Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

Previous ed.: published as The international relations dictionary / Jack C. Plano, Roy Olton. Harlow : Longman, c1988.

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

The 5th edition of International Relations Dictionary (1969, 1979, 1982, 1988) adopts a change of title signifying a switch in principal authorship from Plano to Ziring. The result is a revision that is physically larger (about 25 percent more main entries), revises a number of other older entries, and incorporates a significant amount of new material on the post-Cold War era and the demise of communist regimes in the Soviet Union and East European countries. The main body of this book follows the path of its predecessors by sticking to an alphabetical arrangement, with each entry in two parts: a definition of the term and its "significance." The index has been expanded and greatly improved, while adequate see references are interspersed throughout. This international relations reference work neither possesses the historical depth of Oxford Companion to Politics of the World (CH, Sep'93), nor is it tied so closely to the role of international organization as Sheikh R. Ali's The International Organizations and World Order Dictionary (CH, Jun'92). The work is stronger on issues related to current events and for those who keep abreast of foreign affairs. Aimed at a broad audience, and highly recommended for all types of libraries. S. W. Green University of Colorado at Denver

Booklist Review

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. (Reviewed April 1, 1996)