Book reviews: East Asia

This article surveys the challenges faced by agriculture in present-day Tajikistan. These include the collapse of supply chains, lack of access to markets and a shortage of labour following the collapse of the USSR – problems which Tajikistan has not been able to remedy unlike some other Central Asian states. This article looks at the effect of the problems, and the recent efforts to reform laws of land tenure in Tajikistan. It examines the effect of these reforms, particularly on families and women, and surveys the prospects that the latest reforms have for successful implementation.     

Book reviews: South Asia

This policy essay examines the historical and policy evolution in Bhutan from the creation of Bhutan in the 1600s to 2014. An examination of the overarching policy intent of Gross National Happiness is reviewed as well as how modern political institutions in Bhutan implement Gross National Happiness. In the 17^th and 18^th centuries, the new Bhutanese state founded by the Shabrung Ngawang Namgyal established its political and institutional right and legitimacy to rule based on Mahayana Buddhism canonical tenets, including ensuring that Bhutanese citizens could obtain Enlightenment and happiness. A modern manifestation of this historical precedent for state and political institutional intervention to promote collective happiness is embodied in the policy of Gross National Happiness. This essay concludes by noting that modern Gross National Happiness is a holistic development approach based on a trend emanating from more ancient Mahayana Buddhist traditions Gross National Happiness balanced with modern economic, governmental, and social conditions with Mahayana Buddhist spiritual requirements embodied in Gross National Happiness.     

Book Reviews: Central Asia

Marianne North, a well-to-do and well-connected Victorian lady painter, made a number of expeditions to all parts of the world to paint plants and flowers in their native habitat. Over 800 of her paintings are displayed in a special gallery which she donated to Kew Gardens. The article concentrates on her travels in various parts of Asia, especially Japan, Sarawak, Java, Ceylon and India.     

Book reviews: General

Gandhi's Rise to Power: Indian Politics 1915–1922. By Judith N. Brown. Cambridge University Press, 1972. Pp. 360. Index. £6.40.     

Book reviews

Russland als Vielvolkerreich. Entstehung, Geschichte, Zerfall. Andreas Kappeler. München, Germany: C. H. Beck, 1992, 395 pp, bibliography, index.

A Traveller's Companion to Central Asia. Kathleen Hopkirk. London: John Murray, 1993, 292 pp, £16.

Samarkand and Bukhara. John Lawton. Photographs by Francesco Venturi. London: Tauris Parke Books, 1992, 128 pp, £16.95. Mirror of the Orient. Roland and Sabrina Michaud. London: Thames and Hudson, 1992, 96 pp, £12.95, paperback.

The Continuing Conflict in Kashmir. Regional Conflict in Jeopardy. Iftikhar H. Malik. London: Research Institute for the Study of Conflict and Terrorism, 1993, 25 pp, £10.     

Book reviews

Transcaucasian Boundaries John F. Wright, Suzanne Goldenberg and Richard Schofield (editors) London: UCL Press, 1996, 248pp, £40 and £14.95

The Russian Policy Debate on Central Asia Irina Zviagelskaia London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1995, X, 41 pp, £12.50

CIS Integration Trends: Russia and the Former Soviet South Mark Webber London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1997, IX, 72 pp, £12.50 Both distributed by Plimbridge Distributors Ltd, Estover Road, Plymouth. Devon PL6 7PZ, and in North America by the Brookings Institutional Press, Washington DC.

Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition Tadeusz Swietochowski New York: Columbia University Press, 1995, xvi, 290 pp, $34.95

The Soviet Socialist Republic of Iran, 1920–1921 Cosroe Chaqueri Pittsburgh, Pa: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1995, xvii, 649 pp, $75.00

Bibliography of Islamic Central Asia Yuri Bregel (editor and compiler) Bloomington, Indiana: Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies, Indiana University, 1995, in three volumes: Pt. I, LXXTV+773 pp; Pt. II, XLIII+774–1512 pp; Pt. III, XXXII+1513–2276 pp, $299

Mohieddin Alempour. A Tajik Visionary Baqer Moin (editor) London: BBC Persian Service, Bush House, 1997, illus, 140 pp, £20

Tatar Costume M. Zavyalova Kazan: Zaman Publishers Fund Turan, 1996, illus, 252 pp, $50     

Book reviews

The New Geopolitics of Central Asia and its Borderlands Ali Banuazizi and Myron Weiner (editors) London: I. B. Tauris, 1994, 284 pp, £39.50

The Central Asian Republics. Fragments of Empire, Magnets of Wealth Charles Undeland and Nicholas Platt New York: The Asia Society, 1994, 143 pp

Does Russian Democracy Have a Future? Stephen J. Blank and Earl H. Tilford, Jr. (editors) Pennsylvania: US Army War College, 1994, 162 pp

Between Marx and Muhammad. The Changing Face of Central Asia Dilip Hiro London: Harper Collins, 1994, 402 pp

The Boundaries of Modern Iran Keith McLachlan (editor) University College London: 1994, 150 pp

Islam and Romantic Orientalism. Literary Encounters with the Orient Mohammed Sharafuddin London: I. B. Tauris, 1994, 296 pp, £34.50

Critical Terrains. French and British Orientalisms Lisa Lowe Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1991, 216 pp, $31.85

The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250–1800 Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom Yale University Press, New Haven and London: 1994, biblio, 280 pp, £45

Culinary Cultures of the Middle East Sami Zubaida and Richard Tapper (editors) London: I. B. Tauris, 302 pp, biblio, index, £34.50     

Book reviews

Carey Schofield, Inside the Soviet Army. London: Headline Book Publishing, 240 pp., £19.95 hardback.

