A Vineyard Odyssey is a fascinating saga of wine-the journey from vine to bottle-that takes the reader on a travelogue of the many hazards that lie along the way. John Kiger tracks the nefarious denizens of the vineyard world: the host of insects, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, along with the feathered and furry critters, that lurk in vineyards. All are capable of sabotaging a promising vintage right under the nose of an unsuspecting grower. Rather than responding with toxic chemicals, Kiger follows an organic approach to cultivation, explaining how natural and biological controls can conquer or at least contain these vineyard saboteurs. Highlighting the many hazards of nature that lie hidden in any vintage, the author tells the story of a winegrower and an organic philosophy that guides the annual struggle to coax great wine from a steep hillside and a few thousand vines. Combining history, science, technology, and personal experience, this book vividly brings to life the hard-fought battles behind the wines we savor.

For more than a decade, Algeria has been experiencing one of the most difficult periods in its post-independence history. Throughout, attempts have been made at political and economic reforms. And until recently, the conduct of these structural reforms proved very slow and of limited scale. The end result has is a multidimensional crisis represented by a paralysed political system, a stagnant economy and deteriorating social conditions. Aware of the implications of being left behind, in a world characterised by increasing globalisation, the new leadership (from 1999) has voiced its strong commitment to continue and deepen the process of restructuring and pledged its determination to speed up its implementation as well. This marks a significant departure from former policies. Algeria in Transition surveys what has been achieved since; what remains to be done; and the challenges lying ahead. It addresses key issues - ranging from political reforms and stability, external relations, social conditions to integration in the world economy - facing Algeria during this phase of transition to democratic rule and market economy. This book, by providing an up-to-date, systematic analytical ac

This study charts France's relations with the rest of the world over the whole of the 20th century. Those relations are characterized by remarkable degrees of continuity in terms of how France perceives herself, how she perceives others and how she believes the two should interact. In short, France's relations with the rest of the world are an example of a tremendous over-investment in grandeur. Yet throughout the 20th century France showed remarkable resilience in maintaining her great power status in the face of repeated setbacks and defeats internally and externally. Despite her decline to a medium-sized power, like Britain, she has continued to "punch above her weight". This work analyses the deep forces that have shaped France's international relations, from material aspects such as geography, demography and economics to more abstract features of France's national identity such as notions of the state, the civilizing mission and ideas of grandeur. A series of thematic chapters spanning the whole of the 20th century look at how foreign policy is formulated and executed, the nature of strategy and defence, France's allies and adversaries, the civilizing mission and cultural dipl