Started in 1992 and affiliated with the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, the Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC) is designed to "facilitate access to Internet-based information to, from, or on Latin America." Their site was redesigned in the spring of 2008, and currently their various directories contain over 12,000 unique URLs for use by the general public. These links can be browsed by subject headings or by country, and visitors can look into more discrete topical headings like "food", "political science", and "social work". Along with these high-quality links, visitors can then click on over to their "Digital Initiatives" area. Here they will find digital collections that cover documents from the New Mexican Revolution and the full-text Fidel Castro Speech database. Visitors will also appreciate that many of the site's resources are available in Spanish and Portuguese. [KMG] Scout Report
Europe's Role In Nation-Building: From The Balkans To The Congo [Pdf]
Peace and Peacekeeping European Union Trackbacks (0)When most people think of international peacekeeping work, they might immediately think of organizations like the United Nations or NATO. What they might not know is that in recent years the European Union (EU) has become a very active participant in operations in countries such as Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire. These efforts haven't escaped the attention of policy analysts and scholars at the RAND organization, and this report released in July 2008 takes a close look at this phenomenon. The 344-page report is divided into ten chapters, which include case studies of EU activities in Macedonia, the Solomon Islands, and a chapter of conclusions and final remarks. Additionally, the report also contains a detailed chapter of comparative analysis that looks into thematic areas such as the civilian police force in each country, the return of refugees post-conflict, and international combat-related deaths. [KMG] Scout Report
http://www.cfr.org/publication/by_type/daily_analysis.html
The Council on Foreign Relations produces an impressive array of background papers, online debates, op-ed pieces, and articles every year. International relations gurus, policy pundits, and members of the public benefit widely from these works, and those persons who haven't looked over the Council's "Daily Analysis" yet, may wish to do so now. Here visitors can read analytical briefs written by staff members on issues of the day, complete with links to "the news, analysis, commentary, and primary source materials that put the facts in context." The briefs are arranged chronologically, and recent pieces include "Is Brain Drain Good For Africa?", "China's Olympic Moment", and "Picking Presidents and Foreign Policy". These briefs are a great way to get acquainted with important news developments from around the world, and it's easy to see how educators might want to draw on the site as a resource for political science or international relations courses. [KMG] Scout Report