World Development Indicators 2005

World Development Indicators 2005
Author:
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 439
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 082136071X

World Development Indicators was launched in 1978 to give a statistical snapshot of the progress being made on a range of economic and social development issues and the challenges remaining, both at national level and aggregated globally. The 2005 edition of this annual publication includes over 80 tables and 800 indicators for 152 economies and 14 country groups, together with basic indicators for a further 55 economies, organised under six thematic headings, including the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Indicators cover a wide range of topics including poverty and inequality, population and migration, gender issues, health and education, housing and urbanisation, environment and sustainable development, pollution, the economy and trade, business and investment conditions. Most of the statistics are compiled from data provided by national statistical agencies. The publication is also available in CD-ROM formats for single-users (ISBN 0821360728) and multi-users (ISBN 0821360736).

The Military Balance 2009

The Military Balance 2009
Author: IISS
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 491
Release: 2018-01-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351225936

The Military Balance is The International Institute for Strategic Studies annual assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of 170 countries worldwide. It is an essential resource for those involved in security policymaking, analysis and research. The book is a region-by-region analysis of the major military and economic developments affecting defence and security policies, and the trade in weapons and other military equipment. Comprehensive tables detail major military training activities, UN and non-UN deployments, and give data on key equipment holdings and defence-expenditure trends over a ten year period. Key Features: Region-by-region analysis: major military issues affecting each region, changes in defence economics, weapons and other military equipment holdings and the trade in weapons and military equipment Comprehensive tables: key data on weapons and defence economics, such as comparisons of international defence expenditure and military manpower Analysis: significant military and economic developments Wallchart: detailed world map that shows current areas of conflict, with explanatory tables. This new edition of The Military Balance provides a unique compilation of data and information enabling the reader to access all required information from one single publication.

The Military Balance in the Middle East

The Military Balance in the Middle East
Author: Anthony H. Cordesman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 586
Release: 2004-09-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0313026769

Noted Middle East military expert Anthony H. Cordesman details the complex trends that come into play in determining the military balance in a region that has become so critical to world peace. This ready resource provides a wealth of information on military expenditures and major arms systems, as well as qualitative trends, by country and by zone. However, as Cordesman stresses, because the greater Middle East is more a matter of rhetoric than military reality, mere data summarizing trends in 23 different countries is no substitute for a substantive explanation. Using tables, graphs, and charts, this study explores every aspect of the regional military balance with attention to sub-regional balances, internal civil conflicts, and low level border tensions. The Middle East is certainly one of the most militarized areas in the world, and changes in technology, access to weapons of mass destruction, and political instability contribute to a situation that has long been in constant flux. Some of the regional flashpoints covered in this study include the Maghreb (North Africa); the Arab-Israeli conflict (dominated by Israel versus Syria); and the Gulf (divided into those states that view Iran as the primary threat and those who lived in fear of Iraq). Internal conflicts, such as those in Mauritania, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Yemen, increasingly dominate regional tensions. In addition, border conflicts within the region and with neighboring countries could further aggravate the delicate balance.

The Chinese Army Today

The Chinese Army Today
Author: Dennis J. Blasko
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2006-05-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1135988773

The Chinese Army Today is a completely unique and comprehensive study of all elements of the Chinese military, focusing on its ground forces to a degree not found in any other contemporary works. In 1999, the military modernization program of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army that had been underway for twenty years increased in intensity and achieved a focus not seen in the previous two decades. Based primarily on actual Chinese sources, this book details the changes implemented since 1999 and puts them in the context of the many traditions that still remain. Written by a retired professional military officer who has served in China, this book presents the reader with the key developments since 1999. Its discussion on training and doctrine provides a level of detail not found in other works, but is essential to understanding the progress made in China’s military modernization and the obstacles yet to be overcome. The author uses first-hand observation of the Chinese military and three decades of military experience to weave many disparate threads from official Chinese statements, documents, and media reports into an integrated whole. This text defines exactly what forces make up the People’s Liberation Army and examines in detail ground force organization and structure, personnel policies, doctrine and training, new equipment entering the force, and missions routinely undertaken in support of society. This is an essential book for all students and scholars of China and Asia, political science and international relations and of contemporary military affairs and strategic studies.

Defense Strategy for the Post-Saddam Era

Defense Strategy for the Post-Saddam Era
Author: Michael E. O'Hanlon
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2005-09-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815797680

The Brookings Institution has long produced an analysis of America's defense budgets and policies. The war on terror and the ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have forced upon this country soaring defense budgets and unprecedented challenges in policymaking. In the newest installment in this tradition, leading foreign policy expert Michael O'Hanlon offers policy recommendations for strengthening the ability of America's military to respond to international crises in a tumultuous world. The United States can, for the foreseeable future, be confident that its armed forces will remain engaged in Iraq, as well as in Afghanistan and other theaters in the war on terror. It will also need to remain involved in deterrence missions in the western Pacific, most notably in Korea and the Taiwan Strait. It will wish to remain engaged in European security, since the capabilities and cohesion of the NATO alliance have important implications for the United States globally. O'Hanlon reviews these priorities, asking tough questions and developing frameworks for answering them: • What military will the United States need in the future? • How much will it cost? • How can the U.S. increase the size of its ground forces without increasing the size of the defense budget? • In an era of apocalyptic terror threats, and at a time of $400 billion defense budgets and $400 billion federal budget deficits, how can this country protect its citizens while maintaining fiscal responsibility?

