The U.S. government has essentially two choices when dealing with adversarial states: isolate them or engage them. Isolate or Engage systematically examines the challenges to and opportunities for U.S. diplomatic relations with nine intensely adversarial states—China, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, U.S.S.R./Russia, Syria, Venezuela, and Vietnam: states where the situation is short of conventional war and where the U.S. maintains limited or no formal diplomatic relations with the government. In such circumstances, "public diplomacy"—the means by which the U.S. engages with citizens in other countries so they will push their own governments to adopt less hostile and more favorable views of U.S. foreign policies—becomes extremely important for shaping the context within which the adversarial government makes important decisions affecting U.S. national security interests. At a time when the norm of not talking to the enemy is a matter of public debate, the book examines the role of both traditional and public diplomacy with adversarial states and reviews the costs and benefits of U.S. diplomatic engagement with the publics of these countries. It concludes that while public diplomacy is not a panacea for easing conflict in interstate relations, it is one of many productive channels that a government can use in order to stay informed about the status of its relations with an adversarial state, and to seek to improve those relations.

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Packed with real-life Scenarios, Exercises and Success Stories "CBT for Borderline Personality Disorder" is a comprehensive guide to understanding and managing Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) using Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This book provides valuable insights and practical techniques for individuals diagnosed with BPD, their families, and mental health professionals. In this enlightening book, you'll uncover: In-depth explanations of BPD, its symptoms, causes, and impact on daily life The fundamental principles of CBT and its efficacy in treating BPD Detailed instructions on using CBT techniques for emotional regulation, mindfulness, and impulse control Expert guidance on enhancing interpersonal skills, building healthy relationships, and reducing conflicts Insights into the benefits of group therapy, family involvement, and psychoeducation in BPD treatment An extensive collection of practical CBT worksheets and exercises to reinforce skills and track progress Real-life Scenarios, Exercises and Success Stories Written by a team of experienced mental health professionals, "CBT for Borderline Personality Disorder" offers a compassionate approach to help individuals with BPD gain a better understanding of their emotions, improve their relationships, and live a more fulfilling life. This book is a valuable resource for anyone affected by BPD or seeking to support a loved one on their journey to recovery. In this book, you will discover effective CBT techniques for emotional regulation, which is a crucial aspect of managing BPD. By learning and implementing these techniques, individuals with BPD can gain better control over their emotions and reduce the intensity of emotional experiences. You will also learn how mindfulness practices can be integrated with CBT to further enhance emotional regulation and overall well-being. One of the major challenges faced by individuals with BPD is building and maintaining healthy relationships. This book addresses this issue by providing BPD communication skills training, assertiveness and boundary setting strategies. By applying these techniques, individuals with BPD can enhance their interpersonal skills, develop healthier relationships, and reduce conflicts. Group therapy can be an effective way to help individuals with BPD feel understood and supported. "CBT for Borderline Personality Disorder" offers insights into the benefits of CBT group therapy for BPD and provides guidance on structuring and facilitating CBT-based groups. This approach can be a valuable addition to individual therapy sessions, helping individuals with BPD feel connected and understood. Family members and loved ones of individuals with BPD often need support and guidance to navigate the complexities of BPD. This book covers the important role of family in BPD treatment and provides practical advice on family therapy and psychoeducation. By engaging the family in the therapeutic process, individuals with BPD can receive additional support and understanding, which can greatly enhance their recovery journey. "CBT for Borderline Personality Disorder" also includes a wide range of CBT worksheets and exercises for BPD. These practical tools can be used by individuals with BPD, their families, and therapists to track progress, reinforce skills learned in therapy, and practice new techniques in real-life situations. The book provides clear instructions and examples on how to use each worksheet effectively, making it a valuable resource for anyone dealing with BPD. By offering a wide range of CBT strategies and techniques, "CBT for Borderline Personality Disorder" aims to provide hope, resilience, and a path to recovery for individuals affected by this challenging mental health condition.

Emlyn Eisenach uses a wide range of sources, including the richly detailed and previously unexplored records of nearly two hundred marriage-related disputes from the bishop’s court of Verona, to illuminate family and social relations in early modern northern Italy. Arguing against the common emphasis on the growth of law and government in this period, her study emphasizes the fluidity of the principles that governed marriage and its dissolution, and deepens our understanding of the patriarchal family and its complex relationship with gender and status during the sixteenth century. Peopled by characters from across the social spectrum of the city of Verona and its contado, Eisenach’s study moves between stories about specific individuals—serving girls seeking honorable marriage through the unlikely route of concubinage, peasant men in search of independence from their fathers, and aristocratic wives seeking revenge against adulterous husbands—and broader analyses of social, economic, and geographical patterns of behavior. She shows how the Veronese at all social levels attempted to better their familial and personal fortunes by creatively molding wedding rituals to fit their particular circumstances, or engaging in the significant but until now little understood practices of concubinage, clandestine marriage, or informal marriage dissolution. Eisenach also evaluates the first half-century of religious reforms in Verona as the leading pre-Tridentine bishop Gian Matteo Giberti and his successors challenged common practices and understandings in sermons, treatises, confessionals, and court. Emphasizing the limitations of what the religious authorities could impose on the people, she explores how learned and popular notions of marriage, family, and gender shaped each other as they were put into action in the strategies of individual Veronese.

Is commitment to God compatible with modern citizenship? In this book, Daniel H. Weiss provides new readings of four modern Jewish philosophers – Moses Mendelssohn, Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, and Walter Benjamin – in light of classical rabbinic accounts of God's sovereignty, divine and human violence, and the embodied human being as the image of God. He demonstrates how classical rabbinic literature is relevant to contemporary political and philosophical debates. Weiss brings to light striking political aspects of the writings of the modern Jewish philosophers, who have often been understood as non-political. In addition, he shows how the four modern thinkers are more radical and more shaped by Jewish tradition than has previously been thought. Taken as a whole, Weiss' book argues for a fundamental rethinking of the relationship between Judaism and politics, the history of Jewish thought, and the ethical and political dynamics of the broader Western philosophical tradition.