This book illuminates the importance of threat on the representation of everyday life, from an interdisciplinary perspective. Divided into three parts, the book sets out by addressing the conceptual aspects of threat and by opening views on phenomena and social processes associated with threat. It shows how threat constitutes an analytical category that simultaneously involves social, psychological, religious, historical and political factors, and calls for a sufficiently broad conceptual definition to integrate pluri-disciplinary contributions. The second part focuses on the building of threats, mainly the environmental threats that have reached a tragic dimension today and are a core aspect of world concerns, the contemporary global terrorism, the migrations and the challenges these bring to contemporary societies, as well as the threats associated with the emergence of nationalism and the diverse aspects of excluding the Other. The final part examines the coping strategies, including oblivion, denial and defiance associated with different sources of threats, for instance those arising from epidemic and collective diseases, financial technology, natural disasters and collective traumas.

Previous researches examine how transnational ethnic ties impact the relationship between host states and diaspora and why states and ethnic minorities in the diaspora may occasionally support violent rebel organizations in the homeland. However, these previous studies do not really consider the relationships among co-ethnic organizations without a homeland government. This book tackles the following important questions: How and when do co-ethnic Kurdish organizations provide open support for each other during conflict-peace cycle events? Moreover, do external threats impact the relationship among co-ethnic organizations? The aim of this research is to identify the causal factors that influence the transnational networks between Kurdish organizations. Research findings reveal that political rationality and external threats seem to be stronger predictors of political behavior than ethnic ties in the Kurdish case. This study helps scholars and policy makers to evaluate the impact of transnational networks between co-ethnic Kurdish organizations in cases of civil war, which may play a crucial role in the escalation and de-escalation of international conflicts. In addition, this research helps to understand the role of co-ethnic organizations in building sustainable peace in areas of conflict.

Introduction -- On stupidity -- On superstition -- On spite -- Conclusion.

The biggest political and economic issue of the 21st and 22nd centuries will not be food, war, overpopulation, or the environment, but boredom and uselessness. The biggest problem will be figuring out how to manage people’s emotional lives in a time when their intelligence, brains and consciousness will become irrelevant. The writers of the 2050s will observe that the idea of outsourcing our lives to software algorithms began around the turn of the millennium with small tasks (dating, entertainment, directions), until, decades later the transition was complete; human decision making, which is the font of consciousness, is no longer necessary. Boredom and malaise are the biggest threats to global public health. With a unique blend of pop culture, history, philosophy, psychology, art theory, among others, Society Elsewhere is both evocative and engaging across a wide array of demographics.

In a decade that has seen the rise of far-right extremism, Western countries still face myriad threats of mass violence, including terrorism. Of particular concern is the phenomenon of “lone-wolf terrorism,” whereby acts of political violence are committed by individuals who are operating independently of any organized terrorist group, something which makes them inherently more difficult to identify in advance of an attack. Now there is a need for research that profiles these perpetrators, explores the incidents that occur, and analyzes the shifting changes in mass violence, technology, and terrorist behavior in modern times. Mitigating Mass Violence and Managing Threats in Contemporary Society explores the shifting definitions and implications of mass violence and covers important areas focused on the individuals who partake in these acts as well as weapon choice and the influence of weapon accessibility, how the attention-seeking behavior and promotion of violent actions is evolving, and how technology is used such as disseminating a manifesto prior to the incidents or using live streaming to broadcast incidents of mass violence as they transpire. The book also examines ways to prevent these incidents before they occur, which is a proven challenge with no single accurate profile for offenders, and whether perpetrators of mass violence share similar goals and motivations for their sprees, as well as commonalities in warning behaviors. This comprehensive research work is essential for law enforcement, military officials, defense specialists, national security experts, criminologists, psychologists, government officials, policymakers, lawmakers, professionals, practitioners, academicians, students, and researchers working in the fields of conflict analysis and resolution, crisis management, law enforcement, mental health, education, psychology, sociology, criminology, criminal justice, terrorism, and other social sciences.

There is much public concern about threats to global biodiversity. Industrial pollution, changes in agricultural practices and climate change, are all having a direct impact on biodiversity. In this book the Editors provide a broad view of the many pressures imposed by human-induced changes and the many threats to global biodiversity and of the policy responses required to combat them. This excellent text includes the work of some 44 authors and offers a solid description of the current understanding of threats to biodiversity with a range of illustrative examples - a valuable point of reference for ecologists, environmental scientists, and students as well as, policymakers and all other environmental professionals.

This book addresses some of the most pressing questions of our time: Is democracy threatened by globalisation? Is there a legitimacy crisis in contemporary democracies? Is the welfare state in individual countries under pressure from global trends? What are the implications of high-level migration and rising populism for democracy? Does authoritarianism pose a challenge? The volume builds on a cross-cultural study of democracy conducted by the Transformation Research Unit (TRU) at Stellenbosch University in South Africa for nearly twenty years. Three of the countries studied – South Africa, Turkey and Poland – receive individual attention as their respective democracies appear to be the most vulnerable at present. Germany, Sweden, Chile, South Korea and Taiwan are assessed in their regional contexts. Further insights are gained by examining the impact on democracy of the global screen culture of Television and the Internet, and by pointing out the lessons democracy should learn from diplomacy to fare better in the future. The book will appeal to both students and practitioners of democracy as well as the general reader.