Stalin as a foreign policy maker as well as his interactions with his colleagues. Told in a fascinating narrative style, Stalin’s Gamble attempts to see the European crisis of the 1930s through Soviet eyes.
After being sworn in as president, Richard Nixon told the assembled crowd that “government will listen. ... Those who have been left out, we will try to bring in.” But that same day, he obliterated those pledges of greater citizen control of government by signing National Security Decision Memorandum 2, a document that made sweeping changes to the national security power structure. Nixon’s signature erased the influence that the departments of State and Defense, as well as the CIA, had over Vietnam and the course of the Cold War. The new structure put Nixon at the center, surrounded by loyal aides and a new national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, who coordinated policy through the National Security Council under Nixon’s command. Using years of research and revelations from newly released documents, USA Today reporter Ray Locker upends much of the conventional wisdom about the Nixon administration and its impact and shows how the creation of this secret, unprecedented, extra-constitutional government undermined U.S. policy and values. In doing so, Nixon sowed the seeds of his own destruction by creating a climate of secrecy, paranoia, and reprisal that still affects Washington today.
GAMBLING ON LOVE CAN BE DEADLY Injured while helping capture a notorious serial killer, all New Orleans firefighter Connor Scott wants is to visit his grandmother in Florida for a few days of rest, relaxation and recovery. The last thing he expects is to be stuck on a bus loaded with senior citizens-and his ex-wife.Alyssa Scott thought she'd left the baggage of her old life far behind when she moved to Florida. Instead she's chaperoning the senior group and dealing with the one person she never expected to see-her ex-husband. Sparks fly and passions reawaken. Neither Connor nor Alyssa can deny the feelings they still hold for each other. But a sinister threat from Connor's past thrusts them into a perilous game of cat-and-mouse to stop a ruthless killer before time runs out. Will Connor gamble everything to save the woman he loves?
Amie's life has been full of hurt and disappointment therefore she vows to never let anyone close to her again. That is until an angel on Earth, Amelia Blake, makes her acquaintance and an offer Amie can't refuse. Learning to let someone in proves to be easier than she thought, until she meets Amelia's oldest son Aaron. Will Aaron get close to Amie and make her fall in love again?Aaron has made the biggest bet of his life and the outcome isn't quite what he bargained for. Running home to lick his wounds seems to humble the run-away eldest Blake sibling and makes him realize how far he's veered off the path he originally set out on years ago. And with a promise to never let another woman close enough to hurt him, can he keep his mother's newest project from changing his mind?
The UAW's Southern Gamble is the first in-depth assessment of the United Auto Workers' efforts to organize foreign vehicle plants (Daimler-Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Volkswagen) in the American South since 1989, an era when union membership declined precipitously. Stephen J. Silvia chronicles transnational union cooperation between the UAW and its counterparts in Brazil, France, Germany, and Japan and documents the development of employer strategies that have proven increasingly effective at thwarting unionization. Silvia shows that when organizing, unions must now fight on three fronts: at the worksite; in the corporate boardroom; and in the political realm. The UAW's Southern Gamble makes clear that the UAW's failed campaigns in the South can teach hard-won lessons about challenging the structural and legal roadblocks to union participation and effectively organizing workers within and beyond the auto industry.
The UAW's Southern Gamble is the first in-depth assessment of the United Auto Workers' efforts to organize foreign vehicle plants (Daimler-Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Volkswagen) in the American South since 1989, an era when union membership declined precipitously. Stephen J. Silvia chronicles transnational union cooperation between the UAW and its counterparts in Brazil, France, Germany, and Japan and documents the development of employer strategies that have proven increasingly effective at thwarting unionization. Silvia shows that when organizing, unions must now fight on three fronts: at the worksite; in the corporate boardroom; and in the political realm. The UAW's Southern Gamble makes clear that the UAW's failed campaigns in the South can teach hard-won lessons about challenging the structural and legal roadblocks to union participation and effectively organizing workers within and beyond the auto industry.
