by Kamal Y. Azari ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2, 2014
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An original appraisal of a path to participatory democracy for Iran, an opportunity created by a time of political crisis and upheaval.
An academic trained as both an engineer and a political scientist, Azari’s first effort is an auspicious one, situating the tumult Iran currently experiences within a deeply informative historical context. His analysis hinges on two parallel strains of examination: an account of Iran’s evolution into a tyranny over time and the birth of the modern state. On the one hand, he argues that, contrary to conventional opinion, Iran is not culturally incapable of prospering as a modern nation and has, at various times in its long history, enjoyed extended periods of tolerance, diversity and economic success, as well as philosophical and artistic dynamism. In fact, for Iran, the “period from 850 CE to 1050 CE represents a truly amazing mixture of religious coexistence and community self-rule.” On the other hand, Azari is also critical of the modern state’s inherent deficiencies, using as an example the United States, doomed in ways the framers of the Constitution could not foresee to engender socioeconomic inequality and concentrate political power in the hands of a small, self-serving elite. In brief, the designers of American democracy failed to anticipate the effects of “industrialization, the concentration of capital, changing conceptions of commerce, and the new market system.” What Azari recommends for Iran, and by extension for all Middle Eastern and North African countries, is a more participatory form of democracy that eschews bureaucratic centralization in favor of local governance and small-scale republicanism. His philosophical command of both interlocking subjects is expert, allowing him to discuss Montesquieu and John Locke with as much facility as Al-Farabi and Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali. The author’s ultimate recommendation—that the national wealth Iran has accrued be managed by a National Trust Fund Branch, which would be endowed with vast and somewhat ill-defined powers—seems to belie his call for more local versus federal governance. However, the book remains a timely, serious and original contribution to one of the most pressing political debates of our time.
A thought-provoking account of Iran’s potential to overcome its current authoritarianism and achieve pluralistic democracy.
Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0615964942
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Lumma Press
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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