The coerced displacement of people within the borders of their own countries by armed conflicts, internal strife, and systematic violations of human rights has become a pervasive feature of the post Cold War era. The plight of the displaced poses a challenge that is not only humanitarian but a threat to the security and stability of countries, regions, and, through a chain effect, the international system. This book contains case studies of ten countries that have suffered severe problems of internal displacement: Burundi, Rwanda, Liberia, and the Sudan in Africa; the former Yugoslavia and the Caucasus in Europe; Tajikistan and Sri Lanka in Asia; and Colombia and Peru in the Americas. The contributors are Thomas Greene, Randolph C. Kent, Jennifer McLean, Larry Minear, Liliana Obregón, Amir Pasic, Hiram A. Ruiz, Colin Scott, H.L. Seneviratne, Maria Stavropoulou, and Thomas G. Weiss. Additionally, the contributors and editors offer recommendations for further action.

Ranibaug—a treacherous peak situated at the bridge between the lesser and greater Himalayas that has never been scaled by a mountaineering party; comparable in mystery to K2, Nanga Parbat, and Mount Kailash. Only the bare feet of sadhus and ascetics are said to have trod upon its rocks. A topographical survey team had embarked on a journey in the spring of 1971, never to return. Now, a civil engineer decides against his better judgement to accompany Professor Chaturvedi, a mountaineer of some repute, and Shera, a Garhwali ex-guide, on this daunting trek that has been prescribed to them by a local astrologer as an act of pilgrimage to atone for their ongoing spiritual deterioration. They intend also to mark a rock at the summit where a temple is to be built. The engineer’s own reasons for journeying up the mountain however are only partly religious. It is the prospect of venturing towards uncharted territory that propels him on this harrowing climb up non-navigable pathways, through impenetrable forests, past sights, sensations and phenomena that are entirely inexplicable, and that confound their onward ascent; their descent into madness slowly precipitated by the increase in altitude. Forging ahead through abominable weather and starvation, they arrive at the discovery that a temple of immeasurable antiquity has already been built upon the mountaintop…or at least what appears to be a temple, it is closer in form though to an inexplicable archaeological ruin that does not appear to have been constructed by anything remotely resembling the hand of human civilization… possessing an architectural ingenuity far surpassing human intelligence.

A singular development of the post Cold-War era is the use of military force to protect human beings. From Rwanda to Kosovo, Sierra Leone to East Timor, and more recently Libya to Côte d'Ivoire, soldiers have rescued some civilians in some of the world's most notorious war zones. Could more be saved? Drawing on over two decades of research, Thomas G. Weiss answers "yes" and provides a persuasive introduction to the theory and practice of humanitarian intervention in the modern world. He examines political, ethical, legal, strategic, economic, and operational dimensions and uses a wide range of cases to highlight key debates and controversies. The updated and expanded second edition of this succinct and highly accessible survey is neither celebratory nor complacent. The author locates the normative evolution of what is increasingly known as "the responsibility to protect" in the context of the global war on terror, UN debates, and such international actions as Libya. The result is an engaging exploration of the current dilemmas and future challenges for robust international humanitarian action in the twenty-first century.

Unexpectedly, the Heaven Realm Lord had cast down a Flowing Fire to destroy the mortal world. Jin Jian had also been wounded by the Flowing Fire, so he sank into the Deep Sea, turned into a floating object, and started cultivating again. What kind of world was the Deep Sea, and what would Jin Jian's fate be like in the mortal world?

The story of a German secret service agent who was employed by the British Postal censorship during the war