Adorno's Gamble offers a startling reinterpretation of the evolution of Theodor W. Adorno's thought, usually seen as a mix of critical Marxism, Freudian psychoanalysis, aesthetic modernism, and Jewish tradition. Mikko Immanen argues for another, previously unacknowledged source of Adorno's thinking on instrumental reason, dialectic of enlightenment, and frailty of democracy: the intellectual underpinnings of Germany's "conservative revolutionary" movement of the 1920s. In a dramatic reappraisal of the leading light of the Frankfurt School, Immanen follows Adorno's path of philosophical development from the late Weimar era through years in exile to the postwar period, establishing his debt to thinkers of radical conservative bent. In particular, he focuses on Adorno's enduring, and daring, effort to harness two of the most infamous works from this tradition—Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West and Ludwig Klages's The Spirit as Adversary of the Soul—and to repurpose their reactionary teachings for emancipatory ends.
Adorno's Gamble offers a startling reinterpretation of the evolution of Theodor W. Adorno's thought, usually seen as a mix of critical Marxism, Freudian psychoanalysis, aesthetic modernism, and Jewish tradition. Mikko Immanen argues for another, previously unacknowledged source of Adorno's thinking on instrumental reason, dialectic of enlightenment, and frailty of democracy: the intellectual underpinnings of Germany's "conservative revolutionary" movement of the 1920s. In a dramatic reappraisal of the leading light of the Frankfurt School, Immanen follows Adorno's path of philosophical development from the late Weimar era through years in exile to the postwar period, establishing his debt to thinkers of radical conservative bent. In particular, he focuses on Adorno's enduring, and daring, effort to harness two of the most infamous works from this tradition—Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West and Ludwig Klages's The Spirit as Adversary of the Soul—and to repurpose their reactionary teachings for emancipatory ends.
The tantalizing Tarnished Billionaires series scorches on with book two, starring a bred-to-be-bad hero longing to make good for love. Sienna Keller saw how men used her mother, and from an early age she swore she'd never allow it to happen to her. So when she meets smooth-talking billionaire Gavin Crane, who uses his connections to help her art career, she resolves to keep things strictly professional--no matter how gorgeous he is. Gavin might be the son of the head of the Kavanagh organized crime family, but he wants no part of that life. It's important to him to prove to Sienna that he's a good guy. But when she winds up in the hospital with a gunshot wound, he is driven to exact revenge. His father agrees to provide security to watch over her as well as find the man who shot her, but at a cost--Gavin must come back into the family business. As Sienna begins to let her guard down around Gavin, seeing the kind, caring man he's always wanted her to see, his secrets begin to pile up. Has she done the one thing she vowed never to do--trusted her heart to the wrong man? Sensuality Level: Spicy
It's been nearly two hundred years since Isis, Zack, and The Witches of Vegas saved New Salem from the Wiccan vampire, Valeria. Now, Isis is a vampire and the most powerful witch in the world. Zack is also a vampire, and the president of New Salem. They thought the threat was long behind them. But Valeria escaped into the past where she set history on a horrific path. Now, everything has changed around Isis. New Salem is destroyed, Valeria is queen of Earth, and no one has heard of Zack. To save reality, Isis must travel through time, reliving events from a history she barely recognizes, and find a way to set reality back on course. Not that she has any idea how to do that, or how to avoid the all-powerful Valeria in the process. Isis will face challenges she can't possibly overcome, yet she must, or every single life from the past, present, and future is doomed.
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine, aimed at re-establishing Russian control over the Ukrainian state, economy and society, similar in many ways to the Soviet period. This goal, however, was not achieved, and most likely will not be achieved in the future. Rather, the Russian “special military operation” has resulted in extraordinary disasters and losses for Russia, for Ukraine, and for the entire world. This book examines the origins of the Russian assault on Ukraine and offers an explanation of why it has not achieved its aims. Why did Russian elites and leaders propose, prepare for and implement the assault on Ukraine in such a poorly prepared and heavily destructive way? In seeking to answer these questions, Gel’man focuses on Russia’s domestic agenda and its dynamics after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The personalist nature of the Russian authoritarian political regime, its vulnerability to bad governance, major misperceptions by the Russian elites and leadership, and reliance of the Kremlin upon previous experience of Russian impunity were all key factors that led to Russia’s fateful decision to attack Ukraine and have continued to shape Russia’s mistake-ridden conduct of the war since then. Gel’man also considers what lessons can be learned from Russia’s military assault for understanding the global agenda and for the study of domestic and international politics in the twenty-first century. This book, written by a leading expert on Russian politics, will be of great value to students and scholars in politics and to anyone interested in Russia and in the causes and consequences of the war against Ukraine.
