Reviews (1)

Brief Review of Washington Naval Conference
This book is a collection of ten papers on the Washington Naval Limitation Conference in the early 1920�s.The emphasis of each paper is on the position of each of the participants of the conference.Since the book is rather short � 319 pages � the papers are not very detailed.These papers primarily stress the political and strategic aspects as they affected each participant. There is little on the technical effects although these were rather important (see A. D. Baker III�s�Battlefleets and Diplomacy� at www.warships1.com/W-INRO/INRO_Battlefleet.htm). The coverage of the U. S. and British positions offers little that is new, but the material on those of France and Italy is not so well known.There is a tendency to interpret the arms control negotiations from the viewpoint of Cold War arms control negotiations which leads to rather anachronistic interpretations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (1921-1922 :    2. 20th century    3. Conference on the Limitation o    4. Disarmament    5. General    6. History    7. History: World    8. International Relations - Arms Control    9. Pan-Pacific Relations    10. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Sea-power    13. Washington, D.C.)    14. Arms negotiation & control    15. Diplomacy    16. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    17. Maritime history    18. Political Science / Arms Control    19. Political Science / International Security    20. Political Science-Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    21. World history: from c 1900 -   

Subjects:  1. History - Military / War    2. International Relations - Arms Control    3. International Relations - Diplomacy    4. Military - Nuclear Warfare    5. Nuclear arms control    6. Political Freedom & Security - General    7. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Russia (Federation)    12. Security, International    13. United States    14. Arms negotiation & control    15. Russia    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Biological arms control    2. Chemical arms control    3. International Relations - Arms Control    4. Nuclear arms control    5. Nuclear nonproliferation    6. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Public Affairs & Administration    11. Weapons of mass destruction    12. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    13. Political Science / Public Affairs & Administration   

Subjects:  1. Africa, Sub-Saharan    2. Emigration & Immigration    3. Firearms    4. Government - International    5. International Relations - Arms Control    6. Militarism    7. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Refugees    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Africa    13. Social Science / Emigration & Immigration    14. Warfare & Defence   

Subjects:  1. International Relations - Arms Control    2. International Relations - Treaties    3. Nuclear arms control    4. Nuclear nonproliferation    5. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Arms negotiation & control    10. International relations    11. Political Science / Arms Control   

Subjects:  1. International Relations - Arms Control    2. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    3. Political Science    4. Political Terrorism    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Policy    8. Public Policy - General    9. Sociology - General    10. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    11. Political Science / Arms Control   

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. International    3. International Relations - Arms Control    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Reference    8. Yearbooks & Annuals    9. 21st century    10. Arms negotiation & control    11. Defence strategy, planning & research    12. International relations    13. Political Science / Arms Control    14. Politics | International Studies | International Security & Strategic Studies    15. Yearbooks, annuals, almanacs   

Reviews (3)

cold war maybe dead, but its a hot topic!
so far, i have read the idiots guides to ww 1, ww 2 and i just finished the "idiots guide to cold war" and let me tell you, this is a great book. it is full of information that is either forgotten or rarely talked about. i learned a lot! the book starts off with the end of ww1 and continues into the mccarthy era. then, it goes into vietnam and finally ends up to sep.11 2001. pretty in depth. the only reason i gave it 4 stars is because the korean war was a little skimpy. but overall it was good just the same. it is recommended!

Not biased at all!
I can't believe I read the same book as the reviewer below.I'm a long-time student of history, particularly the McCarthy Era in the United States and abroad, and I didn't see bias in this book at all.It was very readable and filled me in on aspects of the Cold War that were new to me.I find it a little sad that someone can pick apart a book just to find fault with it when there's so much to be learned from it.As usual for the Complete Idiots series, this was a good read -- and understandable enough to pass on to young people, who seem to have very little idea of what the Cold War actually was.

Biased!
If you know the Cold War was something involving America and Russia but not much else, and want to learn more then this is a good book for filling in the blanks and adding some meat to your bones. However, it fails to mention crucial facts like Russia felt it was more than justified in installing nuclear missiles in Cuba because America had done so in Turkey years before. Russians had lived under the threat of destruction at the hands of American nuclear missiles for years, yet America panicked and was outraged when they got a taste of their own medicine.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Cold War    3. Communism    4. History - General History    5. History: American    6. International Relations - Arms Control    7. Modern - 20th Century/Nuclear Age    8. Political History    9. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    10. Political Science    11. U.S. Foreign Relations    12. United States - 20th Century    13. World politics    14. Political Science / Communism & Socialism    15. USA    16. Warfare & Defence    17. World history: postwar, from c 1945 -   

Reviews (2)

the paranoid style in american politics...
Europe is bad, America is good, Number One , best of the world, uniquely great...Well, that is all there is to it here. This book is a constant insult to the intelligence of the reader, whether he be conservative or liberal, given the absurd violence and anger of the tone. Interestingly enough however, as others have pointed out, Rabkin's true haunting fear is not about the European Union, but rather American progressives willing to claim American ideals for the cause of peace and justice.

