Historical Dictionary of Western Sahara (African Historical Dictionaries/Historical Dictionaries of Africa)

Book Description

Includes the UN referendum effort and recent political changes in neighboring Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria and providing a wealth of historical, sociological, economic, and political information.

Book Description

An epic portrayal of one of the twentieth century's longest wars—based on unprecedented access to all the players.

Filled with disclosures and based on the author's unprecedented access to the Irish Republican Army, this explosive book sparked controversy when it was first published in hardcover. Delving deeply into the inner workings, furtive plots, and deadly rivalries of the Irish Republican Army, Ed Moloney, who has covered the IRA since the late 1970s, delivers a riveting account of how one of the world's oldest and most ruthless terrorist groups was maneuvered into ending its thirty-year war with Britain. With revelations including the IRA's long and astonishing associations with Qaddafi's regime, Margaret Thatcher's secret diplomacy with Gerry Adams, the Catholic Church's clandestine negotiations with Republican leadership, and hitherto undisclosed activities of the American government under Bill Clinton, A Secret History rewrites, with dramatic results, the story of this intractable conflict. In particular, fascinating material on Adams's Machiavellian rise to power establishes the IRA leader as one of the most complex political figures of our time. Like Thomas Friedman in From Beirut to Jerusalem, Moloney brings a sharply intelligent reporter's eye to a tangled history often baffling to outsiders. #1 international bestseller; A Washington Post 2002 Rave. 8 pages of illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

informative.......2007-02-13

the degree of knowledge the author has acquired on the workings of this secret organization is remarkable.

Irish Roots.......2006-07-08

I finally visited Ireland a couple of years ago. The typical American seeking their Irish roots. On my mother's side her Irish ancestors are from the South and on father's side from the North. His ancestors are Scots-Irish.
What was very interesting was my tour of Northern Ireland where the "Troubles" were fought. The murals were an eye-opener.
What was really noticeable was the difference of economies between a now prosperous Southern Ireland compared to a lesser economy of Northern Ireland. You knew a war must have been fought here. My tour was one of the first for vistors since the "Troubles" ended and I was told Northern Ireland had very much improved since then. This gave an idea of how much the Northern Ireland had lagged behind the rest of the country.
I desired to learn more about the "Troubles" and this book certainly provides an understanding about the early history of Northern Ireland and the IRA. This is a serious read and may not be the definitive book about the IRA yet it could be.
The author lived there during the "Troubles" and was an active reporter researching and interviewing many of the participants of the IRA and others. This is different from a lot of history books as many of these events are first hand accounts of the parties involved.
I especially found the glossary of terms, chronology, printed documents and information about the personnel very helpful in understanding the "Troubles".
The author attempts to present a fair and balanced view of the "Troubles" but this is the secret history of the IRA. He seems to tell it like it was but does not label the IRA as terrorists.

Blessed are the peacemakers.......2006-06-04

Ed Moloney, amazingly, tapped sources deep within the IRA and Sinn Fein command structures to uncover the real story - at least from a Republican point of view - of the birth of the Good Friday Agreement. If even half of what Moloney says in the book is true, Gerry Adams might be one of the most skilled, clever politicians of our time. The book certainly suggests that Mr. Adams and elements in the IRA have not been fairly credited for their roles in negotiating a "peace" in Northern Ireland that seems to be holding eight years on.

Only a minimal understanding of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland is necessary as Moloney gives lots of good background information about the history of the IRA, the rise of the Provisional IRA and its transition from terror organization to a something of a "legitimate" political organization. Moloney does not glorify the IRA or justify its actions, but gives it due credit (at least certain of its members) for kick-starting a peace process which has eased centuries of sectarian strife.

How the IRA moved from an uncompromising demand for a unified (socialist republic) Ireland, to be won by armed struggle, to acceptance of a divided island (albeit one more responsive in the North to the needs of its Catholic/Republican/Nationalist citizenry) is what this book is really about. That this major shift in IRA policy came about due to the actions of one of the group's (former) hardliners is utterly fascinating.

Anyone that is interested in Irish politics or history - or even politics generally - should read this book!

Not a good book.......2005-12-15

I didnt like this book at all.First of all, when the author chose the title Secret History he wasnt kidding. There's just to much secret history in this book is exhausting to read it all.The author just gives too many details that is hard to follow who's who and who is following what or who.I know Irish history is complicated by nationalism, religion and a lot of other things but the author just goes trhu so many histories and details that you feel the need to take a breather once in a while.I felt overwhelmed by this book.

