This book brings together the remembrances of Ambassador John W. McDonald, a veteran diplomat whose life serves as a model to those people of vision and action who wish to make a difference in a world that is desperate for the end of conflict. Beginning his career in international diplomacy in post-WWII Berlin and under the Marshall Plan, Ambassador McDonald's 40 years of working with the U.S. government and the United Nations_as well as with various academic institutions and NGOs_offer the reader both inspiration and hope for the future of international peace and cooperation. This international civil servant of extraordinary vision and courage has devoted his life to the successful resolution of conflict through communication. The Shifting Grounds of Conflict and Peacemaking contains the professional life lessons of Ambassador McDonald and offers his insight into international issues, providing frank and informed discussion on the environment, women's rights, the global water crisis, sustainable resources, international development, and, above all, peace. Those looking to be inspired into action should read this book to receive guidance about how one person can make all the difference toward building a lasting peace.

Almost all current wars are primarily intra-state, involving complex societal conflicts with at least one party a non-state community. Second Track/ Citizens' Diplomacy is broadly defined as facilitated dialogue to address conflict issues between unofficial representatives or equivalent opinion leaders dfrom communities in conflict. It is an essential complement to official (first track) diplomacy for responding to the enormous challenge that these complex conflicts pose to building a sustainable and dynamic peace. In this volume, prominent contributors explain the development, theory and current practice of second track diplomacy. They examine the dynamics of modern complex conflicts, such as those in Sri Lanka, Israel/Palestine, Cyprus, or the Caucasus. Exploring innovative problem-solving methodologies, the book provides a detailed program for guiding 'Partners in Conflict' in the search for common ground and analyzes core issues that arise in the practice and evaluation of second track diplomacy. This book will be valuable to both academics and professionals involved in first or second track diplomacy, or interested in integrative methods of dispute resolution or conflict prevention, as well as to those working in development, peace-building or humanitarian programs at any phase of the conflict cycle.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology: Spinal Cord Injury summarizes advances in the clinical diagnosis, monitoring, prognostication, treatment, and management of spinal cord injuries. More specifically, it looks at new and important developments in areas such as high-resolution noninvasive neuroimaging, surgery, and electrical stimulation of motor, respiratory, bladder, bowel, and sexual functions. It also reviews the latest insights into spontaneous regeneration and recovery of function following rehabilitation, with emphasis on novel therapeutic strategies, such as gene therapy, transcranial stimulation, brain-machine interfaces, pharmacological approaches, molecular target discovery, and the use of olfactory ensheathing cells, stem cells, and precursor cells. Organized in five sections, the book begins with an overview of the development, maturation, biomechanics, and anatomy of the spinal cord before proceeding with a discussion of clinical diagnosis and prognosis as well as natural recovery, ambulation, and function following spinal cord injury. It then examines clinical neurophysiology in the prognosis and monitoring of traumatic spinal cord injury; medical, surgical and rehabilitative management of spinal cord trauma; and some new approaches for improving recovery in patients, including restoration of function by electrical stimulation, locomotor training, and the use of robotics. Other chapters cover cell transplantation, artificial scaffolds, experimental pharmacological interventions, and molecular and combinatorial strategies for repairing the injured spinal cord. This volume should be of interest to neuroscience and clinical neurology research specialists and practicing neurologists.

The past, present, and possible future of the agency designed to act as the world's environmental conscience. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) was founded in 1972 as a nimble, fast, and flexible entity at the core of the UN system--a subsidiary body rather than a specialized agency. It was intended to be the world's environmental conscience, an anchor institution that established norms and researched policy, leaving it to other organizations to carry out its recommendations. In this book, Maria Ivanova offers a detailed account of UNEP's origin and history. Ivanova counters the common criticism that UNEP was deficient by design, arguing that UNEP has in fact delivered on much (though not all) of its mandate.

The debate addressing the balance of efficiencies and effectiveness regarding an organization's resources has always existed. Some people like to look at the debate through the centralized versus decentralized management paradigm. However you view it, the contextual variables that interact to affect this balance must be taken into consideration. It is important to emphasize that this paper is not intended to pursue a "Big Mac" versus "Little MAC" argument. The crux of this study is to look at how the organizational design of airlift forces can influence the development and implementation of the decision-making process and the subsequent effect it will have on force structure orientation. As the threats to our national interests span a wide spectrum of conflict, it is going to become more important that our military force structure be properly sized and equipped. Additionally, given the assumption that fiscal realities will reflect a tightening of the national "purse strings" for the foreseeable future, and our aging forces will require crucial modernization while we continue acquisition of newer advanced weapon systems, the proper balance between effectiveness and efficiencies will become increasingly critical.

Was Walt Whitman - celebrated poet of freedom and democracy - a determinist at heart? A close study of ""Leaves of Grass"" shows that Whitman consistently acknowledges the inevitability of all things. As John McDonald argues, this seeming contradiction lies at the heart of Whitman's poetry, a fact continually overlooked in the more than 100 years that critics have written about the poet and his magnum opus. This volume contains an extensive study of Walt Whitman's poetry that explores both Whitman's guiding philosophy and its uses to unlock meaning within ""Leaves of Grass"". Beginning with a detailed explanation of determinism, the author examines Whitman's use of indirection, which the poet referred to at times as a game played to evade the reader's comprehension. The work seeks to define a philosophy which was, in the author's opinion, the most significant influence in Whitman's thought and in his art. Various poems are examined in depth, including ""Song of Myself"", ""Passage to India"" and the particularly significant ""With Antecedents"". Gathered here will be evidence from Whitman's poems and prose and from his notes and quoted remarks, enough evidence to show beyond doubt that determinism was indeed his most significant influence. It offers an innovative look at one of America's greatest poets.