Examines the abuse of drugs in the West and the scope and value of the illegal drugs business, and the failure of the drug enforcement programmes either to curtail the supply of drugs or to persuade users to abandon their habit.

Mercenaries have been employed as auxiliaries since early times, but in the post-1945 world they have operated, almost exclusively, in weak Third World countries. From Columbia to the Congo, Angola to Papua New Guinea, Cambodia to Nicaragua, they have appeared: training the drug cartel armies, assisting rebellions or civil wars, acting as the agents of the major powers. In the Congo crisis (1960-1965) they earned an especially unsavory reputation for greed, brutality and racism; it is a reputation that has stuck to the mercenary and on the whole justly. During the 1990s a new phenomenon has emerged in the form of the mercenary corporations such as Executive Outcomes or Sandline. These corporations offer a range of military expertise and weaponry, have the covert support of governments in the countries from which they come and are rapidly becoming a power to themselves, ultimately far more dangerous than the individual freebooters of the past.

Since 1945, mercenaries have earned an especially bad name for themselves in the Third World. From Colombia to the Congo, Angola to Papua New Guinea they have followed their dubious calling, hiring themselves out for blood money, training the war bands of drug barons, or assisting civil wars. They have gained a reputation for greed, racialism and brutality. Now, a phenomenon is emerging in the form of independent corporations with names such as "Executive Outcomes" or "Sandline" offering to sell every kind of military expertise and threatening to become powers in their own right. This book looks at the subject.

We are witnessing the new age of empowered customers, armed with online reviews, five-star ratings and social media, never has it been more important to manage your reputation and referrals.This book is for anyone who wants to systematically build their reputation and increase their referral sales whilst delivering a consistent and continually improving customer experience. Put together in a simple, clear, no nonsense way, with step by step instructions on what to do along the journey. The information is based on over 10 years coaching, advisory and training experience in the area of feedback, customer experience and referrals, and all the advice is underpinned by real life experience and examples ...and continued doses of common sense!

Drugs have been used in many ways since antiquity - for relaxation, as aphrodisiacs, for medical purposes, as stimulants and for pain relief. In this book the author examines the abuse of drugs in the West and the social problems that arise from their use; the value of the illegal drugs business which is now one of the four largest money-earners in the world; the involvement of governments (openly or covertly) in this lucrative trade; and the failure of drug enforcement programs either to curtail the supply of drugs or to persuade users to abandon their habit. Particular chapters examine the major sources of drugs - cocaine from South America; heroin from the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent in Asia; the constantly changing routes used for the distribution of drugs; the growth of African involvement in drug trafficking; the role of Europe as both a major drug consuming region and source of drugs in the ecstasy group; the problem of money-laundering. Finally, the author examines the impact, success or failure of anti-drug programs and looks at alternative ways of dealing with the problem.

This guide is intended to show how inter-African relations work. There are many continental institutions that between them create a framework within which African states can solve their problems and assist one another with regional economic development, peacekeeping, or political cooperation. The guide provides an historical setting for the institutions that are examined and also gives examples of how they operate in practice.

"World Strategic Highways" provides a detailed examination of approximately 50 of the most important "strategic highways" in the world. These highways may take the form of roads, railways, rivers and canals, or air and sea routes. They have one thing in common: they are of special significance because, throughout history, they have acted as major trade routes for a number of countries; have military or strategic significance; act to bind a country or countries together; or, in the case of rivers, act as boundaries between two or more countries. They include the Suez and Panama canals, the Rhine and Amazon rivers, the Trans-US Railway, the Khyber Pass and Maputo Corridor, the Silk Road, the Cape sea route and the Pacific sea route. Location maps are provided throughout the book.

A magisterial and sweeping history of modern Africa. The end of the Second World War signalled the rapid end of the European African empires. In 1945, only four African countries were independent; by 1963, thirty African states created the Organization of African Unity. Despite formidable problems, the 1960s were a time of optimism as Africans enjoyed their new independence, witnessed increases in prosperity and prepared to tackle their political and economic problems in their own way. By the 1990s, however, the high hopes of the 1960s had been dashed. Dictatorship by strongmen, corruption, civil wars and genocide, widespread poverty and the interventions and manipulations of the major powers had all relegated Africa to the position of an aid 'basket case', with some of the world's poorest and least-developed nations. By exploring developments over the last fifteen years, including the impact of China, new IT technology and the Arab Spring, the rise of Nigeria as Africa's leading country and the recent refugee crisis, Guy Arnold brings his landmark history of modern Africa up to date and provides a fresh and insightful perspective on this troubled and misunderstood continent.

During the long period when the world was divided between East and West and the Cold War threatened to turn hot with devastating consequences, the Non-Aligned Movement was one of the few institutions that consistently sought other outcomes not in its own interest, but that of all humanity. Consisting of over 100 states that are free of any formal alliances with any major power bloc, the Non-Aligned Movement provides aid to those countries striving to gain independence, eliminate poverty, and develop their economy. Just what the Non-Aligned Movement and Third World sought and at times achieved is set forth in this unique reference work, with its over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, organizations, and conferences, as well as the key issues and concepts. Entries are supported by an extensive chronology, a list of acronyms, an introduction to the movement, and a bibliography for further research."

Constant migration is a worldwide phenomenon that creates sharp divisions between those who accept the need for migrants and welcome the contributions they make and those who oppose them on xenophobic grounds. Guy Arnold provides a comprehensive survey of the consequences of migration. Arnold studies both the massive internal migrations in China and India that drive economic development and the influx of cheap labor into the advanced economies of the USA and EU. He shows that migrants are essential to advanced countries, filling skills gaps and to bolstering aging and static populations. He argues that the constant flow of people in all directions should be welcomed as a positive assault upon outdated, narrow nationalism. Packed with statistics that support the argument that migration is a force for positive change, Arnold's analysis will be an excellent resource for journalists, policy makers and students of sociology, human geography and anthropology.

Britain's political and military elite has for decades nurtured the idea that enduring ties bind the interests of London and Washington, in good times and bad. Irrespective of the end of the Cold War, the 9/11 attacks and the economic rise of the East, these links are allegedly impregnable. But how accurate a picture is this? Are the British engaged in a monumental act of self-delusion? Guy Arnold investigates the 'American disease' at the heart of Whitehall, which, he argues, has tied British policies too closely to those of Washington. The 'special relationship' became a Foreign Office priority and gave Britain the illusion of power it no longer enjoyed. As Churchill put it acidly, 'the British and the Americans were stuck with each other - a junior partner and a senior partner respectively'. For the Americans it provided a way of keeping Britain 'on side' but in return Washington accelerated Britain's imperial decline. The Americans always saw Britain in Europe as a Trojan Horse to safeguard their interests and as a military outpost for their global ambitions. They derided or ignored the 'special relationship', even in their dealings with Thatcher and Blair, and latterly the Foreign Office has failed to convince President Obama of its unique importance.