Book review: the hungry mind: the origins of curiosity in childhood

Curiosity is vital, but it remains a surprisingly understudied characteristic. The Hungry Mind explores what curiosity is, how it can be measured, how it develops in childhood, and how it can be fostered in school. Inez von Weitershausen finds that although the reader might have come across some of the insights in this book elsewhere, the author does a brilliant job connecting a wide range of essential 20th century research on the development of children

Book review: Europe in the new Middle East: opportunity or exclusion? by Richard Youngs

This book aims to examine the European Union’s response to the Arab spring, from late 2010 to the beginning of 2014. Through 12 chapters, Richard Youngs seeks to assess how far the EU changed its policies towards countries like Tunisia and Syria in the aftermath of the Arab spring. Inez von Weitershausen finds the book empirically rich, but recommends it only to well-read students and researchers due to its advanced framework

The German reaction to Theresa May’s speech: A mixed response to ‘hard Brexit’

Theresa May’s speech on 17 January laid out some of the key aims of the UK government as it seeks to leave the European Union. Inez von Weitershausen presents an overview of the reactions from Germany, writing that responses ranged from anger and disappointment to more hopeful calls for a constructive relationship with the UK following Brexit

Book review: the battle for Europe: how an elite hijacked a continent and how we can take it back by Thomas Fazi

In The Battle for Europe, Thomas Fazi argues that European Union elites have seized on the financial crash to push through damaging neoliberal policies, undermining social cohesion and vital public services. Showcasing a programme for progressive reform and outlining how citizens and workers of Europe can radically overhaul EU institutions, Fazi proposes size limits for banks, Eurobonds, and a separation of investment and commercial banking. Though some of these measures are neither new nor uncontested, and parts of the author’s arguments remain superficial, Inez Freiin-Von-Weitershausen finds that the book acts as a provocative exercise to test one’s attitude towards Europe and the current economic and financial system

German election preview: four things to look out for as Germany goes to the polls

Most observers expect Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU to win Sunday's federal election in Germany, but the outcome of the vote will still have a major impact on the composition of the next government and the future direction of both Germany and the European Union. We asked four of our contributors for the key stories to watch as the results come in

Book review: Hosni Mubarak and the future of democracy inEgypt

Hosni Mubarak and the Future of Democracy in Egypt gives a detailed account of the degree of corruption, nepotism, and NDP-monopolized politics prevalent in Egypt until 2009. The insights provided in the book may assist in understanding the grave structural developments and shortcomings of the political system, which ultimately pushed the Egyptian people to the streets and explain why the Egyptian revolution has so far been considered unfinished,writes Inez von Weitershausen

Book review: Global NATO and the catastrophic failure in Libya

"Global NATO and the Catastrophic Failure in Libya." Horace Campbell. Monthly Review Press. March 2013. --- Horace Campbell investigates the political and economic crises of the early twenty-first century through the prism of NATO’s intervention in Libya. He traces the origins of the conflict, situates it in the broader context of the Arab Spring uprisings, and explains the expanded role of a post-Cold War NATO. This military organization is the instrument through which the capitalist class of North America and Europe seeks to impose its political will on the rest of the world, however warped by the increasingly outmoded neoliberal form of capitalism, Campbell argues. Reviewed by Inez von Weitershausen

Book Review: The politics of immigration

"The Politics of Immigration: Contradictions of the Liberal State." James Hampshire. Polity Press. September 2013. --- Immigration is one of the most contested issues on the political agenda of liberal states across Europe and North America. While these states can be open and inclusive to newcomers, they are also often restrictive and exclusionary. James Hampshire sets out to examine the sources of these apparently contradictory stances, locating answers in the nature of the liberal state itself. Inez von Weitershausen finds his approach of focusing on shared features of liberal states across various regions innovative and enlightenin