A argument that America must stay true to its decisions
The Case For Sovereignty: Why The World Should Welcome American Independence by Jeremy A. Rabkin (Professor, Department of Government, Cornell University) is a forceful argument that America must stay true to its decisions first and the will of other nations such as European countries and even international law. Claiming that allowing international law to hold priority over the Constitution would be fundamentally at odds with American democracy, using European derision of America's will to invade Iraq under President George W. Bush as an example of a supposed attempt to restrict American sovereignty, The Case For Sovereignty explores the lessons of history to create a detailed, well-researched, exhortively argued an unapologetic manifesto for daring to remain at international odds as a nation.
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Subjects:  1. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    2. History & Theory - General    3. International Relations - Arms Control    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Central government policies    9. International relations    10. Political Science / General    11. USA   

Subjects:  1. 2001-    2. Foreign relations    3. Government - General    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Imperialism    6. International Relations - Arms Control    7. Iraq War, 2003-    8. Moral and ethical aspects    9. Nuclear Proliferation    10. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    11. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    12. Political Science    13. Politics / Current Events    14. Politics/International Relations    15. U.S. - Contemporary Politics    16. United States    17. War on Terrorism, 2001-   

Subjects:  1. International Relations - Arms Control    2. Political Freedom & Security - General    3. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    4. Political Science    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations   

Reviews (66)

Proves that the Bush administration lied and continues to lie
This small book contains an interview between William Rivers Pitt and Scott Ritter, a former UNESCO inspector in Iraq. Ritter had an exemplary career in the Marine Corps during the first Gulf War, and later became a UNESCO inspector. He was in charge of finding and destroying Iraq's chemical weapons capabilities and stockpiles after the war ended. He debunks Bush administration deliberate misinformation to legitimize the 2003 invasion, namely that Iraq had nuclear, biological and chemical weapons capability and could give it to al-Queda. There were no new nukes or ballistic missiles because we would have detected the testing of them. There were no biological or chemical weapons because the factories were destroyed in the first war, and the capability could not have been rebuilt because UNESCO was monitoring the country. Any hidden chemical/biological stockpiles were destroyed by the 5-7 year shelf life of the weapons. What else is Bush lying about?

VERY EASY / GREAT
IF YOU WANT A RECAP OF WHAT IS GOING ON ABOUT WMD'S THIS BOOK WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. IF I WAS A TEACHER I WOULD MAKE ALL MY STUDENTS READ THIS BOOK! IT REVEALS THE TRUTH!! WHICH IS VERY ELUSIVE....FROM THE BUSH CAMP!!!!!

The "bad intelligence" was Bush's
How incredibly prescient this book has turned out to be, and how unbelievably wrong the neocons were not to listen. I guess the verdict is in, and it doesn't look good for Bush.
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Subjects:  1. Arms control    2. Chemical And Biological Warfare    3. Disarmament    4. Inspection    5. International Relations - Arms Control    6. International Relations - General    7. Iraq    8. Military Science    9. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Technology    13. United Nations    14. Verification    15. Weapons of mass destruction   

Reviews (7)

The REAL insider story of the Missiles of October...
This is the book, I'd wager, that everyone thought they were getting when they purchased "The Kennedy Tapes" (Zelikow and May, 1997 Harvard Press). After struggling through that seminal work, the need for a narrative form of this compelling side of the Missile Crisis was palpable...fortunately, retired JFK Library historian Sheldon Stern also saw the need and completed what was clearly a passionate "life's work" with "Averting the Final Failure". Stern takes years of study and scrutinization of the White House tapes that eavesdropped on the EXCOMM (Executive Committee of the National Security Council) as they advised and debated the day-to-day issues associated with the Crisis and turned a complex story into an amazingly lucid and cogent narrative that should become THE source for White House activities during the Crisis. Very Readable!
While reading Sheldon Stern's book, I felt as if I were having a conversation with him. Relating the facts of that event in a manner and detail that made this reader want to know what came next was a gift!Detailed, yes; comprehensive, yes; accurate, no doubt!

