Government Agencies Books

When Egypt's president revealed a drive for improving democracy a year ago, the deputy head of the country's top appeals court felt hope, but today, are Egypt's democratic reforms complete? Recently Pakistan has banned anti-cartoon rallies in Lahore after several demonstrations turned deadly, but can the same protests be totally controlled in other parts of the Islamic world? When thousands of demonstrators marched through Paris to protest racism after the killing of a Paris Jew, do you really think it just an incident? These are just some headlines from today's AP news. Coping with cultural diversity is one of the central challenges of the 21st century. Nowadays, while most people are concerned about the future of technological new frontiers such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and gene technology, I am more curious about the status quo of our human societies, cultures and its implications for forecasting the future. This can be best explained why I chose to read the book, Human Development Report 2004.
This book is about discussing human development from a global perspective. As this book alerts us, "a global clash of cultures" is now happening. Like all UNDP's Human Development Reports, this book is actually an independent study intended to encourage discussion about human rights, cultural diversity, globalization, cultural liberty, etc. From my point of view, those are basic issues and at least continue to be "hot" and even getting hotter in the rest of this century. In other words, when people forecast new trends and changes of technologies, it is unfair to assume that the human society will simultaneously develop as technologies do. The fact is just the opposite: people always overlook or neglect those issues when they are preoccupied by fascinating technologies. In addition, technologies degenerate human development by making masses of people lazy and indulging people with convenience and effortless lives.
One of the book's strengths is that it takes you through cultural issues around the world by which the authors make a case for respecting diversity and building more inclusive societies by adopting policies that explicitly recognize cultural differences-multicultural policies. Another powerful section was on building of multicultural democracies.
Among many issues mentioned in this book, cultural liberty is the one that fascinated me. According to the authors, cultural liberty is a vital part of human development because being able to choose one's identity-who one is-without losing the respect of others or being excluded from other choices is important in leading a full life. Because minority identity was my former research area eight years ago when I pursued my first MA in cultural anthropology, I can well understand today's conflicts from a perspective of cultural identity. In the future, war will involved more identity disputes, especially when you realize that most countries of our world share the same cultural diversity. For example, Malaysia, consists of 62% of its people Malays and other indigenous groups, 30% ethnic Chinese and 8% Indian. China has 56 nationalities and, even in a metropolitan city such as Shanghai, there are 34 nationalities recorded, not to mention the other minority autonomies in the remote regions of the country.
In sum, this book opens a door for us to better understand the future of the human society, and especially for those who are willing to forecast the future but without any background of human development.-by Chunfeng

This is a fantastic book, balanced, well written and insightful. The editor argues that we need to strike the right balance between the need to maintain security and protecting human rights. We not only need to stop terrorist attacks but also pre-empt terrorist organizations from recruiting more suicide bombers. This requires more than the effective use of force and intelligence. We need to prove our culture is genuinely superior, and this can only be achieved by respecting the rights of individuals. One of the chapters by a former senior Israeli intelligence officer is also amazingly insightful in explaining why Western Intelligence agencies all failed over the Iraq WMD issue prior to the invasion of Iraq. Most highly recommended.

Joining others in the 'Contemporary Military, Strategic, and Security Issues' series is the excellent Intelligence and National Security: A Reference Handbook, which provides college-level and military collections with an excellent survey and analysis of what intelligence is and how it functions under the umbrella of American national security. From the initial creation of intelligence services and divisions within the US to the ways information is gathered and analyzed, INTELLIGENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY packs in a blend of history and military and social analysis, making it an excellent starting point for any discussion on the topic.

'Richard Caplan's timely and excellent new book should be required reading for the Bush team, as well as other policy makers and analysts.' --The World Today

'Policy-makers in both capitals should read Caplan's excellent study before embarking on any new military adventures.' --International Affairs

The authors bring years of academic and practical experience to this work designed as a college text. What sets it apart from other books in the field is its coverage of international organizations as agents in general, rather than specific histories and functions of particular, well-known organizations, although numerous case studies are presented to illustrate larger points. Specifically, it provides the basis for theoretical models concerning institutional behavior and provides something rarely reviewed from a comparative perspective in texts, international administration. The authors present well-built theories to explain institutional behavior and behavior of the individuals within them. It is a work that fills a gap and the revised edition will be welcomed.

This explosive book lays bare the full details of current events [circa 1987], exposing the personalities and institutional relations behind the headlines. It goes beyond the specific events of the recent period to discern the roots of contemporary U.S. covert activity in the history of the past two decades. It delves into the details of CIA and extra-CIA operations including drug-trafficking, gun-running, government-toppling, and assasination.

The authors argue that the Iran-Contra scandal is not merely a plan gone awry, but a consistent outgrowth of a long tradition of covert U.S. activities. From the Bay of Pigs invasion teams to the NSC organizational team; from the CIA and the World Anti-Communist League to the Israeli connection and the State Department; this is the full story, unfettered by concerns of "damage control."
--- from book's back cover

This book is a great summation of the inefficencies of our government, and how they can be resolved. The book is well-written, and will truly open your eyes to the often outrageous actions of our government.

This is the only book written by the Federal Government's KM leadership. Each chapter is written by different KM thought leaders from around government, it is excellent and worth the price.

This book is a mandated book required for workers and contractors in order to remove lead paint in homes, buildings and other structors.

I feel that this book is on of the best books that I have ever read. This book is filled with wonderful pictures, and wonderful things that the Bill Clintons Legecy to Africa ment to the people. It's amazing that a person in less then two months can come up with such a wonderful book. It is a part of histery. I feel that at my age it is a book to share with the childern. I also feel that as my aunt she is a very talented woman. I have shared this book with many people and I feel that there are many more things to come from this wonderful book.