Military Integration after Civil Wars

Military Integration after Civil Wars
Author: Florence Gaub
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2010-09-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136896031

This book examines the role of multiethnic armies in post-conflict reconstruction, and demonstrates how they can promote peacebuilding efforts. The author challenges the assumption that multiethnic composition leads to weakness of the military, and shows how a multiethnic army is frequently the impetus for peacemaking in multiethnic societies. Three case studies (Nigeria, Lebanon and Bosnia-Herzegovina) determine that rather than external factors, it is the internal structures that make or break the military institution in a socially challenging environment. The book finds that where the political will is present, the multiethnic military can become a symbol of reconciliation and coexistence. Furthermore, it shows that the military as a professional identity can supersede ethnic considerations and thus facilitates cooperation within the armed forces despite a hostile post-conflict setting. In this, the book challenges widespread theories about ethnic identities and puts professional identities on an equal footing with them. The book will be of great interest to students of military studies, ethnic conflict, conflict studies and peacebuilding, and IR in general Florence Gaub is a Researcher and Lecturer at the NATO Defence College in Rome. She holds a PhD in International Politics from Humboldt University, Berlin.

Contemporary Military Culture and Strategic Studies

Contemporary Military Culture and Strategic Studies
Author: Alastair Finlan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2013-09-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136188673

This book explores and compares the contemporary military cultures of the United States and the United Kingdom. The last decade has witnessed astonishing global events, from 9/11 and military operations in Afghanistan in the same year, to the military intervention in Libya in 2011. Western military forces have been involved in all of these campaigns and have been engaged in continuous military operations for over ten years. It is therefore now apt to focus a spotlight on the military cultures of these state-based armed forces. This book examines how contemporary American and British military culture is formed, focusing explicitly on the six major military institutions. The author dedicates a chapter to each of these institutions with each one sharing a unifying analytical framework. These chapters explore the formation and sustenance of US/UK military culture under the rubric of common themes that include social origins, transformative events, leaders, approaches to war, technology and contemporary identity. To conclude, the book considers the impact of the War on Terror on the military cultures of the US and UK, as well as likely directions for the future. This book will be of much interest to students of military studies, strategic studies, security studies and comparative politics.

Winning the Un-war

Winning the Un-war
Author: Charles V. Peña
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2011-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612343236

According to President Bush, "the American people are safer" as a result of invading Iraq. True, Saddam Hussein has been removed from power. But al Qaeda, the group that planned and carried out the attacks on September 11, remains at large. Meanwhile, the White House has conceded that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the attacks. Charles Peña argues that the war in Iraq is but one misstep in the Bush administration's "global war on terror." Terrorism is simply a tactic, however, not an enemy. Trying to eradicate it is a quixotic quest that does not focus on those responsible for 9/11. Instead, the national security strategy should consist of three central elements: establishing homeland security against further attacks; dismantling the al Qaeda terrorist network; and enacting a foreign policy that does not attract new al Qaeda terrorists. This approach requires restructuring U.S. forces and ending Cold War-era commitments that distract from the current, pressing threat. It also requires ameliorating the negative consequences of an interventionist U.S. foreign policy, which creates incentives and opportunities for terrorists to target the United States. If we misdiagnose al Qaeda's motivations or focus military efforts on the wrong targets, then we run the risk that the war against the al Qaeda terrorist threat (and the radical Islamic ideology it represents) will become a broader war against the Islamic world that could last generations and cost countless lives. With a foreword by Michael Scheuer, the bestselling author of Imperial Hubris.

National Security in Saudi Arabia

National Security in Saudi Arabia
Author: Anthony H. Cordesman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 453
Release: 2005-09-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0313055084

With continuing instability in Iraq, the threat of a nuclear Iran, and the ever-present reality of further terrorist attacks within its own borders, Saudi Arabia has been forced to make some hard decisions. The current structure of the Saudi security apparatus is only one pathway to improved security. Economic and demographic threats may well be the hardest hurdles to overcome. What has been accomplished since 2001 and what are the real prospects and implications of further reform? To what extent should the kingdom continue to rely on the US to protect its interests? Cordesman and Obaid argue that it is time to put an end to client and tutorial relations. Saudi Arabia must emerge as a true partner. This will require the creation of effective Saudi forces for both defense and counterterrorism. Saudi Arabia has embarked on a process of political, economic, and social reforms that reflects a growing understanding by the governing members of the royal family, Saudi technocrats, and Saudi businessmen that Saudi Arabia must reform and diversify its economy and must create vast numbers of new jobs for its young and growing population. There is a similar understanding that economic reform must be combined with some level of political and social reform if Saudi Arabia is to remain stable in the face of change. With Gulf security, the war on terrorism, and the security of some sixty percent of the world's oil reserves at stake, the real question is how quickly Saudi Arabia can change and adapt its overall approach to security, and how successful it will be in the process.