This political memoir reveals how Richard Falk became prominent in America and internationally as both a public intellectual and citizen pilgrim. His memoir is studded with encounters with well-known public figures in law, academia, political activism and even Hollywood. -- Adapted from back cover
The book explores the transformative effects of terrorism on international relations and the American response, highlighting the diminishing prospects for global reform and the increasing disregard for sovereign states. Falk analyzes the evolving role of the state, the significance of institutions, and the influence of individuals, alongside the complex implications of a global religious resurgence. Additionally, he critiques the post-modern geopolitics during the Bush presidency, focusing on militarization, oil control in the Middle East, and the overwhelming military superiority of the U.S.
Trends towards economic globalization are changing the world in fundamental respects.
Will our democracy be defined by dominance? Or by the higher values we constantly espouse? This is the central question facing us in the wake of 9/11, and Stephen Zunes shows the prospects are not promising.
In this important and path-breaking book, esteemed scholar and public intellectual Richard Falk explores how we can re-imagine the system of global governance to make it more ethical and humane.Divided into three parts, this book firstly scrutinizes the main aspects of Global Governance including, Geopolitics, The Future of International law, Climate Change and Nuclear weapons, 9/11, Global Democracy and the UN. In the last part, Falk moves the discussion on to the search for Progressive Politics, the Israel/Palestinian conflict and the World Order Models Project.Drawing on, but also rethinking the normative tradition in international relations, he examines the urgent challenges that we must face to counter imperialism, injustice, global poverty, militarism and environmental disaster. In so doing, he outlines the radical reforms that are needed on an institutional level and within global civil society if we are to realize the dream of a world that is more just, equitable and peaceful.This important work will be of interest to all students and scholars of global politics and international relations.
The United Nations (UN) has always loomed large in international conflicts, but today accepted wisdom declares that the organization has lost its way. Liberating The United Nations is a thorough review of its founding and history that tracks critical junctures that obscured or diverted the path to a powerful and just UN that abides by international law. Based on the extensive expertise of two former UN-insiders, Richard Falk and Hans von Sponeck, the book goes beyond critique and diagnosis, proposing ways to achieve a more effective and legitimate UN. The historical sweep of the book offers a uniquely broad perspective on how the UN has evolved from the time of its establishment, and how that evolution reflects, and was defined by, world politics. The book explores these themes through the specific cases of intervention in Palestine, Iraq, and Syria. Liberating The United Nations hopes to reinvigorate the original vision of the UN by asserting its place in a world of amplifying chauvinistic nationalism. Falk and von Sponeck argue for how important the UN has become, and could be, in aiding with the transnational and global challenges of the present and future, including pandemics, environmental crises, and mass migration.