Cloak , Dagger and Armalite.......2005-10-01

Ed Moloney's controversial new book suggests that Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to achieve peace in our time in Northern Ireland. He also suggests some compelling reasons why Adams, who has always denied ever being a member of the IRA, should be tried as a war criminal.
Chief among these is the horrific case of Jean McKinney, a Protestant widow with ten young children, who was abducted and murdered by the IRA in 1972 because she gave a dying British soldier a glass of water. For more than twenty five years, the IRA denied that they were responsible for her abduction and subsequent murder. Jean McKinney's body lay in an unmarked grave for over 25 years as the IRA peace negotiators munched on their their prawn sandwiches with their British counterparts.

Moloney alleges that Adams authorized McKinney's murder as well as scores of others. He also hints that IRA activists sympathetic to Adams sabotaged key IRA operations and even helped the British Special Air Service (SAS) eliminate their most lethal and dangerous colleagues. The most notorious of these were the eight IRA men under the command of Jim Lynagh who were lured into a SAS ambush at Loughall. The SAS killed all eight, pumping twelve hundred high caliber bullets, an average of 150 bullets each, into the IRA men in the process. Moloney alleges Lynagh's squad was sacrificed to enable Adams to sell the Peace Process to the others.
Yes and no! Adams was playing his games, running with the IRA hares and hunting with the British hounds nad doubleagents like Stakeknife. But Lynagh and his crew were going around demolishing police barracks all over East Tyrone. So the SAS may have just staked out Loughall waiting for the IRA to show up. In the John Le Carre world of international terrorism and subterfuge, who can really tell what side the political players - Orwell's social climbers with bombs - are really on?

There is plenty more in that vein. The book is riddled through with the webs of intrigue and tales of sordid betrayal we normally associate with John Le Carre's Cold War thrillers. Although the book is, on the surface, a tale of how one Irish terrorist, Gerry Adams, came in from the cold and ended up dining in the White House with US President Bill Clinton, it is, at heart, an engrossing account of how devious and disreputable a game the politics of peace making is.

Although Moloney might like to believe that Adams and his closest confidents deserve the Nobel Prize for taking some of their guns out of Irish politics, there is another side to all this that Moloney's book could have dealt with at greater length. The IRA has meted out unjustifiable violence to the Irish people, most of whom will never forgive or forget their nefarious deeds. That being so, the Adams inspired peace process cannot ever fully succeed. That fundamental reality apart, Moloney has accurately depicted Northern Ireland's Troubles as the dirty, squalid war that it was, where secretive, amoral groups, often working through informers and double agents, had no qualms about spilling the blood of uninvolved innocents or, for that matter, of their factional rivals.

Perhaps Adams should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution; others, after all, have been awarded Nobel Prizes for less. Far better would it be if the lies, duplicity and double dealing, which Moloney contends were the hallmark of Adams and his IRA colleagues, were to disappear forever from the face of the earth. The strength of Moloney's book is that he so accurately catalogues the IRA's use of the lie and the double cross. The weakness is that he does not explain how habitual liars and double crossers can be trusted to guarantee a lasting peace.

Because the moral price for bringing Gerry Adams in from the cold has been so high, the neutral reader must almost certainly feel that Northern Ireland's non combatants have been short changed. Although peace has always to be preferred to war, Moloney gives the strong impression that not even Gerry Adams could explain what all the violence was for in the first place. The upward social mobility of a few Provo Taigs apart, I'm damned if I know what it was all for.

Fifty Dead Men Walking: The True Story of a British Secret Agent Inside the IRA

Average customer rating:

Save your Money...........
Linda (A Scot In U.S.A)
Outstandingly gripping.
Outstandingly gripping.
McGartland leads an exciting double life

Fifty Dead Men Walking: The True Story of a British Secret Agent Inside the IRA
Martin McGartland
Manufacturer: Hastings House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Espionage | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0803894074

Book Description

Memoir of a young Irishman. For more than 4 years, Martin McGartland lived a dangerous double life.

Customer Reviews:

Save your Money..................2006-05-31

Was it worth it Martin? Hero is no word for a hood turned tout.

Recommended reading would be a book called "Ten men Dead" about real men and real heroes who suffered at the hands of Thatchers Government and the RUC, a far more truthful account of the troubles.

