Since the collapse of Eastern European communism, the Balkans have been more prominent in world affairs than at any time since before World War I. Crises in the area have led NATO to fire its first ever shots in anger, whilst international forces have been deployed on a scale and in a manner unprecedented in Europe since World War II.

Why did the Soviet economic system fall apart? Did the economy simply over-reach itself through military spending? Was it the centrally-planned character of Soviet socialism that was at fault? Or did a potentially viable mechanism come apart in Gorbachev's clumsy hands? Does its failure mean that true socialism is never economically viable?

This introduction to contemporary Greece adopts both an analytical and chronological approach and shows how Greece has both converged with western Europe and remained distinctively Balkan. The text presents a lively picture of the Greek political system, economic development, social changes and foreign relations.

This comprehensive analysis of all UN peacekeeping in Africa combines broad theoretical ideas with careful historical narrative. The book explores the entirety of United Nations military intervention in Africa since its beginnings in the Congo in 1960 to the new operations of the twenty-first century.

Central Europe - here, Poland, the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia and Hungary - is at the centre of international attention since the Soviet collapse. An understanding of its postwar history is critical to an appreciation of the challenges facing its present rulers. This is an engrossing account of the installation, development, operation and eventual downfall of its (very different) communist regimes, and the transition to the freedoms and uncertainties of the post-Soviet world. The book covers political, economic, social and cultural change, emphasising the crucial relationships...

United Nations Peacekeeping in Africa provides an exploration of United Nations military intervention in Africa, from its beginnings in the Congo in 1960 to the new operations of the twenty-first century.

The scene is set by an examination of the theoretical bases both of United Nations peacekeeping and of Africa s post-independence politics and international relations. The peacekeeping project in Africa is then described on a region by region basis Central Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, the Horn and Trans-Saharan Africa with comparisons and contrasts within and...

John Hargreaves examines how the British, French, Belgian, Spanish and Portuguese colonies in tropical Africa became independent in the postwar years, and in doing so transformed the international landscape. African demands for independence and colonial plans for reform - central to the story - are seen here in the wider context of changing international relationships.

The book draws extensively on research on modern Greece in recent decades, and on the many perceptive commentaries on recent events in the Greek press. It adopts both an analytical and chronological approach and shows how Greece has both converged with western Europe and remained distinctively Balkan. David Close writes clearly and forcefully, and presents a lively picture of the Greek political system, economic development, social changes and foreign relations. Aimed at readers coming to the subject for the first time, this is a readable and informative introduction to contemporary Greece.