History At It's Best
History has two definitions: a chronological record of significant past events, and a story. Sheldon Stern's story of the Cuban Missile Crisis is history (both definitions) at its best. The scholarly, time-consuming, and meticulous research that went into this work abounds throughout its pages. The author's willingness to challenge earlier historical works on the translation of the crisis's audiotapes makes this book a must for any student of JFK, his administration, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Because of the comprehensive nature of history, a reader might conclude that this is just another dry historical work. Far from it - this book reads like a Robert Ludlum novel. The reader is caught in the tension as the missiles are first discovered, held as the conflict escalates to an almost unbearable crisis, and released as the resolution unfolds. But this was no political thriller, it was real life. Mr. Stern has taught us all a great lesson of history: that real people make real decisions, that these decisions have consequences both foreseen and unforeseen, and that there could have been other choices made with different outcomes. Our world would be a much different place if JFK had listened to his advisors. I believe this book will become the classic study for the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Averting the Final Failure is a must read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (John Fitzgerald),    2. 1917-1963    3. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    4. Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962    5. Decision making    6. Government - Executive Branch    7. History    8. History - U.S.    9. History: American    10. International Relations - Arms Control    11. Kennedy, John F    12. Kennedy, John F.    13. National Security Council (U.S    14. National security    15. United States    16. United States - 20th Century    17. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    18. Cuba    19. Political leaders & leadership    20. USA   

Subjects:  1. International Relations - Arms Control    2. Political Freedom & Security - General    3. Political Science    4. Politics/International Relations   

Subjects:  1. Government policy    2. International Relations - Arms Control    3. International Relations - Diplomacy    4. International Relations - General    5. Land mines    6. Land mines (International law)    7. Political Advocacy    8. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    9. Political Science    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. United States    13. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    14. Political Science / General   

Subjects:  1. Antinuclear movement    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. Government policy    4. International Relations - Arms Control    5. International Relations - General    6. Nuclear arms control    7. Political Science    8. Politics - Current Events    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Security, International    12. United States    13. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    14. Arms negotiation & control    15. Demonstrations & protest movements    16. International relations    17. Nuclear arms control--Government policy--United States    18. Political Science / International Relations    19. USA   

Reviews (6)

History Will Absolve
With incredible wisdom, erudition and experience Castro touches on all the major issues of our time in this concise and spectacular book.Over 500 years of imperialism and exploitation against the Caribbean, South America and Central America are addressed.One consistent theme he constantly refers to is the need for solidarity amongst all of the Latin people of the Western Hemisphere.
One of the most important voices of our time
"War, Racism and Economic Injustice" is not a treatise on the title subject per se but rather is a collection of speeches delivered by Fidel Castro between January 2000 and November 2001. In these coherent and passionate presentations, Mr. Castro distinguishes himself as possibly the most important, if not most misunderstood, critic of globalization and an articulate spokesperson for the invisible poor of the Third World. Indeed, Mr. Castro's unique life experiences and demonstrated ability to persuasively speak truth to power distinguishes him from all other current world leaders.
not hard to believe & easy to read
I enjoyed most of this book - it started to get old towards the end because Castro recycles material from earlier speeches. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1959-    2. Capitalism    3. Cuba    4. Development - Sustainable Development    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economics    7. International Relations - Arms Control    8. International Relations - General    9. Moral and ethical aspects    10. Political Science    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics and government    13. Politics/International Relations    14. Social justice    15. Capitalist or free market economies    16. Globalization    17. History / United States / 20th Century    18. Multicultural studies    19. Political economy    20. Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies   

Reviews (5)

The more things change, the more they stay the same
The more things change, the more they stay the same.The current Israeli war against Hezbollah and Hamas once again points out the futility of wars against ideas.The "war on terrorism" has no particular targets or goals and so, like the "war on drugs," it will fail.Israel may be able to assassinate today's independent-minded Arab leaders, but more will arise tomorrow.Short of killing everyone that is not a Jew, Israel will continue into the future to face opposition to its current behavior in Palestine.
Another interesting read
A wonderful book, but without an extensive backround in the subject it is difficult to judge its accuracy. Good to have at hand when listening to the latest dispatches from the Middle East. Guaranteed to earn you concerned glances from your friends when they spot it on your bookshelf!

No Democracy in the Middle East
The late Jewish author, Israel Shahak, explains in great detail the interconnections between U.S. and Israeli policies in both the middle east and Latin America and how these policies affect both countries and the world.Read more

Subjects:  1. International Relations - General    2. Middle East - Israel    3. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    4. Politics - Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Central government policies    7. International relations    8. Israel    9. Media studies    10. Nuclear weapons    11. Political Science / Arms Control   

Subjects:  1. Antinuclear movement    2. Arms Control And Disarmament    3. History    4. International Relations - Arms Control    5. Modern - 20th Century/Nuclear Age    6. Nuclear disarmament    7. Peace And Peace Movements    8. Peace movements    9. Political Science    10. Politics - Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Rhetoric    13. United States    14. Arms negotiation & control    15. International relations    16. Peace studies   

Subjects:  1. International Relations - Arms Control    2. Nuclear nonproliferation    3. Politics / Current Events    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Arms negotiation & control    6. International relations    7. Nuclear weapons    8. Peace studies