Seth Cantey

Begun in 1966, The World Today Series® offers a penetrating look into every nation—its geographical setting, history, current government, politics, cultures, economy, as well as its problems and prospects. The up-to-date content is effectively supplemented with maps, photographs, original art, and comprehensive bibliographies. As events become more remote, their descriptions are condensed with each new edition. This allows room to present the important, current happenings that have occurred since publication of the previous edition, along with insightful discussion of the reasons they occurred and the implications for the future. The result is a series of well-proportioned, complete, and very up-to-date texts that focus on current events—uncluttered with unnecessary and repetitive background detail. Each new edition brings the world into today’s perspective for the reader. Revised and published each August, the books in the series provide important details and analysis for each country, with sharp focus on the realities of today’s events. Year after year, the combination of factual accuracy and up-to-date detail along with the informed projections make The World Today books are outstanding resources for researchers, practitioners in international development, media professionals, government officials, potential investors, students, and high-school, college & public libraries. Available in both print and e-book formats and priced low to fit student and library budgets!

This volume is designed to place in context the passionate controversies and emotional attachments of the two billion people who live, study, work, love, and die in the Middle East and South Asia. Understanding these regions means more than annually-updated details of the governments, politics, cultures, and economies of the twenty-four nations and assorted territories. Both regions, after all, contain types of people misunderstood and often intensely disliked by others. Where religion intrudes on politics—the Afghan Taliban oppose educating girls, Hindu fanatics rampage in India, Iranian militiamen shoot demonstrators, Islamic extremists impose sharia, and Jewish Ultra-Orthodox send women to the back of the bus—readers bombarded with superficial news bites and slanted reporting might never sense the other accomplishments of these same societies. Islamic charities and societies bring relief to the impoverished, Israel’s scholars win Nobel prizes, and most Indians cherish long-standing religious toleration. The author of this volume attempts to let the reader draw conclusions from the evidence.

This volume is designed to place in context the passionate controversies and emotional attachments of the two billion people who live, study, work, love, and die in the Middle East and South Asia. Understanding these regions means more than annually-updated details of the governments, politics, cultures, and economies of the twenty-four nations and assorted territories. Special chapters address significant issues of continuing international importance, including access to water, the role of oil, and the 2011 Arab spring. Both regions, after all, contain types of people misunderstood and often intensely disliked by others. Where religion intrudes on politics—the Afghan Taliban oppose educating girls, Hindu fanatics rampage in India, Iranian militiamen shoot demonstrators, Islamic extremists impose sharia, and Jewish Ultra-Orthodox send women to the back of the bus—readers bombarded with superficial news bites and slanted reporting might never sense the other accomplishments of these same societies. Islamic charities and societies bring relief to the impoverished, Israel’s scholars win Nobel prizes, and most Indians cherish long-standing religious toleration. The author of this volume attempts to let the reader draw conclusions from the evidence.