No-Nonsense Guides Series

This series offers straightforward, no-frills introductions to a wide range of complex subjects. Each volume distills essential concepts into easily digestible information, prioritizing clarity and conciseness. The goal is to equip readers with fundamental knowledge without unnecessary jargon or lengthy explanations. These guides are perfect for self-starters, students, or anyone seeking a direct path to understanding.

The No-nonsense Guide to the United Nations

Recommended Reading Order

The No-Nonsense Guide to the Arms Trade
Gideon Burrows
144 pages
6 hours of reading
The ending of the Cold War was supposed to increase global security and divert expenditure previously earmarked for arms purchases to more constructive ends. Instead, the arms trade has flourished. Not only conventional arms, but also police and surveillance equipment, have been provided by Western countries seeking to make a profit from conflict in unstable parts of the world. Foreign debt has remained high, development has been held back, and human rights have been systematically abused, all with the connivance of an arms trade prepared to turn a blind eye to the uses to which increasingly sophisticated weaponry is put, so long as hefty profits can be reaped. This disturbing book names the players in the arms trade and charts the impact that it has had on war, human rights, and development. The financial and trade mechanisms that permit the arms trade to continue are revealed, amid sordid tales of bribery and corruption. Gideon Burrows concludes his examination by reviewing the ways in which this trade can be controlled or even abolished.
The No-nonsense Guide to the United Nations
Maggie Black
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In the first book to distill the entire history of the United Nations into one accessible volume, Maggie Black explains how this complex organization works and explores its successes, failings, and current limitations. The book includes the creation of the UN and its early history, how it is structured, and whether it is well constituted in its functions. Black also considers possibilities for reform to make it more democratic, effective, and fit for its purpose. Maggie Black has written books for Oxford University Press, UNICEF, and Oxfam and articles for The Economist and BBC World Service. She has worked as a consultant for UNICEF and Anti-Slavery International.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Media
Peter Stevenson
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The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Media is a concise and balanced guide to the past, present and future of the media. It tackles complex issues in an accessible and easy-to-read style with black and white maps, charts and graphs to illustrate key points.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Climate Change
Dinyar Godrej
144 pages
6 hours of reading
A Canadian Mounties boat negotiates the Arctic Northwest Passage without coming up against pack ice. Floods devastate Mozambique, and tinder-dry forests of the American Northwest go up in a blaze. Just blips in the world’s weather systems or unmistakable signals that human influence is to blame? As billion-dollar catastrophes pile up, insurance giants are beginning to take warnings by the scientific community seriously. Meanwhile governments rarely match promises with action that can deal with the problems. But what is fact, what is plain disinformationand what can be done? About the No-Nonsense Guides: Major issues facing the world today, complex as they are, are further obfuscatedoften deliberatelyby political and corporate jargon and media spin. By contrast, New Internationalist Magazine has been a leading source of reliable information and clear analysis for the last twenty years. This new Verso series of No-Nonsense Guides, published in conjunction with New Internationalist, cuts through the confusion to present the facts and arguments concerning contemporary global issues as accessibly as possible. Concise, comprehensive, and affordable, the No-Nonsense Guides will be of interest to busy people, from school age on, who want to know how the world works.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Democracy
Richard Swift
152 pages
6 hours of reading
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Explores how democracy has been constricted and deformed by economic power- brokers and a self-serving political class from Birmingham to Bangalore. This book considers the different tools people in power have used to manipulate democratic principles, such as freedom, to their advantage.
The No-nonsense Guide to Islam
Ziauddin Sardar
144 pages
6 hours of reading
3.5(27)Add rating
This guide explains Islamic history, the Qur’an, sharia law, and Islam’s relationship with the West. It analyzes the struggle within the faith for a more humane interpretation of the religion, issues surrounding women, democracy, and economic development, and the outlook post-9/11 and the Iraq war. Merryl Wyn Davies is a writer, anthropologist, and TV producer. The author of Knowing One Shaping an Islamic Anthropology, she also co-authored the international bestseller Why Do People Hate America? Ziauddin Sardar is a writer, broadcaster, and cultural critic. His works include Postmodernism and the Other, Orientalism, and Why Do People Hate America?, written with Merryl Wyn Davies.
The No-Nonsense Guide to World History
Chris Brazier
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The No-Nonsense Guide to World History embraces the whole of history, rather than disconnected dynasties and events - all in one slim volume.
The no-nonsense guide to fair trade
David Ransom
142 pages
5 hours of reading
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From coffee farms in Peru and cocoa production in Ghana to jeans manufacture in China and the Banana War of Guatemala and the Caribbean, this fully revised No-Nonsense Guide tells the human story behind the products we consume. Examining the contest between 'free' and 'fair' trade around the world, David Ransom argues that the key question is not whether trade should be regulated or deregulated, but whether it is to be the master or servant of the people.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Religion
Symon Hill
133 pages
5 hours of reading
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Exploring the cultural, social, and political dimensions of religion worldwide, this guide offers a balanced analysis that delves into the intricate ways religion influences various aspects of life. It examines the role of faith in shaping societies, fostering conflicts, and promoting peace, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the global religious landscape.
NoNonsense Globalization
Wayne Ellwood
144 pages
6 hours of reading
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Globalization has shrunk the world in the name of free trade and broken down many of the boundaries between peoples. But it has also been a powerful driver of inequality, over-consumption and corporate control.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Equality
Danny Dorling
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A wide-ranging exploration of why inequality persists and what can be done about it.
The No-Nonsense Guide to International Development
Maggie Black
152 pages
6 hours of reading
3.6(81)Add rating
Focusing on the multifaceted nature of development, the book argues for a shift towards a more socially-oriented approach rather than a strictly political one. It delves into various dimensions of development, emphasizing the importance of social factors in fostering genuine progress. The exploration challenges conventional perspectives and encourages readers to reconsider the role of community and social structures in shaping effective development strategies.
The No-Nonsense Guide to World Poverty
Jeremy Seabrook
144 pages
6 hours of reading
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At the turn of the new millennium, the United Nations determined that world poverty would be halved by 2015. International agencies are all committed to “poverty abatement.” The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have renamed their structural adjustment policies “poverty reduction strategies.” But can this work? No, argues Jeremy Seabrook, not if we fail to understand the meaning of poverty. Drawing on testimonies from around the world, as well as on the hard facts, he challenges the assumption that wealth overcomes poverty, and demonstrates that the opposite of “poor” is not “rich” but “self-reliant.” Appealing passionately for a shared sense of “sufficiency,” he gives verbal snapshots of people’s lives to show how poverty shifts, changes and endures in response to the growth of wealth.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Green Politics
Derek Wall
132 pages
5 hours of reading
3.9(46)Add rating
The No-Nonsense Guide to Green Politics is one of the few books to analyse the huge impact that climate change will have on politics in future. Written by former speaker of the Green Party in clear, accessible style, it includes b&w; maps charts and graphs to illustrate key points.