History/Politics > current affairs

The next ten years will be a time of massive transition. The wars in the Islamic world will be subsiding, and terrorism will become something we learn to live with. China will be encountering its crisis. We will be moving from a time when financial crises dominate the world to a time when labor shortages will begin to dominate. The new century will be taking shape in the next decade. In The Next Decade, George Friedman offers readers a provocative and endlessly fascinating prognosis for the immediate future. Using Machiavelli's Th... read more

One of the astonishing revelations in the expose Dead Man Running, by Ross Coulthart and Duncan McNab, was the difficulty faced by the Australian police in tackling the burgeoning crime empire that outlaw motorcycle gangs were developing. Above the Law takes a hard and chilling look at the global future of organised crime, and reveals that the world's most successful criminal empire is now being operated on a massive scale by outlaw motorcycle gangs - an empire that is growing in power, reach and ruthlessness by the day. Far surpas... read more

In this successor to Dalziel and Lattimore's successful The New Zealand Macroeconomy, the authors provide a concise introduction to the contemporary New Zealand economy as we enter 'the Asian era'. The authors interpret data on key economic indicators over time to make sense of the structure and performance of New Zealand's contemporary economy in a historical and global context. The New Zealand Economy covers major contemporary economic issues: globalisation and the rise of the Asian economies, the origins and consequences of the... read more

Do we really care about each other less than we did in the past? This myth-destroying book shows that, contrary to popular belief, humankind has become progressively less, not more, violent from prehistory to today. Even the twentieth century, commonly perceived as the most brutal, is part of this trend. Debunking both the idea of the 'noble savage', and the Hobbesian notion of a 'nasty, brutish and short' life, and ranging over everything from the Enlightenment to warfare, art to religion, Steven Pinker argues that modernity and i... read more

Greg Mortenson, the bestselling author of "Three Cups of Tea," is a man who has built a global reputation as a selfless humanitarian and children's crusader, and he's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. But, as Jon Krakauer demonstrates in this extensively researched and penetrating book, he is not all that he appears to be. Based on wide-ranging interviews with former employees, board members, and others who have intimate knowledge of Mortenson and his charity, the Central Asia Institute, "Three Cups of Deceit" uncovers mult... read more

Which wars killed the most people? Was the twentieth century the most violent in history? Are religions, tyrants or ideologies responsible for the greatest bloodshed? In this remarkable and original book, 'atrocitologist' Matthew White assesses man's inhumanity to man over several thousand years. From the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage to the cataclysmic events of World War II, Atrocitology spans centuries and civilisations as it measures the hundred most violent episodes in history. Relying on statistical analysis rather tha... read more

Who benefits from state asset sales? Follow the money as Wishart looks at what happened to Air New Zealand, Kiwirail, South Canterbury Finance and more..This searing expose of one of the biggest issues in politics will be sure to capture attention this election. Ten years ago Ian Wishart’s Daylight Robbery on the plundering of the BNZ and other state assets became an instant bestseller. Now, a decade later, partial asset sales are again on the cards as Prime Minister John Key seeks a controversial mandate for privatisation... read more

A definitive, and highly entertaining, account of contemporary Beijing, the undisputed capital of the twenty-first century. Within the past decade, Beijing has debuted as the defining city of the now and foreseeable future, and China as the ascendant global power. Beijing is the ultimate representation of China's political and cultural capital, of its might-and threat. For so long, the city was closed off to the world, literally built around the Forbidden City, the icon of all that was ominous about China. But now, the country is e... read more

The author has spent years talking to terrorists - from Gaza and Afghanistan, to Indonesia and Europe. In this book, he delivers a fascinating journey into the mindsets of radicalised people in the twenty-first century, and offers deep insights into the history of all religions.

New York Times bestselling author Peter Bergen's definitive account of al Qaeda's evolution since 9/11 and the US government's responses.

Sometime in the late twentieth century the book died. Sherman Young, passionate book lover and a consumer and producer of digital technology, is on a mission to make book culture matter again. Shirking nostalgia and without apology, The Book is Dead (Long Live the Book) investigates the economics and technological demands of publishing, making a case for books and reading all the while. His bold and exciting book will inspire readers, non-readers and publishers to put books center again, even if they're not books as we now know them.

The 21st century is going to be remembered for the great, and final, shift of human populations out of rural, agricultural life into cities. Arrival City offers a detailed tour of the key places of the 'final migration' and explores the possibilities and pitfalls inherent in the developing new world order.

Without really knowing why, many New Zealanders are baffled and disturbed by the current economic turmoil of our cripplingly high interest rates, and a massively over-valued New Zealand dollar that is destroying the returns of our mainstay exporters. Since the radical reforms of Rogernomics in the mid 1980s, our political masters, and most mainstream economists have consistently told us that this situation is the inevitable result of good economic management. Bryan Gould however, disagrees. In Rescuing the New Zealand Economy he ar... read more

Steven Levitt, the original rogue economist, and Stephen Dubner have spent four years uncovering the hidden side of even more controversial subjects, from terrorism to shark attacks, cable TV to hurricanes. The result is "Superfreakonomics". It reveals, among other things: why you are more likely to be killed walking drunk than driving drunk; how a prostitute is more likely to sleep with a policeman than be arrested by one; why terrorists might be easier to track down than you would imagine; and, how a sex change could boost your s... read more

Paul Holmes is a legend in the annals of New Zealand broadcasting. Despite his recent retirement from the daily grind of his top-rating television and radio gigs, he remains a media icon through his hugely popular weekend columns in the Herald on Sunday and his weekly TV One current affairs programme. His recent wins in the Qantas Media awards (for both television and newspaper journalism) bear testimony to his enduring talents. In this book, Holmes presents the very best of his hugely popular weekly columns for the Herald on Sunda... read more

Islamism has emerged as one of the most significant political ideologies of the 21st century. From the Islamic Revolution in Iran to the grinding struggle of Hizballah in Lebanon and the devastating 9/11 attacks by al-Qa'ida, Islam has become both a critical discourse and a framework for active resistance, which levels a potent challenge against the ideals of modern secularism and the structures of Western hegemony. This book offers a rigorous and balanced analysis of how and why Islamism has risen to the fore as the dominant voic... read more

He raises hackles or receives resounding cheers, he's loved or hated but never ignored. Christopher Hitchens is possibly the most provocative writer of our time, fearless and forthright with no subject off limits. This volume of essays spans a remarkable four decades of writing. From early articles in the New Statesman, where he worked alongside writers such as Ian McEwan and Martin Amis, through to his pieces for Salon, The Atlantic and Vanity Fair, these articles display his rare genius, indomitable wit and singular command of la... read more

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is the most powerful media organisation in the world. Murdoch's commercial success is obvious, but less well understood is his successful pursuit of political goals, using News Corp as his vehicle. David McKnight uncovers Murdoch's crusade for his unique brand of conservatism over three decades. Drawing on extensive original research, McKnight tracks NewsCorp's pursuit of conservative ideas, from Reagan and Thatcher to the Tea Party and its war on Barack Obama. He shows how Murdoch's political conn... read more

Full of astonishing personal stories, this is an essential and incisive discussion on China today - a country on an environmental precipice that will affect the entire world - and a compelling look at the lives of its people.
With foul air, filthy water, rising temperatures and encroaching deserts, China is already suffering an environmental disaster. Now it faces a stark choice: either accept catastrophe or make radical changes. Traveling the vast country to witness this environmental challenge, Jonathan Watts moves from... read more