For over a century, Africa has experienced a violent cycle of warfare. First came the wars of colonial conquest, then the armed struggles for independence, and fi nally a series of civil wars. These civil wars have many causes, including the struggle over artifi cial frontiers inherited from colonialism, friction and rivalry among different ethnic and religious groups, and the crude desire for power of some African leaders. During the Cold War, the situation was further exacerbated by intervention or “aid” from the former colonial powers and new superpowers. Although it has not been easy to prevent or contain these wars, increasingly efforts are being made by the United Nations, other international organizations, and African organizations such as the African Union to provide peacekeeping and provide care for refugees. For a continent that is poorly known and badly misunderstood to begin with, it is often hard to fi nd useful information about underlying situations, groups and people involved, and even the course of wars—which is why this Historical Dictionary of Civil Wars in Africa is such an important book. The chronology tracks when civil wars erupted or were resolved, and which ones still continue; the introduction puts the warfare into historical, political, and geographical context; the dictionary provides a wealth of information on each of the wars, the more prominent leaders involved (both those who make war and those who try to bring peace), liberation movements, and political parties and organizations; and the substantial bibliography presents indispensable information for those who want to know more.

The Second World War is considered the pivotal event of the twentieth century, and the Encyclopedia of World War II, by prolific military historian Axelrod, is a well-written and complete reference to the war for students and general readers. Not exhaustive, the reference covers the typical ideological, military, political, and social topics “most commonly sought by students and instructors”; and its entries are, as the introduction claims, “useful, relevant, and interesting.” Some 737 concise, descriptive, noninterpretive entries are arranged alphabetically, covering topics such as Aachen, Battle of; Bazooka; Chiang Kai-shek; Dachau concentration camp; Fascism; Lebensraum; Phony War; Waffen SS; and Yalta Agreement. Approximately 40 percent of the entries are biographical. Length ranges from 200 to 3,000 words, and larger entries, such as Aircraft carriers, include subheadings (in this case, describing the fleets of the chief combatants). Aircraft, British exemplifies the many technical summaries of the equipment of the war’s chief combatants. Entries for major battles and campaigns (El Alamein, Kursk, Stalingrad) range from 700 to 1,200 words, contain easy-to-read maps, and provide the tactical overview and strategic significance of the battle. Articles are cross-referenced and include short bibliographies. Although this may not be a necessary purchase for libraries that have the exhaustive five-volume Encyclopedia of World WarII: A Political, Social, and Military History (ABC-CLIO, 2005), its size and more-selective coverage make it a good choice for public, high-school, and undergraduate libraries.

This is a unique study of the conflict of 1914-18 on land, sea and in the air, through maps, diagrams and illustrations. Within the scope of some 250 maps, Arthur Banks has presented both broad general surveys of political and military strategy, and the most closely researched details of major individual campaigns and engagements. These are supplemented by comprehensive analysis of military strengths and command structures and illustrations.

The book is organized into the following catergories(summarized for this review): Tanks, Vehicles, Artillery, Rockets, Infantry Weapons and Airplanes. Each category is then seperated Axis and Allies. Almost all of the 1,500+ weapons covered in this book have an image most of them featuring a photograph. The book is a great cross reference guide for anyone who enjoys reading historical material. Only a few weapon systems are not covered, most of these were prototypes. The German, American, British and Japanese turbine aircraft are covered. The accounts of these aircraft a very accurate with attention paid to how these weapons were or were not used. The photographs are of good quality considering the paper they were printed on. One great example of the depth of this book is it's coverage of Little David'. "The largest-calibre artillery piece of modern times" Sporting a calibre of 914mm, The US military originally designed the gun to test bombs. With the invasion of Japan approaching in 1944, the US wanted to use it to destroy Japanese fortifications. However before the project was completed, the war was over. The book features two images of this artillery piece, including a color image. The best part of the book is the unbiased accounts of how the weapon was used and it's success. For this reason, the book has numerous book marks for quick reference. I see no reason why you shouldn't buy this book, if you enjoy military history. Additionally since the book has no distasteful images of war, I feel it is suitable for any youth at least 10 years of age.

1,037 illustrations. This book lays claim to be the ultimate encyclopedia of German armoured fighting vehicles inthe Second World War. A basic reference work that supersedes all others and sets new standards in accuracy and completeness.

A collection of case studies of nine African countries, "Civil Wars in Africa" provides a comparative perspective on the causes of civil war and the processes by which internal conflict may be resolved or averted. The book focuses on the wars in Ethiopia, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda as well as the experiences of Tanzania and Zimbabwe, where civil war was averted, to underline conditions under which conflict can most successfully be managed. John Kiyaga-Nsubuga focuses on Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Movement regime's attempt to bring peace to Uganda. John Prendergast and Mark Duffield look at Ethiopia's long civil war and the role of liberation politics and external engagement. Bruce Jones studies the ethnic roots of the civil war in Rwanda. Elwood Dunn explores political manipulation and ethnic differences as causes of civil strife in Liberia. John Saul examines the role of Western powers in establishing peace in Mozambique. Hussein Adam describes the collapse of the authoritarian regime in Somalia and the subsequent rise of inter-clan and sub-clan rivalry. Taisier Ali and Robert Matthews argue that the forty-year conflict in Sudan is much more complex than the usual view that it results from the pitting of the Arab, Islamic North against the African, Christian South. Shifting the focus to how internal unrest may be managed, Hevina Dashwood examines government initiatives undertaken to maintain stability in Zimbabwe and Cranford Pratt describes the policies and institutions developed by Nyerere that enabled Tanzania to avoid ethnic, regional, and religious factionalism and intra-elite rivalries. James Busumtwi-Sam explores multilateral third-party intervention, highlighting the changing role of the OAU and the United Nations and their effectiveness in averting war. The concluding chapter draws together findings from the individual case studies and incorporates them into the larger corpus of the literature. Taisier M. Ali, formerly professor of political economy at the University of Khartoum, is presently a visiting scholar in the Department of Political Science, University of Toronto. Robert O. Matthews is professor of political science, University of Toronto.

Oil is the world's single most important commodity and its political effects are pervasive. Jeff Colgan extends the idea of the resource curse into the realm of international relations, exploring how countries form their foreign policy preferences and intentions. Why are some but not all oil-exporting 'petrostates' aggressive? To answer this question, a theory of aggressive foreign policy preferences is developed and then tested, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Petro-Aggression shows that oil creates incentives that increase a petrostate's aggression, but also incentives for the opposite. The net effect depends critically on its domestic politics, especially the preferences of its leader. Revolutionary leaders are especially significant. Using case studies including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, this book offers new insight into why oil politics has a central role in global peace and conflict.

Unlike other conventional histories, the unifying thread of A History of the Philippines is the struggle of the peoples themselves against various forms of oppression, from Spanish conquest and colonization to U.S. imperialism. Constantino provides a penetrating analysis of the productive relations and class structure in the Philippines, and how these have shaped—and been shaped by—the role of the Filipino people in the making of their own history. Additionally, he challenges the dominant views of Spanish and U.S. historians by exposing the myths and prejudices propagated in their work, and, in doing so, makes a major breakthrough toward intellectual decolonization. This book is an indispensible key to the history of conquest and resistance in the Philippines.

This book is a gripping account of the murky world of the international oil industry and its role in world politics. Scandals about oil are familiar to most of us. From George W. Bush's election victory to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, US politics and oil enjoy a controversially close relationship. The US economy relies upon the cheap and unlimited supply of this single fuel. William Engdahl takes the reader through a history of the oil industry's grip on the world economy. His revelations are startling.