The European Union Illuminated: Its Nature, Importance and Future by Ali M. El-Agraa

Ali M. El-Agraa in “The European Union Illuminated: Its Nature, Importance and Future” appraises the politico-economic dimensions of the EU, the concerns by both policymakers and the general public, and evaluates whether those apprehensions are justified. The author draws on an extensive analysis of the past, present and future of the EU chiefly focusing on economic integration across eight chapters.

…In conclusion, The European Union Illuminated is recommended to those who seek to understand the EU’s history, significance and challenges, particularly from a politico-economic perspective.

(reviewed for European Political Science, 2018)

Analysing Political Discourse: Theory and Practice by Paul Chilton

“Analysing Political Discourse” with a comprehensive introduction takes a fresh linguistic-oriented approach towards political interaction, discourse, and language, which can attract the interest of scholars from different disciplines in cognitive and social sciences varying from linguistics, politics, psychology, and religious studies. Paul Chilton not only analyses the integration of language and politics, but also offers concrete analyses of actual specimens of political text with regards to semantics, pragmatics, evolution and discourse processing.

(reviewed for Central European Journal of International and Security Studies, 2017)

The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives by Helen Pearson

Cohort studies, the empirical longitudinal research of people with a common characteristic, have played a crucial role in enhancing medical care and have dramatically reduced the risk of early death by revealing potential risk factors and unanticipated dangers. In The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives, Helen Pearson explores the world’s oldest and longest-running birth cohort study, which has tracked the lives of five generations of Britons for seven decades.

(reviewed for Science, 2016)

Britain's future in Europe: reform, renegotiation, repatriation or secession? edited by Michael Emerson

The relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union continues to be controversial, although in numerous respects the EU is now closer to the model of intergovernmental cooperation and market-led solutions favoured by Britain. The widening rift between the two has come at a time when the EU is facing complex challenges. Britain's future in Europe, edited by Michael Emerson, is an authoritative text that sheds light on British national interests within the EU. The book is based on the review of the balance of competences which was launched by then Foreign Secretary William Hague in July 2012, six months prior to David Cameron's Brexit referendum pledge in his Bloomberg speech.

… In conclusion, although the book under review addresses the British question, its content and extensive analyses are pertinent for other member states facing Euroscepticism at home. The book can be highly recommended to all those who are interested in questions around European integration.

(reviewed for International Affairs, 2016)

Britain and the World Since 1945 by Alasdair Blair

Alasdair Blair in Britain and the World since 1945 explicitly narrates and scrutinizes the post-WWII Britain’s foreign policy that demanded the modification of its expansive foreign policy orientation after the Empire’s relative decline in power.

…Alasdair Blair provides an insightful scrutiny of British foreign policy, and this book is highly recommended, particularly for its comprehensive narration, language and side notes, and it is ideal for anyone who is interested in the topic from academics to the general public

(reviewed for Political Studies Review, 2016)

The European Union in Crisis: Explorations in Representation and Democratic Legitimacy edited by Kyriakos N. Demetriou

The European Union in Crisis edited by Kyriakos N. Demetriou provides an authoritative account of the EU’s predicaments by investigating the malfunctioning roots from democratic legitimization of European politics to European federalism versus regionalism, and makes an effort towards anticipating forthcoming developments, especially those threatening the future of the Union.

(reviewed for Political Studies Review, 2016)

Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues (5^th ed.) by Gus Martin

'Understanding Terrorism' not only provides an authoritative account for the study of terrorism, but also its comprehensive approach is suitable for instructors, students, and even policy makers.

(reviewed for SAGE Publications, 2016)

Writing a Research Paper in Political Science: A Practical Guide to Inquiry, Structure, and Methods (3^rd ed.) by Lisa A. Baglione

[…Writing a Research Paper in Political Science provides] a comprehensive guide for conducting a research project from posing the right question to finalizing the draft. One of the book's merits are the interdisciplinary and up-to-date examples.

(reviewed for SAGE Publications, 2016)

Russian Foreign Policy: The Return of Great Power Politics (2^nd ed.) by Jeffrey Mankoff

Mankoff provides a thoughtful overview of the continuity and change in Russian foreign policy since the end of the Cold War to Putin, and analyzes Russia's interactions with major global considering various theoretical approaches including theory of international relations, classical geopolitical theory, and Russian geopolitical tradition.

 (reviewed for Central European Journal of International and Security Studies, 2016)

Contemporary British Society (3^rd ed., Completely Revised and Updated) by Nicholas Abercrombie and Alan Warde

Considering that the British society is increasingly diverse and complex, ‘Contemporary British Society’ takes a holistic approach to evaluate ‘society’ rather than ‘debates within sociology’ and offers an authoritative account of today’s British society.

Considering that the British society is increasingly diverse and complex, ‘Contemporary British Society’ takes a holistic approach to evaluate ‘society’ rather than ‘debates within sociology’ and offers an authoritative account of today’s British society. The monograph by adhering to the capitalist social relations and culture of modernity provides an elaborate account of the British society in 16 chapters. The authors evaluate the British society with social structural mechanism experiences, not in isolation but in both macro and micro levels.

(reviewed for University of Tehran, 2015)

A History of Sociology in Britain: Science, Literature, and Society by A. H. Halsey

[…A. H. Halsey in A History of Sociology in Britain] provides a groundbreaking critical history of sociology in Great Britain that comprehensively analyses the phenomenon in the past century.

(reviewed for Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, 2014)

After Bush: The Case for Continuity in American Foreign Policy by Timothy J. Lynch & Robert S. Singh

* After Bush reviews the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration, engages with the dominant historical interpretations on US foreign policy with a clear assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, and asks vital questions about what the next president's foreign policy will look like, arguing that it is unlikely to change, irrespective of which party wins the White House.

(reviewed for University of Tehran, 2014

From War to Democracy: Dilemmas of Peacebuilding by edited Anna K. Jarstad & Timothy D. Sisk

From War to Democracy addresses many of the dilemmas inherent to peacemaking and peacebuilding, and investigates the dilemmas of post-war democratic transitions in: new forms of violence and conflict management, peacekeeping, rebel-to-political party transformation, power sharing, electoral processes, civil society, and international responses to democratization crisis, which are investigated from a theoretical and empirical viewpoint.

The main argument of the book is that while democracy and democratization have often been perceived as vital prerequisites necessary for the creation of peace after civil war, “the goals of democratization and the demands of conflict management often work at cross-purposes”

(reviewed for University of Tehran, 2014)