Karlernst Ziem, Afghanistan: Voraussetzungen und Chancen für eine Nichtmilitarische Losung des Konflikts (Perspectives and Chances for a Non‐military Resolution of the Conflict). Ebenhausen, Germany: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, 105 pp.     

Book reviews

Thorp, Rosemary (1998), Progress, Proverty and Exclusion: An Economic History of Latin America in the 20th Century, Inter‐American Development Bank (Washington). Katz, Friedrich (1998), The Life and Times of Pancho Villa. Jones, Grant D. (1998), The Conquest of the Last Maya Kingdom. Bell, Stephen (1998), Campanha Gaúcha. A Brazilian Ranching System, 1850‐1920. Adelman, Jeremy (ed) (1999), Colonial Legacies: The Problem of Persistence in Latin American History. Bulmer‐Thomas, Victor and Dunkerley, James (eds.) (1999), The United States and Latin America: The New Agenda. Leogrande, W.M. (1998), Our Own Backyard: The United States in Central America 1977‐1992. Arnson, Cynthia (ed.) (1999), Comparative Peace Processes in Latin America. Biekart, Kees (1999), The Politics of Civil Society Building. European Private Aid Agencies and Democratic Transitions in Central America. Belnap, Jeffrey and Fernandez, Raúl (eds.) (1998) José Martí's “Our America”: From National to Hemispheric Cultural Studies. Chomsky, Aviva and Lauria‐Santiago, Aldo (eds.) (1998), Identity and Struggle at the Margins of the Nation‐State: The Laboring Peoples of Central America and the Hispanic Caribbean. Míguez, Daniel (1998), Spiritual Bonfire in Argentina: Confronting Current Theories with an Ethnographic Account of Pentecostal Growth in a Buenos Aires Suburb. Kamsteeg, Frans H (1998), Prophetic Pentecostalism in Chile: A Case Study on Religion and Development Policy. Rodríguez, Victoria (ed.) (1998), Women’Participation in Mexican Political Life. Arias, Patricia and Fiona Wilson (1997), La Aguja y el Surco: Cambio Regional, Consumey Relaciones de Génera en la Industria de la Ropa en México. Laguerre, E.S. (1998), Diasporic Citizenship: Haitian Americans in Transnational America. Johnson, H. and Watson, K. (ed) (1998), The White Minority in the Caribbean. Bueno, Eva P. and Terry Caesar (eds.) (1998), Imagination Beyond Nation: Latin American Popular Culture. Parker, Richard (1999), Beneath the Equator: Cultures of Desire, Male Homosexuality and Emerging Gay Communities in Brazil. Kulick, Don (1998), Travesti: Sex, Gender and Culture among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes. Davies, Matt (1999), International Political Economy and Mass Communication in Chile: National Intellectuals and Transnational Hegemony. Roberts, Kenneth (1999), Deepening Democracy? The Modern Left and Social Movements in Chile and Peru. Petras, James (1999), The Left Strikes Back, Class Conflict in Latin America in the Age of Neoliberalism.     

Book reviews

Michael Rywkin, Ed., Russian Colonial Expansion to 1917, Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, Monograph Series Number 1, The Association for the Study of the Nationalities (USSR and East Europe) Incorporated, Series in Issues Studies Number 4, Rein Taagepera, Preface. London: Mansell Publishing, 1988, xviii + 274 pp., $45.00.

Helene Carrere, D'Encausse, Islam and the Russian Empire: Reform and Revolution in Central Asia, Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies, No. 8, Maxime Rodinson, Preface, Quintin Hoare, Trans. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1988, xix + 267 pp., $40.00.     

Book reviews

T. K. Tashbayeva and M. D. Sadurov, New and Traditional Features of Rural Uzbek Family Life. Tashkent: FAN, 1989, 166 pp.

The crooked demographies of our planet

V. A. Borisov, Editor, Naselenie Mira, Demograficheskii Spravochnik, Moscow: Mysl’, 1989, 477 pp.     

Book reviews

Islamic homeland, soviet section

Alexandre Bennigsen and Marie Broxup, The Islamic Threat to the Soviet State. London & Canberra: Croom Helm, 1983, 170 pp. Cloth, £12.95. ISBN 0–7099–0619–6.

Islam Today: the USSR

T. S. Saidbaev, Islam: istoriia i sovremennost. Moscow: Znanie, 1985, 64 pp., 47,290 copies. Series Nauchnyi Ateizm, No. 11, 1985.     

Book reviews

Richard Parsons. The Carpets of Afghanistan. London: Oriental Textile Press, 1983; £25.

Michael Rywkin. Moscow's Muslim Challenge: Soviet Central Asia. London: C. Hurst & Company, 1982. 183 pp., bibliography and index.     

Book reviews

Modern armies conduct military operations in urban areas, but rarely do so willingly. Military commanders prefer fighting in open terrain in which forces freely maneuver and use firepower, rather than in urban areas in which obstacles such as tall buildings, narrow streets, and non-combatants hinder control of the battlefield. Most professional military literature recommends refraining from fighting in urban areas and considering urban battles an unfortunate aberration to be avoided in the future. Deliberate choice of an urban battlefield is quite exceptional, deriving mostly from strategic needs or due to the symbolic value ascribed to a particular city or town. Most decisive battles of the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 were fought in open areas. However, strategic and political considerations, as well as cultural and sentimental, caused both sides to fight in cities and towns, such as in the case of Jaffa and Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Palestine's major economic center and a main road junction. Both cities also held sentimental value: the dynamically developing modern Jaffa was a symbol of an emerging Palestinian nation while Tel Aviv, the “first Hebrew city,” was the Zionist ideal of urban development.