Linda (A Scot In U.S.A).......2005-02-27

Tremendous book . I had Read It Several Years ago , When i was in the Uk, saw it on Amazon , and read it again .
Martin Mc Gartland is a tribute to the Irish People .
A young man who became an agent for the special branch, knowing that if he was found out by the IRA it would mean Torture , then certain Death.....
He was known as 'agent Carol' and gave vital information which saved many lives both protestant and catholic.
His title of the book "Fifty Dead Men Walking" is an understatement , i truly believe he saved alot more than fifty.
It is an essential read, and also to read his second book "dead Man Running" Thankyou Martin , for all you have sacrificed.....

Outstandingly gripping........2001-04-01

The moment I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. I read it in a day and even now months later I remember it like I read it yesterday. The images Martin McGarland created will stay with me for a very long time. This book is not only an education into the troubles in Ireland it is also a testament to the strength and courage of an amazing man. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone.

Outstandingly gripping........2001-04-01

McGartland leads an exciting double life.......2000-01-30

I liked this one! It shows how McGartland, an intelligent soul, was plucked from his lifestyle by British Intelligence to became "Agent Carol", the government's best informant in Ulster for decades.

Average customer rating:

Thank god this group was put under control
Blessed are the peacemakers. . .

A Secret History of the IRA
Ed Moloney
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 014101041X

Customer Reviews:

Thank god this group was put under control .......2006-12-15

The IRA is a controversial group that has been decried as terrorists, freedom fighters and a modern day mafia. All of these descriptions are true and Moloney makes it a fascinating tale in his book. It is well written and helps to explain how the IRA developed. For those interested in law enforcement, terrorism or politics this book offers something for everyone. Very enjoyable!

Blessed are the peacemakers. . ........2006-04-13

Average customer rating:

A Stunning Novel
Mac Geough
Tired and Outdated
Perceptive anaylsis

The Secret Army: The IRA
J. Bowyer Bell
Manufacturer: Transaction Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Revolutionary | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

A Stunning Novel.......2006-08-14

One of the few books about the IRA, this book is a stunning masterpiece, beautiful from beggining to end. An absolute must-read!

Mac Geough.......2006-07-22

If you are into detail, this is what you want. Forget your own politics, read and try to shut up until you get to the end. Then write! Goes VERY well w/ T.A. Jackson.s: IRELAND HER OWN.

Tired and Outdated.......2002-10-10

For years, this and Tim Pat Coogan's book on the IRA stood as the only significant volumes on the subject. Both Bell and Coogan have kept their books in print by issuing "revised" versions every few years. The truth is, neither book was very good to begin with, though Bell's journalism and craftmanship is slightly ahead of Coogan's sloppy, slapdash approach. They both suffer from a similar problem - they seem to be written from a great distance from the subject, more like a series of newspaper reports than a thoughtful, fully realized nonfiction book. Bell's book (or Coogan's for that matter) can't hold a candle to Ed Maloney's "Secret History of the IRA," which is, quite simply, the definitive account of the IRA, especially in its analysis of Gerry Adams and the Peace Process.

Perceptive anaylsis.......1999-06-25

This book is the best institutional history of the IRA and the Republican movement I have come across. It illuminates very clearly the dynamics of the conflict and the fundamental differences in perception and misreading of the other sides by all parties that has made this such a long war.

Unsung Hero: How I Saved Dozens of Lives as a Secret Agent Inside the IRA

Average customer rating:

good read

Unsung Hero: How I Saved Dozens of Lives as a Secret Agent Inside the IRA
Kevin Fulton
Manufacturer: John Blake
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Espionage | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Bandit Country

ASIN: 1844540340

Book Description

Early on a Saturday morning in August 1998, a car was parked in Omagh's high street. By the afternoon, the pavements had filled with shoppers, and then explosives packed inside the vehicle detonated. It was the worst single atrocity of the Troubles—only it could have been avoided. Kevin Fulton had infiltrated the IRA. When news came to him of the planned attack, he handed the information on to his handlers, but it was ignored. This is just one of the revelations in this, the most significant book ever to be published about the ongoing war in Northern Ireland. Unsung Hero is a nail-biting, controversial and explosive book; it will profoundly change the way the Troubles are viewed, and it will cause a stir in the highest echelons of government.

