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Background Resources
- Freedom HouseEasy to understand information on democracy worldwide.
- Journal of DemocracyCoverage spans from 1990 to the present.
- BBC News Country ProfilesGuide to the history, politics and economics of countries and territories.
- CIA World FactbookUpdated on a bi-weekly basis, the CIA Factbook, give a quick snapshot of each nation's demography, economy, government, geography, and other sectors such as transportation, communication, transportation and military.
- Center for Strategic and International StudiesCSIS is one of the world’s preeminent international policy institutions focused on defense and security; regional stability; and transnational challenges ranging from energy and climate to global development and economic integration.
- JuriGlobe: World Legal SystemsThis unique website explores the "diversity of the various legal systems, their languages and their economic and demographic importance in the world."
- U.S. Department of State Background NotesFind facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty.
- WWW Virtual Library International Affairs ResourcesWebsite description: "Internet directory of over 2000 annotated links to high-quality English-language sources of information and analysis in many international and global studies topics. Sites are carefully selected for their long-term value, favoring those with cost-free, authoritative information and analysis online." Maintained by Dr. Wayne Selcher, emeritus professor, Elizabethtown College.
Find Books
Watch the video below to learn more about searching in ASA: the online library catalog.
Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics by
The study of international relations has changed rapidly in recent years. Firstly as a consequence of major political and economic changenbsp;- the end of the cold war and the fall of communism, the resurgence of nationalism, terrorism and forms of fundamentalism, globalizationnbsp;- and secondly, linked with these developments, because of the vitality of the discipline, with ongoing debates on the fundamental paradigms for the understanding of international relations and the emergence of the perspectives of feminism, postmodernism, constructivism and critical theory. The Routledge Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics provides a unique reference source for students and academics covering all aspects of global international relations and the contemporary discipline across IR's major subject divisions of diplomacy, military affairs, international political economy, and theory. Written by a distinguished group of international scholars, the Encyclopedia is largely comprised of substantial entries of more than 1,000 words, withnbsp;fifty major entries of 5,000 words on core contemporary topics. Each entry is fully cross-referenced and followed by a listing of complementary entries and a short bibliography for further reading. The whole is comprehensively indexed. There is no other resource of its kind and the Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics will be an extremely valuable addition to all libraries supporting teaching and research in the social sciences.
Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2005
Encyclopedia of Power by
Power is a central concept in many disciplines in the social sciences, including political science, sociology, social-psychology, organization studies, urban politics and planning. This encyclopedia provides a much needed authoritative and comprehensive coverage of the use of power in those different discourses, enabling the different language communities to learn from each other. It provides a compendium of the concepts that build the ways in which power is conceptualized and provides analyses of related concepts. It also provides a sourcebook for those interested in studying power, and it cross references the many insights that have been provided by theorists over the years. With comprehensive coverage of the use of power in the social sciences, the encyclopedia serves as a one-stop point of reference for the diverse and complex ways in which power has been used. It also provides a reference for debates central to the issues of power in different contexts and for related topics, showing how these disparate topics are related to power. Key Themes - Biography - Concepts Related to Power - Decisions and Game Theory - Institutional Issues - International Relations - Interpersonal Relationships - Intrapersonal Matters - Key Debates - Methodological Issues - Political Science - Political Theory - Social Psychology - Social Theory - Theories of Power - Types of Power - Urban Studies
Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781452266411Publication Date: 2011
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations by
Using humanistic principles to strip away the jargon and narrowness inherent in much of modern-day political scholarship, this historical encyclopedia reclaims the breadth of vision, the privileging of factual evidence over theory, and the moral tenor prevalent in classical political inquiry. Over 6,000 alphabetically arranged entries accompanied by 29 maps make this single-authored set the definitive desktop reference work on international relations and international history. The book's primary focus is upon the rise of the Great Powers and the course of world civilizations, their formative wars and diplomatic, political and economic relations. But a serious effort is made to cover all of the smaller and less powerful regions and their local history, along with how progressive inclusion into the modern state system affected them, both for good and ill. Written with elegant clarity and leavened by healthy doses of professional skepticism and humor, this thoroughly cross-referenced work addresses general as well as specialized readers seeking clear and concise sketches of the topics, simple and complex, that have shaped political and historical developments in our world. The work takes firm stands on important issues. It is not morally neutral on the meaning of historical persons or events. But it is eminently fair: its standard of objectivity and judgment has been to write aout all nations, religions, and events as a historian without country or religion, in the words of John Quincy Adams. While remaining deeply serious and cognizant of the role of the tragic in human history, this book often displays biting wit and overall personality--a great benefit of the single-author approach. Whether or not readers agree with a given interpretation, they are always paid the deep respect of having their intellect minds and moral consciousness engaged with the deeper meaning of the history of international public affairs.
Call Number: Fairchild - 6th Floor - North 327.03 N899gPublication Date: 2002
International Relations: a Very Short Introduction by
International relations affects everyone's lives: their security, economic well-being, rights and freedoms, and the environment they share. Recently we have seen the transformation from a world of empires to today's world of sovereign states, which are enmeshed in a complex array ofinternational institutions, all exercising degrees of political authority. The new global organization of political authority has far-reaching consequences.This Very Short Introduction untangles this complex world, providing an accessible framework for understanding the contours of global political change. Christian Reus-Smit treats theory as an indispensable tool for grasping international relations, but demystifies theorizing, introducing it as aneveryday human practice. He surveys a range of theories, from realism to feminism: reading them as contrasting perspectives on the global organization of political authority. Historically, such organization has been shaped by diverse social forces, four of which are discussed in detail: shiftingpatterns of warfare, changing economic conditions, struggles for rights, and the politics of culture. Reus-Smit concludes with a reflection on the future of international relations in an era of profound global change.ABOUT THE SERIES:The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to makeinteresting and challenging topics highly readable.
Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2020
What Is Populism? by
Donald Trump, Silvio Berlusconi, Marine Le Pen, Hugo Chávez--populists are on the rise across the globe. But what exactly is populism? Should everyone who criticizes Wall Street or Washington be called a populist? What precisely is the difference between right-wing and left-wing populism? Does populism bring government closer to the people or is it a threat to democracy? Who are "the people" anyway and who can speak in their name? These questions have never been more pressing. In this groundbreaking volume, Jan-Werner Müller argues that at populism's core is a rejection of pluralism. Populists will always claim that they and they alone represent the people and their true interests. Müller also shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, populists can govern on the basis of their claim to exclusive moral representation of the people: if populists have enough power, they will end up creating an authoritarian state that excludes all those not considered part of the proper "people." The book proposes a number of concrete strategies for how liberal democrats should best deal with populists and, in particular, how to counter their claims to speak exclusively for "the silent majority" or "the real people." Analytical, accessible, and provocative, What Is Populism? is grounded in history and draws on examples from Latin America, Europe, and the United States to define the characteristics of populism and the deeper causes of its electoral successes in our time.
Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2016
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- New York Times (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowThe New York Times (June 1980 to present), New York Times Online (full text March 2015 to present), New York Times Magazine and Book Review (January 1997 to present), updated daily on ProQuest.