This book recreates British rule in Palestine from the winter of 1917 to the spring of 1948. Between these dates, the Jewish minority turned political weakness into strength, and the Palestine Arabs headed for disaster. How this happened under British administration is the subject of this richly documented account, based on public and private papers, memoirs, and interviews--many never previously published. After the First World War the British in Palestine were handed an ambiguous brief: to encourage the formation of a "national home" for the Jews and to protect the "civil and religious rights" of the local Arabs. Colonial officials tried vainly to create a pluralist, "composite state" from communities divided by politics, religion, language, culture--even economic and social structure. They attempted to legislate for the benefit of Arabs and Jews alike, but saw many of their laws on immigration and land evaded by both, often in collusion. Trying at first to settle political conflict by persuasion and conciliation, in the end they turned disastrously to force. This study is the first to reconstruct in detail the workings of the troubled Mandate administration, and the influence of its chief personalities. At the end, with the land records preserved and military equipment consigned to the sea, a leading official complained bitterly that all constructive efforts in Palestine had been like "ploughing sand."

Geotechnical engineers are at work worldwide, contributing to sustainable living and to the creation of safe, economic and pleasant spaces to live, work and relax. With increased pressure on space and resources, particularly in cities, their expertise becomes ever more important. This book presents the proceedings of the 5th iYGEC, International Young Geotechnical Engineers' Conference, held at Marne-la-Vallée, France, from 31 August to 1 September 2013. It is also the second volume in the series Advances in Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. The papers included here cover topics such as laboratory and field testing, geology and groundwater, earthworks, soil behavior, constitutive modeling, ground improvement, earthquake, retaining structures, foundations, slope stability, tunnels and observational methods. The iYGEC conference series brings together students and young people at the start of their career in the geotechnical professions to share their experience, and this book will be of interest to all those whose work involves soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. The cover shows Dieppe harbour breakwater project, Louis-Alexandre de Cessart, 1776-1777. © École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.

The continuously growing human population along the world’s coasts will exacerbate the impact of human activities on all coastal environments. Restoration activities will therefore become increasingly important. In particular, sandy shores and coastal dunes will require significant restoration efforts because they are preferred sites for human settlement, industrial and urban development and tourism. With this book experts in the field present a comprehensive review of restoration studies and activities, where ‘successful’ and ‘failed’ studies or approaches from around the world are contrasted and compared. A major asset the book provides is a compendium of studies showing that coastal dune restoration has many definitions and thus leads to many different actions. This volume addresses those with an interest in conservation ecology and biology, coastal dune dynamics and geomorphology, and coastal management who are seeking information on the different strategies for coastal dune restoration applied in different regions of the world. Finally, it will be a valuable resource for coastal scientists and planners, as well as for local and state officials, residents of coastal communities, environmental advocates and developers.

This is the first environmental history of Russia's steppes. David Moon focuses on the settlement of migrants from central Russia, Ukraine, and central Europe, and analyses how naturalists and scientists came to understand the steppe environment, including the origins of the fertile black earth.