Engelska

The fear of living in the end times has a long history. In Decadence and Decay, a group of distinguished international scholars describe how societies over time have handled and interpreted the concept of decline. In times of unrest and transition, declinism the notion that a culture or civilisation is headed towards irreversible decline tends to capture the public imagination.  The essays in this volume address how notions of decadence and decay have been used both as opprobrium and as a form of self-definition and empowerment an instrument to protect individualism against collectivistic oppression. From ancient Rome to the present, ideas and expressions of decadence and decay have played a critical role in how we perceive the world.<i></i>

History, the collective experience of Mankind, teaches us about the present and the future. How do we look at events of the past? Do they help to solve our present political or economical conditions and conflicts? The essays in this anthology derive from the Engelsberg Seminar in 2019 that dealt with these questions. From perspectives as varied as the History of Ideas, Evolutionary Psychology, and Ideologies amongst others the writers apply history to today s concerns such as International Relations, Geopolitics, Economics, and the role of the individual and human nature in history. Perhaps it is only through applied history that we can find our way forward.

How do you draw a column? What distinguishes the different orders of columns, and is it really possible for anyone at all to learn how to interpret classical architecture? Quinlan Terry, one of the worlds most noted classical architects, has designed cathedrals, castles, villas and university buildings in traditional style. All of his knowledge has now been gathered in <i>The Laymans Guide to Classical Architecture</i>, a complete guide to the rudiments of classical architecture. <br/><br/>Using his own drawings and sketches, Quinlan Terry shows step-by-step the structure of the different orders of columns, the relevance of proportions and the importance of the right materials and construction. The book is a contemporary version of the many pattern books in history that previously taught the same knowledge to architects, artisans and clients.  <br/><br/>Today a wider group of people can benefit greatly from learning about classical architecture, both as historical background and as inspiration for today. The foreword is written by Britains Prince Charles, who has worked in partnership with Quinlan Terry for many years.

The admonition that we should learn from history is well known. But what does that actually mean?<br/><br/>Advocates of applied history argue that historical studies can be used in practice and provide guidance for the future. Decision-makers and political leaders can gain perspective, find clues to where a trend could lead, and assess what consequences an action could have.<br/><br/>But the growing popularity of applied history obscures the fact that ever since Ancient Greece, historians have analysed the big political, economic and military issues from similar perspectives and approaches. Each generation of historians has developed their research based on previous ideas and knowledge, with the goal of understanding their own era by studying the past. <br/><br/><i>Classics of Applied History </i>takes a broad and ambitious approach to how historical knowledge is created, taught and used in different periods. A wide range of texts are presented in the book, which together create an overview of, as well as insight into, this always topical subject.

Som en av antikens mest gåtfulla gestalter saknade Tiberius sin store föregångare Augustus kejserliga prakt och många av hans efterträdares överdrifter och har förbisetts av historien. Trots det erbjuder denna övertygande studie ett porträtt av en komplex och motsägelsefull man, både kejsare och landsflykting, tyrann och enstöring.<br/><br/>Utifrån såväl en mängd antika källor som samtida klassisk vetenskap gör dr Iskander Rehman en nyanserad och multidisciplinär granskning av Tiberius filosofiska, intellektuella och militära inflytande, samt lyfter fram hans utrikespolitiks effektivitet. Genom att analysera väsentliga konflikter utvärderar Rehman räckvidden och verkan av Roms grundläggande strategi, och tillämpar lärdomarna från det förflutna på samtida säkerhetsutmaningar och modern global försvarspolitik.<br/><br/>Denna utgåva utkommer bara på engelska och har ett förord av Sir Peter Stothard, brittisk författare, journalist och kritiker. Dr Iskander Rehman är Ax:son Johnson Fellow vid Kissinger Center for Global Affairs och Senior Fellow for Strategic Studies vid American Foreign Policy Council. Hans första bok Planning for Protraction: A Historically Informed Approach to Great Power War and Sino-US Competition utkommer i november 2023.

The Baltic Sea- A Geopolitical History [Bok / Klotband]

Den rådande ordningen verkar var på väg att bryta samman. Sedan länge glömda hot i form av en ny kamp mellan stormakterna och rädslan för kärnvapenkrig samt nya, komplexa globala kriser, från klimatförändringar och epidemier till ny teknologi, leder till osäkerhet och kaos. Samtidigt beter sig USA, den mest inflytelserika nationen i det internationella systemet, nyckfullt och verkar ha övergett den strategi man arbetat enligt i decennier då man har byggt starka allianser och motarbetat auktoritärt styre, verkat för öppenhet och tydligt engagerat sig i det som pågår runtom i världen. Väl inarbetade institutioner, framför allt de mest prestigefyllda universiteten, verkar oförmögna att ställa upp och bistå med att sprida forskning och utbildning som hjälper oss att fungera i denna nya värld. Hur ska vi relatera till denna oroande utveckling?  Wonder and Worry samlar Francis J. Gavins texter från de senaste tio åren, bland annat om världspolitikens och det internationella systemets tillstånd. Vad har Amerikas roll i den globala ordningen varit och vad bör den vara? Och hur ska vi analysera och sprida kunskap om de två första frågeställningarna? Gavins svar är ofta nyanserade, utmanar gängse uppfattningar och är överraskande optimistiska. Wonder and Worry består av lättillgängliga texter om samtidshistoria för en osäker tidsålder. Boken utges bara på engelska. <br/><br/><br/><br/>Said about <i>Wonder and Worry</i>:<br/><br/>"Worried about the world?  Frank Gavin combines great historical perspective with important current insights in this very readable volume." <br/><b>Joseph Nye</b>, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at Harvard University and author of A Life in the American Century  <br/><br/>"This is a brilliant collection of essays, full of humanity and humour but also a force of argument that will dislodge even the most tenaciously held illusions. Few are better than Professor Gavin at assessing the state of the field , whether that be prevailing thinking about international affairs or the pathologies of the academy. Taken collectively, these interventions represent some of the most refined and distilled thinking about the study of statecraft and the application of history to contemporary affairs in the transatlantic world today."<br/><b>John Bew</b>, Professor of History and Foreign Policy, King s College London  <br/><br/>"Fascinating read."<br/><b>Graham Tillett Allison Jr.</b>, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University  <br/><br/>"Francis Gavin stands among our the most perceptive and original strategic thinkers of our era, and this jewel of a volume collects a decade of his reflections.  With wit, verve, and a subtle historical sensibility, he draws on the insights of the past to clarify the challenges of the present -- and limns a prudently hopeful path for the future."<br/><b>Will Inboden</b>, Director of the Hamilton Center, University of Florida and author of the award winning book, The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink  <br/><br/>"Frank Gavin is one of the great national security intellectuals of our time, a curator of ideas, and mentor to good work in others. This overdue collection of his own work reveals the trajectory of his thinking in so many edifying ways!"<br/><b>Kori Schake</b>, senior fellow and the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Author of America vs the West: Can the Liberal World Order Be Preserved?