The book brings forward the author’s personal attitudes to the analysis of the present difficult political, economic, and financial situation in the EU member states. It reveals the author’s prognoses of the necessity of system reforms, avoiding useless attempts to reanimate the obsolete political and financial structure of capitalism. In the author’s opinion, for objective reasons, modern capitalism is not able to solve problems of preservation of life-supporting financial institutions the European states and the West are facing today. The author thinks that Europe has to go over to a postcapitalistic way of development. This is the call of the times, the demand of the historical moment. Capitalism as a system of political and economic development has completed its historical mission, having brought Western countries to the highest level of economic and technical development, creation of the best welfare for the countries of Europe and the West (i.e., it has exhausted resources for progress). Principally, new empires should have been built ten years ago (i.e., it was time for imperialism). However, today it is impossible for objective reasons. Countries like China, Russia, former USSR republics, and part of the third world will develop according to the capitalistic way of development, taking into consideration a mass of mistake the West has made. They have a huge amount of resources for a capitalistic way of development. What will happen to Europe in the future? Prof. Rafig Y. Aliyev has specific proposals about that worthy of attention and discussion. However, the delay of important decisions on the very political and financial system may turn into a tragedy for many nations, including the EU member states. The book is meant for a wide circle of readers.

The book, Loud Thoughts on Religion, has a small prehistory. In 2003 there was held a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Vienna, Austria. On the agenda of the session there was an issue of the study of religion at school and rise in the level of tolerance among followers of the world religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The author of the book made a speech and criticized the system of the study of religion existed in the West then: on a free day representatives of religion attend schools, select a group of religion representatives and teach basics of religion to children in different audiences. This method, indeed, lays the foundation of non-tolerance at the school age. Naturally, by explaining children their religious belonging, every priest puts his religious convictions above others’. This cannot be otherwise. Pupils individually understand that their religion is better and take others as representatives of less important religion. The author suggested his variant of approach to the study of religion having made an emphasis on combined study of the history of appearance of religion as they appeared and showing fundamental regulations of every religion. He suggested not providing children with religious education as such, leaving that for pupils and their parents. The session participants liked this pragmatic approach, and they charged Prof. Rafig Y. Aliyev unofficially with preparing the book and submitting it for consideration of PACE Special Commission. Thus, the author’s idea was reflected in the book as a religion textbook at school. The book was translated into several languages and distributed among the commission members. Over 10 years has passed since then and the textbook is still used as basic book on religion. Loud Thoughts on Religion provides primary information about the nature and origin of religion. It is an attempt to give a correct vision of national and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan and religion of Islam, which is an integral part of the modern way of life. Readers will be able to find interesting materials about the appearance of Islam, Muslim rites of worship and worldview principles, role of Islam in society, and the influence it has on spiritually and culture.

The book is dedicated to Tofig Gasim Oghlu Kocharly, academician, a wonderful man and talented historian. The thoughts are transmitted in a form of a dialogue with him. The author has chosen this style exclusively as a sign of deep respect to his blessed memory. Such an approach seems to give readers an opportunity to feel his presence best of all. The book is dedicated to the blessed memory of my wife Nushaba khanim’s uncle, Prof. Tofig Kocharly, a historian, recognized public figure, speaker, wonderful and joyful interlocutor, and famous researcher on the history of Garabagh, a pearl of Azerbaijan, where I was born, grew up in, and studied. May his soul shine in heavens, among stars, like on the cover of the given book. I was talking to him at that state of heart though he was keeping silent, just changing his facial expression from time to time. All this underlie the book, A Talk to a Spirit. May Allah save all of us and take the souls of those who left a rich instructive heritage of life… I am sure that life on earth is worthy of saving the relation with those who are close and dear…

The book is dedicated to Tofig Gasim Oghlu Kocharly, academician, a wonderful man and talented historian. The thoughts are transmitted in a form of a dialogue with him. The author has chosen this style exclusively as a sign of deep respect to his blessed memory. Such an approach seems to give readers an opportunity to feel his presence best of all. The book is dedicated to the blessed memory of my wife Nushaba khanim’s uncle, Prof. Tofig Kocharly, a historian, recognized public figure, speaker, wonderful and joyful interlocutor, and famous researcher on the history of Garabagh, a pearl of Azerbaijan, where I was born, grew up in, and studied. May his soul shine in heavens, among stars, like on the cover of the given book. I was talking to him at that state of heart though he was keeping silent, just changing his facial expression from time to time. All this underlie the book, A Talk to a Spirit. May Allah save all of us and take the souls of those who left a rich instructive heritage of life… I am sure that life on earth is worthy of saving the relation with those who are close and dear…

