In Conflict and Human Security Threats in Africa, South African scholar Victor Ojakorotu unravels the dynamics of conflicts and human security threats now affecting numerous African nations. While some of these conflicts are local, others are national and international. This current and highly engaging study captures multiple cases of insecurity, presenting discussions of terrorism, kidnapping, militia activities, human trafficking, political violence, teenage pregnancy, civil war, and armed conflicts, as well as strategies for their future management. Ojakorotu documents a philosophical assessment of African politics as well as the place of the "new" media in the politics of human security and the development of an African worldview in the post-modern intellectual arena. This book is a must-read for all students of African and global politics, as well as policy makers and diplomats working with Africa, which will soon be home to more than three billion people and a center of global growth.

The Spratly Islands have represented a potential political and military flashpoint in the South China Sea for years, involving as they do various claims by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan. This edited volume examines the issues involved in light of confidence- building measures that new high-resolution satellite imagery can offer to this, and other, regions.

Baker, Wiencek, and their contributors assess the potential role for cooperative monitoring in mitigating the risk of conflict arising from multinational disputes over the Spratly Islands. They analyze how this new generation of civilian and commercial observation satellites can be used to reduce the changes of armed conflict breaking out by providing transparency that will detect and identify politically significant activities occurring at disputed islands and reefs among the Spratlys. Of particular interest to policy makers, scholars, and other researchers involved with military issues in Asia and international security concerns.

It is one thing to study history and it's quite another to have lived it. John J. (Pat) Ryan, a retired USAF lieutenant colonel has done just that. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1920, he grew up during the Great Depression. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Pat applied for and was accepted into the U.S. Army Aviation Cadet program. To fly had been his lifelong dream and WWII gave him his chance to make it come true. He was one of the blessed ones that survived combat in WWII, the Korean War, the Viet Nam War, and the Berlin Airlift.

His story starts at a time when aircraft and autos were scarce, family radios and television were non-existent, movies were silent and in black and white. During the Great Depression many families had to learn to do more with less to survive. For some people, WWII created jobs in both civilian and military areas. The fortunate ones were those who survived and didn't lose too many family members and friends. Pat was one of the lucky ones.

It was in Japan on loan to the CIA where he met his wife-to-be, Mae, during the Korean War. She had been in the OSS in Italy in WWII and at the post-war Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. They had started to write a book of their lives but Mae was stricken with terminal cancer and passed away only five days after she gave final approval to her publisher. The book is entitled "A Woman Ahead of Her Time. The Last Mission" completes the dream Ryan shared with his wife, and it brings home the lessons of war and humanity, of responsibility and faith, of family and love.

Come fly as his co-pilot through a life of adventures, struggles, victories and defeats as he tries to live his life as truly, honestly and fully as any man can.

Countless editorials have addressed the if, how, why, when, and who dimensions of NATO enlargement. These issues will continue to generate debate despite the Madrid summit decisions and will invariably influence legislators in discharging their historic responsibility to provide advice and consent to ratification of the protocols of accession before April 1999. Congressman Solomon's volume will help place these issues in perspective, answer the skeptics of enlargement, and provide the missing historical context for the profound geopolitical challenge of European security on the cusp of the 21st century.

He begins by reviewing NATO's initial response, from 1989 to 1990, to the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. The early moves from outreach toward enlargement are then explored, and then he examines how NATO sought to combine the two strands of prospective enlargement while engaging nations not seeking NATO membership, especially Russia, to prepare for coalition operations and the spread of democratic security values. Next he analyzes how the Partnership for Peace concept eventually progressed toward the decisions to invite the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to join the alliance by 1999. Important reading for scholars, policymakers, and citizens concerned with current strategic and international relations issues.

This book describes the creation of a new economy in the Soviet Union from 1930 to 1945. The Red Army defeated the Germans in World War II with equipment produced by that economy and not with masses of untrained men as has been often argued. The Soviet weapons were produced in factories designed and built under the direction of American engineers in the 1930s. Also, the Weimar Republic played a part in the creation of the Red Army by providing aviation and tank training schools and technical assistance to the developing armaments industry. Dunn argues that if France had been invaded by the Allies in 1943 rather than in 1944, the post-war world would have been less advantageous to the Soviet Union.

Military coup d'etat is an immoral and illegal means to ascend to power. In Africa, the West directly or indirectly sponsors coups. France and the U.S. use this modus vivendi to establish territorial control and economical supremacy in Africa. As such, their actions contribute to the destabilization of Africa, and threaten international peace and world security. Indeed, ambiguity and unreasonableness are evident on this matter; while the West presses Africa with good governance, democracy, and respect of law, it also sabotages the establishment of such principles and values through support of coups and rebellions. Worst, the replacement of a legitimate and democratic regime with a military is a license to massive violations of human rights. Undeniably, a military regime is likely to foster international terrorism.

This book contains a large number of stories that were told to me as a young boy growing-up in Tennessee about the many adventures that my father experienced while serving in the United States Navy. Many of these stories cover specific events that my father participated in during the Korean Armed Conflict. The events and opinions contained within the individual stories represent those verbalized by my father. These stories contain rich and colorful language, and they reflect a United States Navy sailor's life during the mid-20th Century. My father, like all good story tellers, molded the events and experiences from his life into his stories to captivate the audience as well as create a larger than life version of what took place. Collectively, these stories provide insight into the thoughts and concerns of the generation of Americans that fought in the Korean Armed Conflict.

Once regarded as a backwoods frontier skirmish, the War of 1812 has become an object of increasing historical scrutiny. A new consensus is emerging among scholars which views the Second War with England as a defining moment in the history of North America. This reference tool enables users to view this important conflict from a variety of American, British, and Canadian perspectives. Compiled by a recognized authority, this bibliography describes over 850 printed primary sources, including letters, diaries, journals, and memoirs. In addition to the usual army and navy accounts, the book also includes narratives by women, clergy, politicians, diplomats, merchants, and Native Americans.

This volume is specifically designed to direct users to select historical data quickly and easily. Topically, it consists of three sections, covering military, naval, and civilian narratives. Each entry has detailed annotation, discussing bibliographic information, names and dates of the author, the time period covered, the writer's rank, organization, or social position, and the historical places and events mentioned in passing. Inclusive in scope and highly detailed, this bibliography is a valuable addition to any historical collection.

Up the Indus to Ghuznee and Kabul
William Taylor, the author of this book, was a trooper in H.M 4th Light Dragoons in India as the campaign began to place Shah Shuja on the throne of Afghanistan. The Afghan people rejected the choice of the Imperial interlopers and preferred their own choice, Dost Mohammed. So the stage was set for the First Afghan War and one of Britain's most catastrophic military disasters. Taylor takes on the campaign of the Indus from the horse soldiers perspective. It was a hot, dusty affair of battle, sniping from hidden tribesmen, the storming of citadels and the knife in the dark within a harsh and uncompromising land. A must for all those interested in warfare in Afghanistan and the British Army on campaign during the Victorian era.