ForeWord Magazine's Reference Book of the Year! The three-volume Encyclopedia of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is the first authoritative reference source to provide comprehensive, impartial coverage of one of the most torturous and prolonged conflicts of our time. Written by an international team of more than 100 experts, and subject to an exhaustive, bias-hunting editorial process,    More >

Why do some peace agreements successfully end civil wars, while others fail? What strategies are most effective in ensuring that warring parties comply with their treaty commitments? Of the various tasks involved in implementing peace agreements, which are the most important? These and related questions—life and death issues for millions of people today—are the subject of Ending Civil    More >

Despite billions of government dollars spent in the attempt, we are no closer than we were three decades ago to solving the problem of homelessness. Why? Tackling these questions, the authors of Ending Homelessness explore the complicated and often dysfunctional relationship between efforts to address homelessness and the realities on the street.    More >

Frank N. von Hippel shares his remarkable journey as a key figure in the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, illuminating the far-reaching consequences of nuclear accidents and the devastating impact of "limited" nuclear war. Speaking out about the dangers of nuclear power, leading the opposition against nuclear breeder reactors, meeting with Soviet leaders and colleagues    More >

Is it possible that a prison's gangs, racial tensions, and underground economy may actually serve to make it a less dangerous place? In this examination of violence behind bars, Rebecca Trammell illuminates the social code that prisoners enforce—in defiance of official rules and regulations—to maintain a predictable order. Trammell also compares the experiences of male and    More >

Thoroughly examining the deliberations over NATO enlargement in twelve countries—five current members of the alliance; three invited to join in the first round of enlargement; two seeking membership; and Russia and Ukraine, both involved with nato, but unlikely to join—the authors shed light on the political motives leading to each country's position. Their comparative analysis    More >

During the presidency of Raúl Castro, Cuba has dramatically reformed its policies toward small private enterprises. Archibald Ritter and Ted Henken consider why—and to what effect. After reviewing the evolution of policy since 1959, the authors contrast the approaches of Fidel and Raúl Castro and explore in depth the responses of Cuban entrepreneurs to the new environment.    More >

The deterioration of the environment in the Americas exacts urgent and decisive action—a diagnosis shared by all 34 member countries of the Organization of American States. Consequently, in 1990 the OAS began a process of diplomatic debates oriented toward creating an inter-American system of nature conservation. This effort culminated at the June 1991 General Assembly in Santiago de Chile,    More >

Why do some people get ahead in the workplace, while others, equally qualified, fall behind? Rochelle Parks-Yancy uses the experience of African American workers across the US to reveal how the forces of inequality and social capital shape long-term occupational success. Parks-Yancy's mixed-methods approach probes the ways that people find jobs, lose jobs, and get promoted, illuminating the    More >

With more and more global economic wealth and power resting with fewer and fewer people, and given the acute land inequalities in the rural areas of Africa, Latin America, and Asia, how valid are the dominant theories about the nature of rural livelihoods? How can the intricacies of the economic and social transformations that are unfolding in the rural areas of developing countries best be    More >