Great Decisions »

Great Decisions 2009

Order your copy of the Great Decisions 2009 briefing book today! Great Decisions 2009 features impartial, thought-provoking analyses on eight issues of concern to U.S. policymakers today and that represent our foreign policy challenges of tomorrow.

Featured topics: U.S. & rising global powers, Afghanistan/Pakistan, energy & the global economy, the Arctic, U.S. & Egypt, global food supply, Cuba after Castro, and universal human rights. ($18, plus S&H)

Great Decisions 2009 Television Series (8 episode DVD set)

Order your copy of Great Decisions 2009 TV Series on DVD. Now in its 24th season, the Great Decisions Television Series, hosted by Ralph Begleiter, devotes one half-hour episode to each of the eight Great Decisions 2009 topics, exploring them in detail with experts in the field. ($40, plus S&H)

Teacher's Guide 2009

Order your copy of Great Decisions 2009 Teacher's Guide intended to help instructors better prepare students for their role as citizens of a globally interdependent world. ($27.50, plus S&H)

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Headline Series »

Mexico's Struggle with 'Drugs and Thugs'

This Headline Series deals with the hot-button issue of the armed conflict taking place between Mexico's rival drug cartels and the Mexican government forces who are trying to put an end to the wildly profitably supply route for cocaine and other illegal drugs making their way into the United States. It examines past and current Mexican efforts in tackling both the demand and supply sides of the problem and considers possible approaches to halting the escalating killings of innocent victims and other heinous acts taking place daily in the “war zone.”

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Editor's Picks »

Great Decisions French Language Edition 2008 [Download or Print]

Featuring impartial, thought-provoking analyses on four issues of concern to U.S. policymakers today and that represent our foreign policy challenges of tomorrow. Featured topics: Europe, Terrorism, US Defense policy, Philanthropy. The Foreign Policy Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring the American public to learn more about the world. Founded in 1918, the Foreign Policy Association serves as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding of, and providing informed opinions on global issues. Through its balanced, nonpartisan programs and publications, the FPA encourages citizens to participate in the foreign policy process.

The Weight of a Mustard Seed: The Intimate Story of an Iraqi General and His Family During Thirty Years of Tyranny

Author Wendell Steavenson documents the career of General Kamel Sachet, as a way of examining the roots of divisions in Iraq today caused by the Ba'ath parties domination of Iraq. Sachet was a soldier and government official who served Saddam Hussein but later came to reject him. The book is not just a gripping account of one man's rise and fall, but a vivid and compassionate portrayal of the Iraqi people. Wendell Steavenson shows the choices Iraqis have had to make between exile and collaboration, God and jihad. Here are the Iraqis behind the headlines and the tragedy begotten of unintended consequences.

Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan

Deeply researched by New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton, Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban.

This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President

In January 2006, after the Republic of Liberia had been racked by fourteen years of brutal civil conflict, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—Africa's "Iron Lady"—was sworn in as president, an event that marked a turning point in the history of the West African nation. In this personal account, Sirleaf shares the inside story of her rise to power, including her early childhood; her experiences with abuse, imprisonment, and exile; and her fight for democracy and social justice.

A Failure of Capitalism: The Crisis of '08 and the Descent into Depression

Richard Posner presents a concise and non-technical examination of the recent economic downturn and the efforts made to cope with it in A Failure of Capitalism. Posner examines how the financial crisis happened, why it wasn't anticipated, what can be done to address the crisis before it worsens, and how the government has responded to the downturn.

Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North

A hard-hitting, timely, and provocative book about the history and future of the Canadian Arctic. With passion and sharp words, Arctic Front confronts Canada's longstanding neglect of the Far North and outlines proposals for protecting Canada's national interests in the region.

The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders

The Photographer is a graphic novel/photo-journal that records one reporter's arduous and dangerous 1986 journey, while accompanying the Doctors Without Borders, through war torn Afghanistan. Didier Lefevre's photography, paired with the art of Emmanuel Guibert, tells the powerful story of a mission undertaken by men and women dedicated to mending the wounds of war.

How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror

Award-winning scholar and author Reza Aslan defines a "cosmic war" as a religious war that cannot be won by armies or nations. In his new book, How to Win a Cosmic War, Aslan defines how the worldview of terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda has adopted this "cosmic" view and warns the United States from adopting the same perspective in fighting against terrorism.

The End of Energy Obesity: Breaking Todays Energy Addiction for a Prosperous and Secure Tomorrow

How can the world reduce its energy appetite and change its diet of fuels for a prosperous and secure tomorrow? In The End of Energy Obesity, energy expert and bestselling author Peter Tertzakian explores solutions to this question by analyzing the role of technology and circumstance on our energy use. Tertzakian focuses on options that provide leverage for resolving our energy problems and reveals how evolving habits, lifestyles, mind-sets, and innovations-that might seem improbable now-will help curb our insatiable energy appetite.

That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution

Lars Schoultz, Political Science professor and former president of the Latin American Studies Association, offers a comprehensive chronicle of U.S. policy toward the Cuban Revolution. Using a rich array of documents and firsthand interviews with U.S. and Cuban officials, Schoultz tells the story of the attempts and failures of ten U.S. administrations to end the Cuban Revolution, and argues that despite the overwhelming advantage in size and power that the United States enjoys over its neighbor, the Cubans' historical insistence on their right to self-determination has inevitably irritated American administrations, influenced both U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy, and led to a freeze in diplomatic relations of unprecedented longevity.

Fidel Castro: My Life: A Spoken Autobiography

Drawing on more than one hundred hours of interviews with Ignacio Ramonet, Castro narrates a compelling chronicle of his life, including the early failures of the Cuban revolution; the Cuban perspective on the Bay of Pigs and the ensuing missile crisis; his relations with prominent public figures such as Boris Yeltsin, Pope John Paul II, and Saddam Hussein; and his dealings with no less than ten successive American presidents, from Eisenhower to George W. Bush; and questions about democracy and human rights in Cuba.

The Responsibility to Protect: Ending Mass Atrocity Crimes Once and for All

After the Holocaust, the world vowed it would never again stand by and permit such heinous crimes against humanity. Yet many subsequent atrocities have gone unchecked, all over the world: from the killing fields of Cambodia, to Rwanda, to Darfur. How and why were the world's best intentions derailed, and what can be done today to put these efforts back on track? Evans spells out the steps needed to make the "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine work in practice and clarifies the misunderstandings, real or contrived, which persist about its scope and limits.

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