The book, as is seen from the title, is about the unearthly world, the beyond. The author tries to convince the reader of the fact that the beyond, the world of spirits, exists and one can talk to those whose souls are in heaven after death. We, real people with physical and physiological qualities, are the only bearers of the unreal, future virtual world. Probably, the knowledge of the fact that we will be there one day drives us to attempt to find the evidence of the existence of the unreal world. I think that there are people who have happened somehow to have contact with those who are in heaven. They are called channellers—that is, they write down or draw some pictures on paper dictated from there. Therefore, writers, artists, and high-ranking scientists “create” things that other people cannot reproduce. There is a share of the divine in them—that is, there is the substance second after the soul (I call it a talent), which does everything instead of a person, using his physical body, as a certain tool of manifestation of divine plans. As you will understand after having read the book, I have happened to see and feel the presence of a kindred spirit who died two years ago and to talk to him. Our conversation is a monologue. He was not speaking, just making me understand with facial expression his opinion about what I was talking. I assure you that I have never experienced something like that in my life, when earthly dimensions lost their meanings; I felt indeed his appearance and approaching, and my desire to be closer to him in return. I think, I did it and decided to share my striking experience with you.

The book is a collection of artistic stories and topical political articles and tracts. The author tries to demonstrate versatility of life in a special unity of man and nature. Here are reflected the author’s views on intimacy of the bee and the wild flower, on pernicious influence of regional, local wars, as well as reflections about bright ideas of democracy, freedom, and human rights, dimming and paling against the background of ambitious politicians’ activities. We hope the author’s viewpoints will be interesting to a wide circle of readers too.

The book is a collection of artistic stories and topical political articles and tracts. The author tries to demonstrate versatility of life in a special unity of man and nature. Here are reflected the author’s views on intimacy of the bee and the wild flower, on pernicious influence of regional, local wars, as well as reflections about bright ideas of democracy, freedom, and human rights, dimming and paling against the background of ambitious politicians’ activities. We hope the author’s viewpoints will be interesting to a wide circle of readers too.

In the book, the author presents his views against global s in different spheres of society, concretizing their real influence upon politics and philosophy. In his opinion, there are no enough serious political and philosophic explanations of the developments and prognoses for the nearest future. The humanitarian component of science is far behind the rates of the rapidly changing world for different reasons, including objective ones. Maybe this is the reason why there is not a, more or less, acceptable methodology of the political and philosophic analysis. Works dedicated to human mental s are absent as well. Taking into consideration all this, the author’s personal feelings, estimations, and prognoses are the main criterion of his approach to the problems he has touched upon.

In the book, the author presents his views against global s in different spheres of society, concretizing their real influence upon politics and philosophy. In his opinion, there are no enough serious political and philosophic explanations of the developments and prognoses for the nearest future. The humanitarian component of science is far behind the rates of the rapidly changing world for different reasons, including objective ones. Maybe this is the reason why there is not a, more or less, acceptable methodology of the political and philosophic analysis. Works dedicated to human mental s are absent as well. Taking into consideration all this, the author’s personal feelings, estimations, and prognoses are the main criterion of his approach to the problems he has touched upon.

The book is dedicated to very urgent and important issue of today—relationship of power, society, and religion. Following his five-year work experience as chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the Work with Religious Associations, the author tries to argue the view that these three vital components of public life not only interact, but they are also interdependent and intercorporated. The author thinks that their deep-laid relations represent logical bases in maintenance of the balance of power in society as whole.

In the last century we would often say and still say nowadays that the romanticism once dominated in mind gave way to the realism and pragmatism of postindustrial society. The author of the book The Child of Romanticism does not agree with the opinion. As the top of the romanticism he considers something that, for objective reasons, cannot be replaced by anything else. In the author’s view, this is the romanticism of the body and soul that has a divine beginning as far back as the mother’s belly. All the chapters of the book are directly related to the human’s inner world, the synchronism of its elements with the processes taking place beyond our perception.