In Print

Background Notes. United States, Department of State
U.S. Government Printing Office Fact sheets for countries of the world, published by the U.S. Dept. of State. The fact sheets, which range from a few months to five years old, emphasize each country's vital statistics, governmental structure, and relations with the United States. Background Notes are also available on the web.
Call Number: R 910.3 US
Locations: GD, ST, VA, VM

Clements' Encyclopedia of World Governments. John Clements
Political Research, Inc., 1997 Biannual hardback volume has an overview of countries of the world. Gives a brief description of the government, people, economy and foreign affairs. Includes major statistics and a map of each country's states or provinces. Loose-leaf binder has monthly issues with articles on nations in crisis and nations in transition.
Call Number: R 320.403 CLEMENT
Locations: VA

Congressional Quarterly's (CQ) Almanac.
Congressional Quarterly, Inc. An annual compilation of the CQ Weekly Reports.
Call Number: R 328.73 CONGRES
Locations: VA

Congressional Quarterly's (CQ) Weekly Report.
Congressional Quarterly, Inc. A weekly magazine that covers activities in the United States Congress. It includes legislation in process, congressional hearings, congressional voting records and general political news. The articles are informative and readable.
Call Number: R 328.73 CONGRES
Locations: VA

CQ Researcher.
Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Extensive factual reports, published by Congressional Quarterly. The reports cover a large variety of issues of current interest in the United States. They provide an excellent overview when one is beginning to research a topic that one knows nothing about.
Call Number: R 909.82 RESE
Locations: VA

Dictionary of World Politics: A Reference Guide to Concepts, Ideas, and Institutions. Graham Evans and Jeffrey Newnham
Simon and Schuster, 1990 A dictionary of key concepts, events and institutions of world politics.
Call Number: R 320.03 EVANS
Locations: VA

Economics.
Grolier Educational, 2000 Covers a wide range of economic, financial and business subjects. Each volume has a specific theme. Volume 1: Money, Banking and Finance. Volume 2: Business Operations. Volume 3: The Citizen and the Economy. Volume 4: The U.S. Economy and the World. Volume 5: Economic Theory. Volume 6: Economic History. Use the index to find a specific subject.
Call Number: R 330 ECONOMI
Locations: TC, VA

Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II. James Ciment, editor
Sharpe Reference, 1999 This set focuses on major international and civil conflicts that have occurred since 1945. Introductory sections on the "roots of war" and "alliances and treaties" are followed by 151 articles about different armed conflicts from around the world, including cold war conflicts, independence conflicts, ethnic conflicts, civil wars and coups.
Call Number: R 909.82 ENCYCLO
Locations: VA

Encyclopedia of Human Rights. Edward Lawson
Second Edition. Taylor and Francis, 1996 An encyclopedia of subjects and issues relating to human rights. Includes descriptions of major laws, conventions and resolutions by the United Nations and other organizations. Includes entries for different countries, agencies and associations.
Call Number: R 323.4032 ENCYCLO
Locations: VA

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Barbara A. Tenenbaum, editor
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996 A five volume encyclopedia of the countries and cultures in South America, Central America and the Caribbean Islands. This set includes articles on individual countries, ethnic groups, people, government agencies and historical events of Latin America. Sociological issues-such as human rights, literacy, immigration, judicial systems, and marriage and divorce-are also discussed.
Call Number: R 980.003 ENCYCLO
Locations: VA

Encyclopedia of Propaganda. Robert Cole, editor
Sharpe Reference, 1998 This three volume set offers 510 essays in A-to-Z format covering historical, political, sociological, cultural and artistic aspects of propaganda. The editors' definition of propaganda is quite broad, and includes any topic or method that can or has been used to persuade a target audience of a particular viewpoint. Examples include anti-war campaigns, abortion, civil rights, churches, health, communism, fascism and censorship.
Call Number: R 303.375 ENCYCLO
Locations: VA

Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations. James Minahan
Greenwood Press, 2002 This four volume set has articles on ethnic groups that have a strong national identity but do not have their own separate country. Each article describes the homeland, history, present conditions and status of a particular "stateless" ethnic group. Examples include the Kurds, Tibetans, Palestinians, Quebecois, Tamils, Welsh, Puerto Ricans and various Native American and indigenous populations.
Call Number: R 909.829 MINAHAN
Locations: TC, VA

Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements. Edmund Jan Osmanczyk
Third edition. Routledge, 2003 This is a compendium of political, economic and social information that affect international relations. It includes articles on countries, international organizations, and United Nations activities. Entries also cover international agreements, conventions and treaties, quoted in part or in entirety.
Call Number: R 341.2303 OSMANCZ
Locations: TC, VA

Encyclopedia of World Terrorism.
Sharpe Reference, 1997 A collection of two and three page entries concerning aspects of terrorism. Each entry covers a terrorist organization, historic event, terrorist technique or a government's response to terrorism.
Call Number: R 303.625 ENCYCLO
Locations: VA

Europa World Year Book.
Europa Publications Limited, Annual publication Contains surveys of countries, territories, and international organizations such as the United Nations, the OAS (Organization of American States) or the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). Each survey covers recent history, government, economic affairs, defense and social welfare. Gives a detailed statistical survey. Includes constitutions of countries and charters of organizations.
Call Number: R 320.9405 EUROPA
Locations: VA, VM, WS

Facts on File.
Facts on File, Weekly publication A digest of news items. For the current year, issues with five to seven days worth of news are filed in a loose-leaf binder. Previous years' news digests are bound into annual volumes.
Call Number: R 909.8 FACTS
Locations: VA

Historical Dictionary of Terrorism. Sean Anderson and Stephen Sloan
Scarecrow Press, 1995 Describes goals and history of individual terrorist groups. Major terrorist acts and personalities are profiled.
Call Number: R 909 ANDERSON
Locations: VA

Human Rights Encyclopedia. James R. Lewis and Carl Skutsch, editors
Sharpe Reference, 2001 The first half of this three volume set is a review of each of the countries of the world and their current track record on human rights. The second half of the set has articles about different themes and issues concerning human rights, such as political prisoners, refugees, freedom of expression, disabled persons' rights, domestic violence, or terrorism.
Call Number: R 323.03 LEWIS
Locations: VA

Illustrated Book of World Rankings. George Thomas Kurian
Sharpe Reference, 2001 Uses statistics to compare nations in a wide range of subjects, ranging from geography to military power, from population breakdowns to economic indicators.
Call Number: R 310 KURIAN
Locations: VA

International Relations: A Political Dictionary. Lawrence Ziring, Jack C. Plano, and Roy Olton
Fifth Edition. ABC-CLIO, 1995 A guide to terms, subjects and concepts relating to international relations. The dictionary is broken into twelve major topic areas such as "The Nature and Role of Foreign Policy", "Ethnicity, Nationalism and Interdependencies", and "International Economics and Development." Entries list a specific term, its definition and its significance in international relations.
Call Number: R 327.03 ZIRING
Locations: VA

Jane's All the World's Aircraft.
Jane's Information Group, Annual publication Gives brief, technical descriptions of private, commercial and military aircraft currently in use. Descriptions are arranged by country and by manufacturer. Includes a chapter on air-launched missiles. Has worldwide coverage.
Call Number: R 629.13 JANES
Locations: VA

Jane's Fighting Ships. Richard Sharpe, editor
Jane's Information Group, Annual publication Gives brief, technical descriptions of the fighting ships and weaponry of the world's navies. Descriptions are arranged by country.
Call Number: R 623.8 JANES
Locations: VA

Jane's Land-Based Air Defence. Tony Cullen and Christopher F. Foss, editors
Jane's Information Group, Annual publication Gives brief, technical descriptions of equipment and weaponry currently used for military defense against air attack. Descriptions are arranged by type of equipment and by country. Types of equipment listed include surface-to-air missile systems, anti-aircraft guns, and anti-aircraft control systems. Has worldwide coverage.
Call Number: R 358.1 JANES L
Locations: VA

Jane's Space Directory. David Baker, editor
Jane's Information Group, Annual publication Gives brief, technical descriptions of space programs and space equipment currently in use around the world. Includes a chapter on military satellites.
Call Number: R 629.4 JANES S
Locations: VA

Laws of War: A Comprehensive Collection of Primary Documents on International Laws Governing Armed Conflict. W. Michael Reisman and Chris T. Antoniou, editors
Vintage, 1994 Reprints of the complete text of major international documents concerning war and war related issues. Subjects range from type and use of weapons, refugees, terrorism and war crimes.
Call Number: R 341.6 LAWS OF
Locations: VA

Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States. James Minahan
Greenwood Press, 1998 Surveys twenty-five countries formed or re-formed since the end of the cold war in 1989. History, statistics and a detailed ethnic breakdown are given for each country.
Call Number: R 940.559 MINAHAN
Locations: VA

National Geographic Desk Reference.
National Geographic, 1999 Includes chapters on physical and human geography — landforms, weather, soils, population change, human migration, cultural identity economic geography, urbanization, and the political organization of territory. Also includes short descriptions of the countries of the world.
Call Number: R 910 NATIONA
Locations: BG, CP, GD, RI, ST, VA, VM, WA, WD, WS

Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet. Norman Polmar
Sixteenth edition. Naval Institute Press, 1997 Gives descriptions of the ships, aircraft and weapon systems of the United States Navy. Descriptions in this guide are longer than the descriptions of U.S. ships in Jane's Fighting Ships. Brief overviews of the US Fleet, Marine Forces, Military Sealift Command, and the Naval Reserve are also included.
Call Number: R 359.325 NAVAL I
Locations: VA

Patterns of Global Terrorism.
United States, Department of State, Annual publication Gives a quick, concise overview of terrorism during the prior calendar year. The main listings are arranged by the country of terrorist activity. Appendixes give a chronology of terrorist activities in the previous year, as well as background information on terrorist groups. Also available on the State Department's web site.
Call Number: R 303.625 PATTERN
Locations: VA

Political Parties of the World. Alan J. Day
Stockton, 1996 A "Who's Who" of political parties in countries around the world. This book describes the ideology and history of each coutry's major political parties, and names each country's smaller parties and fringe groups.
Call Number: R 324.2025 DAY
Locations: VA

State of the World: A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Toward a Sustainable Society.
Worldwatch Institute, 1999 The annual publication of the Worldwatch Institute analyzing the current status of human impact on global ecology. Each chapter presents arguments for ways of changing the global economy to protect the environment, and includes useful statistics. Chapters cover food resources, environmental health risks and the Earth's carrying capacity.
Call Number: R 338.9 STATE O
Locations: GD, TC, VA

Treaties and Alliances of the World. N.J. Rengger
Sixth edition. Stockton, 1995 Gives summaries of a wide range of treaties, alliances, and agreements significant to contemporary international politics. The book is arranged by broad categories-such as "NATO" or "Africa", and has an alphabetical index by treaty title.
Call Number: R 341.026 TREATIE
Locations: VA

World Guide 2001/02.
New Internationalist Publications, 2001 A country-by-country guide of all the countries in the world, giving statistics, a brief history and a summary of recent developments. Introductory chapters cover issues that cross international borders such as: population, globalization, food and taxes. Originally published in Uruguay, it emphasizes issues and events of particular significance to third world countries.
Call Number: R 910.3 GUIA DE
Locations: VA

World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers. U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
United States, Government Printing Office, 1998 Contains statistical tables listing number of armed forces, GNP, population, and government expenditures for countries of the world over a 10-year period. An introductory article gives synthesis and major highlights of these statistics.
Call Number: R 338.4735 WORLD M
Locations: VA

World Today Series.
Stryker-Post Publications Annual volumes: Africa. Canada. East, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Latin America. The Middle East and South Asia. Russia, Eurasian States and Eastern Europe. Western Europe. This series has different volumes for major geo-political regions of the world. Each volume gives an overview of the region's common cultural and historical background, followed by profiles of individual countries in that region.
Call Number: R 910.3 WORLD T
Locations: BG, CP, GD, RI, ST, VA, VM, WA, WD, WS

Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations.
Tenth edition. Worldmark Press, 2001 A country-by-country overview including sections on environment, transportation, migration, economic development, trade and housing. Also includes a significant section on the United Nations.
Call Number: R 910.3 WORLDMA
Locations: BG, CP, GD, RI, ST, TC, VA, VM, WA, WD, WS

Yearbook of the United Nations. United Nations
Department of Public Information, United Nations Covers the main activities of the United Nations and related organizations for the given year. Includes sections arranged by geographical areas of the world. The most recent year available at this time is 2000.
Call Number: R 341.13 Un29y
Locations: VA

Web Sites

ABC of the European Union Explains what the European Union is and why it exists. Covers information on each member country including key issues for that nation, history, symbols and policies. Available in all languages of the EU.

