The Cold War was a complex, high-stakes period in world history during which the slightest mistake by JFK or Khrushchev-or their underlings-had the potential to devastate millions of lives. A scary time, it was also a time of heroes, cowards, soldiers, and thieves. Cold War Crossroads follows the paths of four such individuals with their own stories and agendas. Over a three year period, the observant narrator details the respective Cold War experiences, from 1961 to 1989, of an American soldier, an American government employee, an East German dissident engineer, and an East German worker. Tensions are common in all sectors, underneath and over the Berlin Wall. Author W. D. Owen is no stranger to this time of upheaval. He spent four years of his youth in West Germany during the Cold War. An accomplished German linguist and scholar of German defense policy, domestic politics, and culture, Owen lived in or visited both East and West German sites over a span of fifty years.

The economic growth does not necessarily mean employment growth as well as that fast Science & Technology development goes for better just for a very few, mainly rich. Next, masses of ordinary people are offered virtual in exchange for real, true life that is, day by day, affordable to class of rich. As much time passes inequalities are higher and higher worldwide. That threatens basic principles of democracy, so keeping eyes wide shut won't, certainly, go for better. This work is a kind of softcore Manifesto that challenge people for rethinking some attitudes and concepts as well.

Motion picture production, distribution, exhibition and reception has always been a transnational phenomenon, yet East Germany, situated at the edge of the post-war Iron Curtain, separated by a boundary that became materialized in the Berlin Wall in 1961, resembles nothing if not an island, a protected space where film production developed under the protection of government subsidy and ideological purity. This volume proposes on the contrary that the GDR cinema was never just a monologue. Rather, its media landscape was characterized by constant dialogue, if not competition, with both the capitalist West and socialist East. These thirteen essays reshape DEFA cinema studies by exploring international networks, identifying lines of influence beyond national boundaries and recognizing genre qualities that surpass the temporal and spatial confines. The international team of film specialists present detailed analyses of over fifty films, including fiction features, adaptations of literary classics, children's films, documentaries, and examples from genres such as music, sci-fi, Westerns and crime films. With contributions by Seán Allan, Hunter Bivens, Benita Blessing, Barton Byg, Jaimey Fisher, Sabine Hake, Nick Hodgin, Manuel Köppen, Anke Pinkert, Larson Powell, Brad Prager, Marc Silberman, Stefan Soldovieri, and Henning Wrage.

Even though terrorism poses an increasing threat to multinational companies, corporate leaders can thwart attacks by learning to navigate the complexities of foreign governments, social unrest, and cultural dissonance. Multinational corporations are on the front lines of terrorism and cyberattacks—two of the world's biggest threats to global security. How can corporate leaders mitigate their organizations' risks and develop an infrastructure that detects and deters a security menace before it happens? This timely reference lays out essential political context and historical background to help executives identify contemporary threats and understand the interconnections between threat dynamics in an increasingly dangerous international environment. This compelling work is organized into seven chapters. The beginning chapters profile the specific risks for multinational companies and detail which global—and regional—factors might propagate violence targeted at American-based businesses. Next, two historical case studies on terrorist assaults at Tigantourine and Mombasa illustrate how counterterrorism can successfully thwart potential attacks against business targets. The final part describes industrial espionage and criminal activity and then outlines a corporate counterterror blueprint to combat the prospect of terrorism, providing specific recommendations for preventative measures.

This publication contains thirty-five papers written by European historians in relation to five key periods in European history: the year of revolutions 1848, the Balkan wars of 1912-13, the search for peace in 1919, the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War in 1945, and the events of 1989-90 in central and eastern Europe. The papers are drawn from five conferences organised by the Council of Europe based on the principles of Recommendation Rec (2001) 15 on European history teaching. They consider events based on the concept of 'multiperspectivity' which seeks to facilitate an open approach to historical debate based on critical analysis of different perspectives of historical developments, often involving controversial and sensitive issues. This publication is complemented by two related titles: a teaching manual and a DVD of original documents.

East Germany's film monopoly, Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft, produced a films ranging beyond simple propaganda to westerns, musicals, and children's films, among others. This book equips scholars with the historical background to understand East German cinema and guides the readers through the DEFA archive via examinations of twelve films.

The surrender of Hong Kong to the Japanese in December 1941 started the collapse of British power in the Far East. Disproportionate to its small size, the colony became critical in Britain's battle to retain her Empire. Ironically, the threat to British sovereignty came not from Japan, but her own allies, America and China. New light is shed on the multi-faceted Anglo-American relationship, the significance of Britain's 'imperial mentality', and China's claim to the colony.

Sitting in the ruins of the Third Reich, most Germans wanted to know which of the two post-war German states would erase the material traces of their wartime suffering most quickly and most thoroughly. Consumption and the quality of everyday life quickly became important battlefields upon which the East-West conflict would be fought. This book focuses on the competing types of consumer societies that developed over time in the two Germanies and the legacy each left. Consuming Germany in the Cold War assesses why East Germany increasingly fell behind in this competition and how the failure to create a viable socialist "consumer society" in the East helped lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. By the 1970s, East Germans were well aware that the regime's bombastic promises that the GDR would soon overtake the West had become increasingly hollow. For most East German citizens, West German consumer society set the standards that East Germany repeatedly failed to meet.By exploring the ways in which East and West Germany have functioned as each other's "other" since 1949, this book suggests some of the possibilities for a new narrative of post-war German history. While taking into account the very different paths pursued by East and West Germany since 1949, the contributors demonstrate the importance of competition and highlight the connections between the two German successor states, as well as the ways in which these relationships changed throughout the period. By understanding the legacy that forty-plus years of rivalry established, we can gain a better understanding of the current tensions between the eastern and western regions of a united Germany.

I congratulate Andebrhan Welde Giorgis on his high quality and extremely informative book that has not only the merit to be an update on the political situation in Eritrea but also asks the pertinent questions on the future of his marvelous country. He does it with tact and success, based on his long experience as freedom fighter, as senior public servant, as Ambassador and his rich experience of Africa. Each country in Africa must be able to determine its own future. Freedom, responsibility, control over its destiny, and solidarity, are the key ideas of the new vision for international cooperation that will help ensure the sustainability of the development process. The urgent need to create a democratic government resonates throughout the book. Good governance, respect for human rights, principles of democracy, and rule of law are essential universal values underpinning it. Andebrhan is one of those men, visionaries, and open to dialogue, reform and change. Eritrea at a Crossroads is key to understanding the challenges facing Eritrea and Africa. It is an eye opener on a complex and little understood crisis that is festering in Africa and holding the continent back. The book provides a solid intellectual foundation to understanding the region and will give anyone who wants to build a better future for Africa a great starting point. I congratulate him on this most valuable book which finds its place among all the lovers of Africa. Louis Michel Member of European Parliament, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid (2004-2009) and Foreign Minister of Belgium (1999-2004) Freedom fighter, scholar, central banker, diplomat, and now unhappy exile, no-one could be better placed than Andebrhan Welde Giorgis to trace Eritrea's distressing slide from triumph to tragedy. It's a harrowing story, but the author tells it comprehensively, objectively and lucidly in this excellent study. The future can be rescued, as Andebrhan makes clear, but only if the past is understood, and the present confronted -- by decent, concerned Eritreans, acting with the moral, political and economic support of the wider international community. May his voice be heard. Gareth Evans Chancellor, Australian National University; President, International Crisis Group (2000-09) and Foreign Minister of Australia (1988-96)