New Titles from Ashgate

Details below the fold. [JH]

• The European Union and the Culture Industries: Regulation and the Public Interest edited by David Ward
• Law at the Vanishing Point: A Philosophical Analysis of International Law by Aaron Fichtelberg
• Hate on the Net: Extremist Sites, Neo-fascism On-line, Electronic Jihad by Antonio Roversi
• Responding to Terrorism: Political, Philosophical and Legal Perspectives by Robert Imre, T. Brian Mooney and Benjamin Clarke
• Islam Beyond Conflict: Indonesian Islam and Western Political Theory edited by Azyumardi Azra and Wayne Hudson

The European Union and the Culture Industries
Regulation and the Public Interest
Edited by David Ward

June 2008 * 282 pages * 978-0-7546-7018-6

Description: This edited collection brings together leading academics in their respective fields to examine the European Union's impact on media and public policy. It provides an analysis of the broader areas of EU policy and links these together to give a greater appreciation of the nuances and scope of EU regulatory initiatives and their impact on the member states. Under a broad public interest perspective, the authors provide an assessment of the success of EU policy in protecting the public interest in the culture industries and respecting certain normative principles and balancing these with market dynamics.

Law at the Vanishing Point
A Philosophical Analysis of International Law
Aaron Fichtelberg

June 2008 * 244 pages * 978-0-7546-7251-7

Description: Two central questions are at the core of international legal theory: 'What is international law?', and 'Is international law really law?' This volume examines these critical questions and the philosophical foundations of modern international law using the tools of Anglo-American legal theory and western political thought. Engaging with both contemporary and historical legal theory and with an analysis of international law in action, the book builds an understanding and theory of law from the perspective of those who actually use this legal system and understand it, rather than constructing an artificial system from the standpoint of political scientists and moral philosophers. Law at the Vanishing Point provides a fascinating new challenge to those who reduce international law either to ethics or to politics and provides a critical new appraisal of its power as an independent force in human social relations.

Hate on the Net
Extremist Sites, Neo-fascism On-line, Electronic Jihad
Antonio Roversi

June 2008 * 158 pages * 978-0-7546-7214-2

Description: Terrorists, subversive political groups and gangs with violent agendas have found an easy and convenient means to promulgate their messages of hate – cyberspace. Whilst debate about the use of the internet by extremist groups rages around governments and media alike, little has hitherto been presented as analysis of the websites themselves. Timely and topical, Antonio Roversi presents an insightful look at the unregulated, anonymous, and easily accessible nature of the Internet and how it has been used to raise funds, recruit, train and promote acts of violence and disorder.

Responding to Terrorism
Political, Philosophical and Legal Perspectives
Robert Imre, T. Brian Mooney and Benjamin Clarke

June 2008 * 248 pages * 978-0-7546-7277-7

Description: Terrorism and political violence as a field is growing and expanding. This volume provides a cross-disciplinary analysis – political, philosophical and legal – in a single text and will appeal to readers interested in studying this phenomenon from all perspectives. The volume covers the full spectrum of issues, including torture, terrorism causes and cures, legal issues, globalization and counter-terrorism.

Islam Beyond Conflict
Indonesian Islam and Western Political Theory
Edited by Azyumardi Azra and Wayne Hudson

June 2008 * 248 pages * 978-0-7546-7092-6

Description: Politically, Islam in Indonesia is part of a rich multi-cultural mix. Religious tolerance is seen as the cornerstone of relations between different faiths - and moderation is built into the country's constitutional framework. However, the advent of democracy coupled with the impact of the South-East Asian economic collapse in 1997, and the arrival of a tough new breed of Middle Eastern Islamic preachers, sowed the seeds of the current challenge to Indonesia's traditionally moderate form of Islam. This volume explores the extent to which moderate Indonesian Islam is able to assimilate leading concepts from Western political theory. The essays in the collection explore how concepts from Western political theory are compatible with a liberal interpretation of Islamic universals and how such universals can form the basis for a contemporary approach to the protection of human rights and the articulation of a modern Islamic civil society.