International Relations: A Poltical Dictionary (Clio Dictionaries in Political Science) - Hardcover

Ziring, Lawrence; Plano, Jack C.; Olton, Roy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0874368979 ISBN 13: 9780874368970

Publisher: Abc-Clio Inc, 1995

Synopsis

This fifth edition of International Relations: A Political Dictionary has been completely revised and updated to include recent world changes in the post-Cold War era. Terms, concepts, events, and facts, arranged alphabetically within each subject area, provide a clear and concise understanding of international relations at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Each entry includes a paragraph illuminating the term's significance and providing historical perspective, as well as extensive cross-references that enhance the scope of understanding. This must-have reference work will serve both students and teachers of political science, while offering invaluable information to students of related fields, such as international economics and military history.

About this title

About the Author

Roy Olton is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Western Michigan University.

From Booklist

The new edition of this standard reference work retains the format of earlier ones, while updating existing terms and adding more than 100 entries to reflect the enormous changes that have taken place in the world since the publication of the fourth edition in 1988. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war changed relationships among nearly every nation in the world, not just the superpowers. This volume does an admirable job of describing the new international environment. Six of the 12 chapter titles have been changed to better describe the concerns now paramount in the world, including ethnicity, the environment, arms reduction, and peacemaking efforts. In addition to a number of new entries dealing with the breakup of the Soviet Union, there are extensive discussions of ethnic and factional conflicts around the world, the rise of nationalism, United Nations peacekeeping efforts, the end of apartheid, events in the Middle East, new trade agreements, and the concept of sustainable development.

As in previous editions, entries are grouped into subject chapters that parallel topics used in international relations textbooks. Terms, concepts, organizations, and events are then grouped together within each chapter under headings that link relevant information. This approach helps the reader integrate concepts but increases reliance on the index to locate specific items. A "Significance" paragraph explains the historical as well as the contemporary importance of each term. Events that occured in 1995 are included for many entries, making the book extremely timely.

However, the fifth edition omits several useful reader aids present in earlier editions: there is no note explaining the format and no list of subject entries. Also missing is an explanation of the index: readers are not told that references are to entry numbers rather than page numbers. Despite these weaknesses, this new edition is a much-needed, timely reference source for students of international relations.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abc-Clio Inc
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0874368979
• ISBN 13: 9780874368970
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 458