This book investigates an important phenomenon in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region, namely the role that the military plays in the governments of several states of the region. Can military forces be defined as guardians of a regime in a democratic state? How is it possible to limit the power of armies to solely military prerogatives and competences? How can the intervention of military forces in the political arena in democratising countries be prevented? It is easy to ask these questions, but finding answers is more difficult. Using historical events and theories as examples to follow is an even more complicated task. What happened after the Arab Spring has demonstrated again how civil-military relations constitute an important pillar of the democratisation process. The contributors to this book develop and analyse the reasons why militaries in the Middle East and the Mediterranean wished to obtain a guardianship role and the methods they used to achieve and maintain it. The book also investigates how these militaries reacted to democratisation in their respective countries, and begins with a conceptual framework followed by examples from Spain, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon and Iran. This work provides a multi-faceted understanding of the historical, political, social and economic layers of complicated civil-military relations in one of the world’s most unstable regions.

Winner of Australia’s richest literary award, No Friend but the Mountains is Kurdish-Iranian journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani’s account of his detainment on Australia’s notorious Manus Island prison. Composed entirely by text message, this work represents the harrowing experience of stateless and imprisoned refugees and migrants around the world. In 2013, Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani was illegally detained on Manus Island, a refugee detention centre off the coast of Australia. He has been there ever since. This book is the result. Laboriously tapped out on a mobile phone and translated from the Farsi. It is a voice of witness, an act of survival. A lyric first-hand account. A cry of resistance. A vivid portrait of five years of incarceration and exile. Winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature, No Friend but the Mountains is an extraordinary account — one that is disturbingly representative of the experience of the many stateless and imprisoned refugees and migrants around the world. “Our government jailed his body, but his soul remained that of a free man.” — From the Foreword by Man Booker Prize–winning author Richard Flanagan

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Updated with a new afterword "An excellent take on the lunacy affecting much of the world today. Douglas is one of the bright lights that could lead us out of the darkness." – Joe Rogan "Douglas Murray fights the good fight for freedom of speech ... A truthful look at today's most divisive issues" – Jordan B. Peterson Are we living through the great derangement of our times? In The Madness of Crowds Douglas Murray investigates the dangers of 'woke' culture and the rise of identity politics. In lively, razor-sharp prose he examines the most controversial issues of our moment: sexuality, gender, technology and race, with interludes on the Marxist foundations of 'wokeness', the impact of tech and how, in an increasingly online culture, we must relearn the ability to forgive. One of the few writers who dares to counter the prevailing view and question the dramatic changes in our society – from gender reassignment for children to the impact of transgender rights on women – Murray's penetrating book, now published with a new afterword taking account of the book's reception and responding to the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests, clears a path of sanity through the fog of our modern predicament.

Essun's missing daughter grows more powerful every day, and her choices may destroy the world in this "magnificent" Hugo Award winner and NYT Notable Book. (NPR) The season of endings grows darker, as civilization fades into the long cold night. Essun -- once Damaya, once Syenite, now avenger -- has found shelter, but not her daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request. But if Essun does what he asks, it would seal the fate of the Stillness forever. Far away, her daughter Nassun is growing in power -- and her choices will break the world. N. K. Jemisin's award winning trilogy continues in the sequel to The Fifth Season.

In France, the German occupation is called simply the "dark years." There were only the "good French" who resisted and the "bad French" who collaborated. Marianne in Chains, a broad and provocative history drawing on previously unseen archives, firsthand interviews, diaries, and eyewitness accounts, uncovers the complex truth of the time. Robert Gildea's groundbreaking study reveals the everyday life in the heart of occupied France; the pressing imperatives of work, food, transportation, andfamily obligations that led to unavoidable compromise and negotiation with the army of occupation.

Did you ever pray the Lords Prayer, where you prayed for the coming of the kingdom of God on earth, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven? This is the only prayer that Jesus gave us. Did you ever wonder what it actually means? This kingdom of God on earth is a real kingdom with a king. This king is a hereditary position that fulfills Gods promise that he gave to King David that his lineage and throne shall endure forever. God has already sent the return of Christ, and he is a male descendant of the Davidic kings. He did not come according to the imagination of man. Rather, he came fulfilling prophecy. He brought a new revelation through which the kingdom of God on earth that Jesus taught us to pray for will be firmly established throughout the entire world. His revelation is the culmination of all the previous revelations given by God through his messengers. As what happened with all previous revelations, man has taken what was originally intended and changed it according to his own limited capacity and selfish desires. In so doing, mankind has been deprived of the truth of Gods will and purpose and his glorious covenant for a new age. This new revelation was given by the glory of the Father through the words of Jesus the Christ and written down by Mark in chapter 8, verse 38: For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father. As Jesus foretold, the name of the return of Christ is Bahaullah. He came well over 150 years ago. Placed in chains, beaten, and put in prison, Bahaullah spent forty years proclaiming Gods new covenant to the people, writing to the kings and rulers of the earth, imploring them to turn to God. Bahaullahs message has gone unheeded. As in ages past, those who did hear and embrace his message later turned their hearts away from God, choosing instead to seek earthly power and riches. Those who were to protect and serve the covenant of Bahaullah as well as his chosen ones after him created an oppression so great that the people of the world have been denied this glorious message. Dr. Leland Jensen, mentioned here in Over the Wall of Oppression, was a third-generation Bahai. He began teaching this new faith at the age of seventeen, and since that time, he devoted his entire life to teaching this wonderful message of the kingdom. He was well acquainted with biblical scripture and the Bahai teachings, being very successful in bringing new believers into the faith. He was present when the faith was hijacked by a group of people whose sole purpose was to protect and serve the covenant, and thus he had considerable knowledge of events that transpired at that time. The facts presented within these pages are written in very clear and understandable language so all may know of the deeds done. This text provides a great opportunity for those who do not have the understanding of those events or the meaning of the covenant to come out from under this great oppression and embrace the glorious truth. We have been blessed with having known him for nearly two decades and with hearing this message directly from him. We not only learned of the Bahai faith but also the real meaning of our existence and purpose in life. His love for Bahaullah and for God showed in everything that he did. We would stay up for hours, listening to his words, thirsty for more. Over the Wall of Oppression isnt only for the Bahais but also for the Christians. The explanations and commentaries on various Christian subjects and prophecy will truly open ones eyes to the truth of such subjects as the meaning of the word Christ, the history of the trinity, the meaning of the Resurrection, the beast, and more. Part 2 consists of the explanations and commentaries on the book of Revelation, which is a message of the kingdom and the catastrophe.