Africa South of the Sahara - Search A huge site produced by Stanford University's African Studies Association focusing on the African continent, south of the Sahara Desert. This site has links on a wide range of topics, including international relations, history, health, religion, travel and natural history, among many others.

All Africa.com African news from more than 60 sources, including 40 top African news organizations. This site is managed by Africa News Service, a non-profit agency dedicated to professional news reporting on Africa in the United States.

Background Notes Fact sheets for countries of the world from the US Department of State. Each fact sheet emphasizes a country's vital statistics, governmental structure, and relations with the United States.

British Broadcasting Corporation Headlines and world news from a British perspective. Includes articles up to three years old.

CNN Headlines and news from around the world, from an American perspective. Articles can be retrieved by keyword searches or by browsing geographic links.

Council on Foreign Affairs The Council on Foreign Affairs is a non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing America's understanding of the world and to contributing ideas to the U.S. foreign policy debate. Their web site has collections of articles and speeches arranged by country or topic.

DefenseLINK Contains daily news articles and web links to official United States military and defense information.

Doctors Without Borders Provides articles, information and virtual exhibits on the health and humanitarian issues around the world.

Economist Features new articles, country briefings, a dictionary of economic terms, and economic statistics and indexes from the British magazine The Economist. Some articles require a subscription number for access, but much of the site is free.

Foreign Affairs Contains recent articles from the journal Foreign Affairs. Articles provide thoughtful, in-depth discussion of international affairs and foreign policy issues.

Foreign Policy In Focus Briefs Up-to-date briefs on a variety of U.S. Foreign Policy subjects from the journal Foreign Policy.

FVRL News Search A collection of web sites and search tools for finding news items and current events on the Internet.

Gallup Organization Home page for the organization that conducts the "Gallup Poll" public opinion surveys. There are over 50 categories of poll topics, ranging from governmental policy, foreign affairs, and the economy to a variety of social issues. Gallup lists the questions asked, the results found and an interpretive analysis for each poll.

GPO Access Links to the full text of thousands of federal government publications. Publications include: the Constitution, the United States Code, Supreme Court Decisions, the Budget of the United States Government, Congressional documents, and many more. This web page is available on designated Electronic Resource computers at your local community library.

Henry L. Stimson Center Contains information on security challenges for the United States in the twenty-first century.

Heritage Foundation Contains studies on a wide variety of public and foreign policy issues from a conservative viewpoint.

Human Rights Watch Gives information and links concerning human rights issues around the world.

International Water Law Project Information and resources on water policies and laws from around the world. Includes the full text of treaties, links to useful sites, and "World Water News" — news articles concerning water use, water quality and water problems back to 2000.

Library of Congress Country Studies Online reprints of books published by the US Department of the Army's Country Studies Series. Each book offers analysis and description of the history of the country or region, the social, economic and political background, as well as the national security system used by the country. Also examines the interrelationships of these systems and how they are shaped by cultural factors. These books were published between 1988 and 1998, so this site will have no information newer than 1998.

Middle East Network Information Center Contains extensive information and links on the countries, current news, history, religion and culture of the Middle East. This site is maintained by the University of Texas at Austin.

Online Newshour This site is current to within 24 hours of breaking news. It covers all the transcripts of the Newshour with Jim Lehrer as broadcast on TV. Includes an index, archives, discussion forums and a special student section. RealAudio is available for some segments.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty A U.S. based news service, focusing on news and trends in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. News is available in English and several Eastern European languages, including Bosnian, Croatian, Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian.

United Nations The official home page for the United Nations. It includes many links to UN information, agencies and activities. The UN News Centre gives headlines and articles describing current UN activities. Available in six languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

United States Department of State Web page for the government agency responsible for carrying out U.S. foreign policy. Includes news, press releases, policy statements, speeches and travel warnings for Americans.

USIA: Electronic Journals Articles on a wide variety of current foreign policy issues, published by the US State Department. Most articles can be translated into Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

World Bank This site has articles and information on World Bank activities and issues of interest to the developing world. The site includes an extensive statistical database.

World News Network Gathers articles from over 200 online news sources from around the world.

WWW Virtual Library: Internal Affairs Resources Has links to many authoritative sites concerning international issues. Includes links for many governmental sites and international agencies.