The Haiku and the Double Helix

The Changing Global Order: World Leaders Reflect " illumines the human prospect as few works of its kind do," the eminent Cambridge political historian Ralph Buultjens wrote of NPQ's last collection in the Boston Review of Books. But he also properly identified one shortcoming: a lack of coverage of the biosciences "that will surely shape the world to come." For a variety of reasons, NPQ's many pieces over the years on science didn't fit into the geo-cultural and geo-political framework of that project. This special issue serves as a corrective to that shortcoming.     

Polish Return and Double Return Migration

Regional surveys indicate that about half the Poles who migrated since 2004 are living back in Poland. However, surveys of returnees also suggest that most are not committed to settling. This article explores why, looking at re-integration problems common worldwide, but also at the specifics of post-communist Poland, such as regional inequalities, job insecurity and low social trust. Although many returnees will continue to migrate temporarily, for others (notably those aged around 30) the experience of failed return to Poland inclines them to settle abroad. Such double return migrants engage in new, less transnational livelihood strategies, integrating more abroad and burning bridges back to Poland.     

Double suicide and homicide-suicide in Switzerland

Double suicide and homicide-suicide are infrequent and are different in psychopathology from that of a single suicide. However, precipitating factors for double suicide and homicide-suicide are similar to these found in single suicide. Depression, borderline disturbances, and narcissistic neuroses in combination with stressors such as physical illness, isolation, and social losses can lead to homicide-suicide. Epidemiological studies indicate that double suicide and homicide-suicide are influenced by ethnicity and cultural and social background. This study explores the situation in Switzerland between 1928-48 and 1971-1990.     

国际反恐斗争须摒弃“双重标准”

恐怖主义是长期困扰国际社会、阻碍各国发展、危害世界和平的一大痼疾。从20世纪下半叶开始，特别是冷战结束后，恐怖主义的发展更是“突飞猛进”，出现了“质的飞跃”。“新恐怖主义”对国际社会的威胁越来越大，     

In a Double Bind: Conflicts over Education and Mayoral Election Outcomes

Many European countries have decentralised governance structures to local communities with the direct election of mayors by local residents. This article provides a case study from Israel to assess the interplay between education and local politics. It investigates election outcomes for 75 locales, with a focus on the unique tensions involved in the dual loyalties of mayors to local parents, on the one hand, and state officials, on the other. Mayors who developed conflict relationships with both the local parents and state officials were found most likely to leave office. Conflicts over education are a clear indicator of impending political defeat, but amicable relations with parents and state officials are no automatic guarantee for re-election.