The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries. It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 33 of our members are small states, including many island nations. Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the intergovernmental organisation that supports member countries to achieve the Commonwealth’s aims of development, democracy and peace. It publishes authoritative, evidence-based research and knowledge products for policymakers, academics, professionals and wider publics across the world. Our areas of focus and expertise include small and developing states; environment and climate change; democracy, law and government; and social issues concerning young people, gender, health and education.

Defending the Gains?

Esther Brimmer

If a nation's fledgling democracy is in trouble, what should outsiders do? Esther Brimmer examines the effectiveness of U.S. and European responses when other countries' newfound democratic gains begin to erode. Brimmer asks tough questions about democracy promotion in transatlantic diplomacy. Is it actually helping to deepen democracy around the world? Efforts have focused primarily on ways to encourage democracy where it does not exist, or to consolidate democracy where it has taken hold. But what can and should the United States and Europe do when democracies infringe upon basic democratic principles, or there is a general erosion of democracy? Is there a role for outsiders when democracy is under threat? Should the U.S. and EU support democracy or just stability? Do they need to confront a backlash against democracy or "democracy promotion"?

Imprint: Center for Transatlantic Relations SAIS
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780978882112
Publication Date: Oct 2007
Availability: In Stock - Despatched Within 5-7 Working Days

Ideas for America's Future

Jeffrey P. Bialos

The next U.S. president will need to adopt a national security strategy for the post-Iraq era that reflects our core values, can earn the trust of the American people and coalition partners, and can protect the country. This book sets forth some of the core elements of a new American strategy. The book discusses how to shape our security policies for dealing with rising power China, emerging power India, and declining power Russia. It addresses how to maintain American openness to foreign ideas, people and capital, and how to win hearts and minds in the struggle against radical Jihadism. It also looks at how to refocus our military and civilian national security capabilities to address the low intensity missions we are likely to face—from insurgency to stabilization and reconstruction to tsunamis.

Imprint: Center for Transatlantic Relations SAIS
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780980187151
Publication Date: Jun 2008
Availability: In Stock - Despatched Within 5-7 Working Days

Leadership in Unconventional Crises

Erwan Lagadec

We have entered the age of the unconventional crisis. In 2009 the worldwide economic recession and the A(H1N1) pandemic became the latest in a daunting series of events—9/11, the anthrax crisis, the SARS outbreak, the 2003 heat wave in Europe, the 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina—that required responses beyond the standard call for more assets, planning, technical knowledge, and media training.Standard responses to unconventional crises have yielded repeated failures of leadership and imagination. This book argues that to deal effectively with complex disasters, leaders and crisis managers must be educated to think on their feet in chaotic environments; to wage a war of movement against unconventional threats. We need strategic rethinking of the meaning of leadership and resilience, in addition to mapping out new allocations of roles and responsibilities across organizations, sectors, and countries.To tackle these issues, the Center for Transatlantic Relations launched the project "Unconventional Crises, Unconventional Responses: Reforming Leadership in the Age of Catastrophic Crises and Hypercomplexity." This book describes strategic concepts and organizational tools that have been successful in confronting catastrophic and hypercomplex events.

Imprint: Center for Transatlantic Relations SAIS
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780984134106
Publication Date: Oct 2009
Availability: In Stock - Despatched Within 5-7 Working Days