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The Euromaidan protests showed Ukraine to be a state between East and West European paths. Ukraine’s search for an identity and future is deeply rooted in historical fractures, which indicate its longstanding ties beyond its borders. In this volume, distinguished scholars provide empirical analysis and theoretical reflections on Ukraine’s transnational embeddedness, which surfaced with an unexpected intensity in the recent political conflict. The essays have subjects including the role of international media and of diaspora communities in Euromaidan’s aftermath, the transnational roots of memory and the search for collective identity, and transnational linkages of elites within Ukrainian political and economic regimes. The anthology demonstrates the theoretical and analytical value of the concept of transnationalism for studying the ambivalent processes of post-Soviet modernization.

"China is using its growing economic strength to buy up strategic assets in Europe, from companies to government debt and infrastructure contracts. A new brief published by ECFR "The Scramble for Europe" explores the extent and nature of China's game-changing presence in Europe. China has moved on from buying African ports and building Saudi railways, taking advantage of its economic strength and European weakness to buy up Europe. Its acquisitions include infrastructure such as ports and railways, symbolic car companies like Volvo and MG, and high tech firms. It has bought large quantities of debt in the EU's troubled periphery and won government contracts while excluding European companies from bidding for Chinese contracts. The report's authors, Francois Godement and Jonas Parello-Plesner, argue that: European supply is fed by the short-term need of cash-strapped countries, but this threatens Europe's medium term interests -- China's acquisitions are dividing European countries, just as they were developing a more coordinated and tougher strategy towards Beijing -- The crisis is allowing Chinese companies not just to strike cut-price deals but also to play off member states against each other and against their own collective interests-a strategy China has already used in the developing world -- If China wins support for its policies with this greater influence, Europe may pay the price on a range of issues, from global financial reform and international governance to environmental norms and human rights"--Publisher's description.

Abstract: Tree-killing bark beetles are the most economically important insects in conifer forests worldwide. However, despite >200 years of research, the drivers of population eruptions and crashes are still not fully understood and the existing knowledge is thus insufficient to face the challenges posed by the Anthropocene. We critically analyze potential biotic and abiotic drivers of population dynamics of an exemplary species, the European spruce bark beetle (ESBB) (Ips typographus) and present a multivariate approach that integrates the many drivers governing this bark beetle system. We call for hypothesis-driven, large-scale collaborative research efforts to improve our understanding of the population dynamics of this and other bark beetle pests. Our approach can serve as a blueprint for tackling other eruptive forest insects

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has enormous economic potential thanks to its rich mineral deposits and vast tracts of arable land. Historically, these resources have been exploited by predatory leaders and a host of subregional actors. The time is now ripe for DRC to put years of war and economic underdevelopment behind it. The business community has an important part to play in promoting sustainable peace in the DRC. Business communities in Bukavu and Lubumbashi have managed to remain profitable in very trying years following the signing of the 1999 Lusaka peace accord by showing great resilience and versatility, primarily outside formal channels. Congolese businesses face serious obstacles, including poor infrastructure, high taxes, extortion, and market distortions. However, respondents expressed relatively little concern about insecurity and violence, suggesting that these costs have been internalized or that other obstacles impose much greater costs. DRC businesses neither want nor expect handouts. Respondents would prefer assistance in removing barriers to trade, improving infrastructure, and reducing corruption. Respondents are broadly optimistic about the future and their economic prospects, and have a strong sense of being stakeholders in shaping society. This bodes well for the future of the DRC, provided public policy can harness this energy and not impede it.

Martin Heidegger, fascinante en el aula, atrajo a los jóvenes intelectos más brillantes de Alemania de la década de 1920. Muchos de ellos eran judíos que al final tendrían que conciliar sus compromisos filosóficos y a menudo personales con Heidegger y las nefandas opiniones políticas de éste. En 1933 Heidegger se unió al nacionalsocialismo. Frustró la carrera de los estudiantes judíos y denunció a otros profesores que consideraba insuficientemente radicales. Durante años firmó sus cartas e inició sus clases con un " Heil Hitler! " y pagó las cuotas del partido nazi hasta su desaparición. Igualmente problemáticos para sus antiguos alumnos fueron sus sórdidos esfuerzos para hacer que el pensamiento existencialista fuera útil a los objetivos nazi y el hecho de que nunca abjurara de esas acciones. Este libro explora cómo cuatro de los alumnos judíos de Heidegger más destacados asumieron la relación de su maestro con los nazis y cómo afectó ésta a su pensamiento. Hannah Arendt, amante de Heidegger además de alumna suya, llegó a ser uno de los pensadores más destacados del siglo XX. Karl Löwith regresó a Alemania en 1953 y pronto se convirtió en uno de sus principales filósofos. Hans Jonas se hizo famoso como primer filósofo medioambientalista alemán. Herbert Marcuse conquistó celebridad como intelectual de la escuela de Frankfurt y mentor de la Nueva Izquierda. ¿Por qué paso inadvertido a todos estos brillantes cerebros lo que había en el corazón de Heidegger y en el futuro de Alemania? ¿Cómo valoraron después de la guerra las tradiciones intelectuales alemanas? ¿Pudieron salvar algunos aspectos del pensamiento de Heidegger? ¿Refleja su filosofía los estudios de su juventud o los rechaza por completo? ¿Pudieron estos heideggerianos perdonar, o al menos tratar de entender, la traición del hombre al que tanto admiraban?

The diagnosis and management of congenital heart defects has rapidly evolved over the last few decades. In this third volume of the series entitled "Congenital Heart Defects: Decision Making for Surgery" Antonio Corno provides an up-to-date and comprehensive presentation of the new role that cardiac CT and MRI will play in the management of congenital heart defects. He has been ably assisted by a cardiologist, Pierluigi Festa. The book provides a dazzling array of images derived by both techniques and covers the full range of congenital heart malformations. Both the pre-operative and post-operative usefulness of these techniques is presented: in the pre-operative period with regard to the details useful for choosing among all available surgical options; in the post-operative period for monitoring the follow-up and potential complications. There is no doubt that these techniques will be particularly helpful for older children and adults with congenital heart disease in assessing the late impact of a congenital heart malformation and the surgical repair or palliation which may have been undertaken years previously.

A first responder’s harrowing account of 9/11—the inspirational true story of an American hero who gave nearly everything for others during one of New York City’s darkest hours. On September 11, 2001, FDNY Battalion Chief Richard “Pitch” Picciotto answered the call heard around the world. In minutes, he was at Ground Zero of the worst terrorist attack on American soil, as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center began to burn—and then to buckle. A veteran of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, Picciotto was eerily familiar with the inside of the North Tower. And it was there that he concentrated his rescue efforts. It was in its smoky stairwells where he heard and felt the South Tower collapse. He made the call for firemen and rescue workers to evacuate, while he stayed behind with a skeleton team of men to help evacuate a group of disabled and infirm civilians. And it was in the rubble of the North Tower where Picciotto found himself buried—for more than four hours after the building’s collapse.