International relations have undergone a revolution since the immense upheavals in Eastern Europe of 1989.

The end of the Cold War, which was in many ways the great simplifier of international affairs, has fundamentally changed the character of world politics and introduced dangerous new developments and processes. This new world disorder is fully reflected in this new Penguin dictionary. Extensively cross-referenced and with a select bibliography to aid further study, this comprehensive overview of contemporary international relations contains over 700 definitions including:

* Entries relating to ideas, theories, concepts, organizations and events e.g. crisis management, preventative diplomacy, failed nation-states, World Bank group, Camp David accords

* Specialist terms e.g. Agent-structure, Neo-realism, mixed actor model, zero-sum

* Terms for developments that have greatly affected international relations in the post-Cold War period e.g. Big emerging markets (BEMs), Critical theory/Postmodernism, ethnic cleansing, non-offensive defence

Much maligned in pre-war Germany, the short story enjoyed a creative rebirth in 1945. Initially imported by the Allies, the form also matched perfectly the prevailing mood of irony, objectivity and mistrust of the didactic. With the original German text running alongside English translations, this collection features stories from eight outstanding post-war authors including Heinrich Boell, Ilse Aichinger and Reinhard Lettau which students will find both educational and engrossing. Boell's opening story 'Pale Anna' follows a soldier returning home, his situation comparable to that of the writer in the first months of peace: he knows no-one and has few words not linked to painful memories. This poignant narrative is followed by a variety of tales representing the diversity of the time and including satires, explorations of private obsessions and experiments in form and language.