TheprototypicalcatalyticreductiveC-Cbondformations,theFischer-Tropsch reaction [1] and alkene hydroformylation [2], were discovered in 1922 and 1938, respectively [3,4]. These processes, which involve reductive coupling to carbon monoxide, have long been applied to the industrial manufacture of commodity chemicals [5]. Notably, alkene hydroformylation, also known as the oxo-synthesis, has emerged as the largest volume application of homo- neous metal catalysis, accounting for the production of over 7 million metric tons of aldehyde annually. Despite the impact of these prototypical reductive C-C bond formations, this ?eld of research lay fallow for several decades. Eventually, the increased availability of mild terminal reductants, in part- ular silanes, led to a renaissance in the area of catalytic reductive C-C bond formation.Forexample,the?rstcatalyticreductiveC-Ccouplingsbeyond- droformylation, which involve the hydrosilylative dimerization of conjugated dienes [6-12], appeared in 1969 - approximately 16 years after the ?rst - ported metal-catalyzed alkene hydrosilylation [13]. Following these seminal studies, the ?eld of catalytic reductive C-C bond formation underwent exp- sivegrowth,culminatingintheemergenceofanevergrowingbodyofresearch encompassing a powerful set of transformations. To our knowledge, no thematic volumes devoted solely to metal-catalyzed reductive C-C bond formationhave been assembled. For the ?rst time, in this issue of Topics in Current Chemistry,wepresent acompilation ofmonographs from several leaders in this burgeoning area of research. This collection of reviews serves to capture the diversity of catalytic reductive C-C couplings presently available and, in turn, the remarkable range of reactivity embodied by such transformations. There is no indication that this ?eld has reached its zenithanditisthehopeofthepresentauthorthatthisvolumewillfuelfurther progress.

The World Court Digest continues the Fontes Iuris Gentium, a series that presents the decisions of the Permanent Court of International Justice, up to 1990. The new volume covers the period from 1996 to 2000. All important pronouncements of the Court in its judgments and advisory opinions, are systematically arranged under specific topics taken from substantive and procedural international law. The World Court Digest provides reliable access to the decisions of the most significant international judicial organ on questions as important as the aerial incident at Lockerbie, the crimes of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the use of nuclear weapons and the use of force in the Yugoslavian context.

This important new overview of the German Democratic Republic focuses on the country's search for identity and legitimacy throughout its history. Dr. Henry Krisch analyzes major aspects of East German life-political, economic, cultural, and societal-to answer the fundamental question of the nature of the GDR. Arguing that East Germany has been shaped by history to an unusual degree, he explores the country's historical background, including the Soviet Zone, the origins of the GDR, and the leadership of Ulbricht and Honecker, and examines the role and structure of the party, state, and military and security forces. The main emphasis of this book, however, is upon current problems and on likely responses to them in the near future. Issues such as the viability of communist politics in a technologically advanced society, the relationship of the GDR to a common German heritage and a competing West German state, and the country's role within the Soviet alliance system are examined in detail, and current social concerns, including the peace movement, cultural trends, the role of women and youth, and the prime importance of sports, are discussed.

This important new overview of the German Democratic Republic focuses on the country's search for identity and legitimacy throughout its history. Dr. Henry Krisch analyzes major aspects of East German life-political, economic, cultural, and societal-to answer the fundamental question of the nature of the GDR. Arguing that East Germany has been shaped by history to an unusual degree, he explores the country's historical background, including the Soviet Zone, the origins of the GDR, and the leadership of Ulbricht and Honecker, and examines the role and structure of the party, state, and military and security forces. The main emphasis of this book, however, is upon current problems and on likely responses to them in the near future. Issues such as the viability of communist politics in a technologically advanced society, the relationship of the GDR to a common German heritage and a competing West German state, and the country's role within the Soviet alliance system are examined in detail, and current social concerns, including the peace movement, cultural trends, the role of women and youth, and the prime importance of sports, are discussed.

Under pressure from globalization, the classical distinction between domestic and international law has become increasingly blurred, spurring demand for new paradigms to construe the emerging postnational legal order. The typical response of constitutional and international lawyers as well as political theorists has been to extend domestic concepts - especially constitutionalism - beyond the state. Yet as this book argues, proposals for postnational constitutionalism not only fail to provide a plausible account of the changing shape of postnational law but also fall short as a normative vision. They either dilute constitutionalism's origins and appeal to 'fit' the postnational space; or they create tensions with the radical diversity of postnational society.
This book explores an alternative, pluralist vision of postnational law. Pluralism does not rely on an overarching legal framework but is characterized by the heterarchical interaction of various suborders of different levels - an interaction that is governed by a multiplicity of conflict rules whose mutual relationship remains legally open. A pluralist model can account for the fragmented structure of the European and global legal orders and it reflects the competing (and often equally legitimate) claims for control of postnational politics. However, it typically provokes concerns about stability, power and the rule of law.
This book analyzes the promise and problems of pluralism through a theoretical enquiry and empirical research on major global governance regimes, including the European human rights regime, the contestation around UN sanctions and human rights, and the structure of global risk regulation. The empirical research reveals how prevalent pluralist structures are in postnational law and what advantages they possess over constitutionalist models. Despite the problems it also reveals, the analysis suggests cautious optimism about the possibility of stable and fair cooperation in pluralist settings.