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine, aimed at re-establishing Russian control over the Ukrainian state, economy and society, similar in many ways to the Soviet period. This goal, however, was not achieved, and most likely will not be achieved in the future. Rather, the Russian “special military operation” has resulted in extraordinary disasters and losses for Russia, for Ukraine, and for the entire world. This book examines the origins of the Russian assault on Ukraine and offers an explanation of why it has not achieved its aims. Why did Russian elites and leaders propose, prepare for and implement the assault on Ukraine in such a poorly prepared and heavily destructive way? In seeking to answer these questions, Gel’man focuses on Russia’s domestic agenda and its dynamics after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The personalist nature of the Russian authoritarian political regime, its vulnerability to bad governance, major misperceptions by the Russian elites and leadership, and reliance of the Kremlin upon previous experience of Russian impunity were all key factors that led to Russia’s fateful decision to attack Ukraine and have continued to shape Russia’s mistake-ridden conduct of the war since then. Gel’man also considers what lessons can be learned from Russia’s military assault for understanding the global agenda and for the study of domestic and international politics in the twenty-first century. This book, written by a leading expert on Russian politics, will be of great value to students and scholars in politics and to anyone interested in Russia and in the causes and consequences of the war against Ukraine.
Charismatically clever and addictively fun, Deception's Gamble is a thrilling ride of entertaining antics that toe the line between justified trickery and unquestionable thievery. The third compelling installment of the increasingly engaging Progeny Novels, Deception's Gamble is the perfect example of... What you see isn't always what you get... Lexi has spent her life trying to right the wrongs of her past. But at a point when she feels she has finally managed to find solid footing and reconnect with the sister she lost, her father calls. That one call is all it takes to crumble the foundation she has built and force her back into the life she left behind so long ago. Ryan Randall has spent his life coasting on his charm and good looks. But he is finally ready to turn things around when Lexi's troubles sideswipe him into a dangerous game of blackmail and deception. He must dig deep into his bag of tricks if he wants to avoid becoming the mouse to his adversary's cat. Lexi knows that on her own, she'll soon be in jail, or worse, dead, but she isn't sure she can trust the charming mastermind she can't seem to shake. As the game heats up, they must both learn to rely on one another if they want to save not only their own lives but those of the ones they love most. But they will have to stay ahead of a cop with a grudge, outsmart a cunning con artist, and steal from a ruthless thief if they want to beat the odds in Deception's Gamble. With her signature style of fast paced action and daring suspense, along with a splash of humor and romance, Andi Neal continues to bring imaginative tale after tale to life. Progeny Novel Series: Six Friends. Three Couples. Seven Children. One Family. Years ago, before a family was born, six individuals came together on a journey that would change their lives forever. Now, nearly thirty years later, those six individuals, along with their children, have molded together into one peaceful family. But what the three couples don't know...is that their children are more like them than they realize... Andi's debut novel Unraveled began the journey. Now the adventure continues with the Progeny Novels Other thrillers by Andi Neal: Well's InitiativeUnraveledRace Against MadnessAngel's Isle: A Progeny NovelThe Refuge: A Progeny NovelThe Elite: A Progeny NovelThe Forgotten: A Progeny NovelReign of Resurgence: Volume 1 of the Kingdom of Destiny seriesDawn of Defiance: Volume 2 of the Kingdom of Destiny seriesVoice of Vengeance: Volume 3 of the Kingdom of Destiny series