Customer Reviews:

good read.......2006-11-10

good read, it informs the reader just how corrupt the british system really is. a must read for any one that thinks the ira are terrorist.it will show you that the brits may be the real terrorist.you will leave feeling bad for the agent even if you are pro ira.

Black Operations: The Secret War Against the Real IRA

Average customer rating:

Black Operations: The Secret War Against the Real IRA
John Mooney
Manufacturer: Maverick House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Activism | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0954294556

The IRA, 1968-2000: An Analysis of a Secret Army (Cass Series on Political Violence, 7)

Average customer rating:

Extremely poor analysis
Compulsory reading to understand contemporary Irish history

The IRA, 1968-2000: An Analysis of a Secret Army (Cass Series on Political Violence, 7)
J. Bowyer Bell
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0714681199

Book Description

This study is based on thousands of interviews over 35 years with the leaders and members of the Republican movement and the IRA itself, as well as the Irish, British and Americans involved in the Troubles. Not unmindful of the unfolding of history, nor the relevance of events, the focus of this study is on the workings of an organization involved in armed struggle. br The book addresses the functioning of a revolutionary movement, not the theory, or the assumptions of observers. How does the IRA work, and why? Who gets what and at what cost? What are the advantages of secrecy and history - and what are the attractions of the secret army, and to whom?

Customer Reviews:

Extremely poor analysis.......2002-02-03

At least Bell's earlier books included some basic facts and events in the narrative. This book wanders from over generalizations to unsupported assertions and back to over-generalizations. It's is embarrassing to call this incoherent rambling an "analysis"

Compulsory reading to understand contemporary Irish history.......2001-01-29

.................................... J. Bowyer Bell's latest effort on the issue of Northern Irish politics is a very welcome attempt to write a book about the IRA which might become a milestone in the analysis of political violence, in Ireland as well as elsewhere. Bowyer Bell's work is extremely well documented and has the features of real political sciences, in that he uses a series of events (30 years of Troubles!) as a starting point to reach more general conclusions. This is obviously possible thanks to his 35 years long attention to Irish politics and, most important, to his personal contacts with major and minor participants to those events. But he also tries to detach his analysis from the contingent, the current, the short-term, in order to provide the reader with keys to understand the Republican movement in Northern Ireland. The author succeeds where many others failed, keeping historical and political analysis apart from personal opinions and moral judgements, which is the hardest task when approaching the emotion-packed issue of Irish nationalism and "terrorism". His use of comparative analysis is also of great importance, stressing the general trends of political violence around the world, along with the peculiar features of the Irish case. All considered, Bowyer Bell's conclusions might be debatable (and thus they are scientific, according to Karl Popper!) but he often hits the mark. And always gives the reader food for thought!

Average customer rating:

The Secret Army: The Ira 1916-1979
J. Bowyer Bell
Manufacturer: Poolbeg Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

The Secret Army: The IRA, 1916-1979
J. Bowyer Bell
Manufacturer: MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

A Secret History of the IRA
Moloney Ed
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RQ813K

Average customer rating:

BUY THIS BOOK!

Invention and Evolution: Design in Nature and Engineering
Michael French
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Industrial Design | Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Life's Devices: The Physical World of Animals and Plants

Cats' Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People

Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements: Embracing All Those Which Are Most Important in Dynamics, Hydraulics, Hydrostatics, Pseumatics, Steam en

Life in Moving Fluids

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

ASIN: 0521469112

Book Description

This textbook provides an introduction to design for function, using many examples of manufactured artifacts and living organisms to demonstrate common themes and fundamental principles. Examples forcefully illustrate the importance of the basic design principles related to material properties, physical principles, and energy expenditure. The author also discusses the relation of aesthetic and functional design, the crucial connection of design to production in artifacts, and reproduction in organisms. The author has thoroughly updated this second edition with more examples and a new chapter with actual design case studies to illustrate key ideas. In addition, the text contains many new exercises that reinforce important points in the text.

Customer Reviews:

BUY THIS BOOK!.......1995-06-25

This is a beautiful book. French talks about energy, form, mechanism, and economy in natural and man-made things. He compares birds to planes in terms of fuel-capacity, energy conversion efficiency, drag, etc. He compares suspension bridges and dinosaurs. He provides examples of neat inventions and the thought that has gone into them (every- thing from steam-catapults to toy cars to grommets). This is "How Things Work" for the non-moron crowd.

Invention and Evolution: Design in Nature and Engineering. 2nd Ed.

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Invention and Evolution: Design in Nature and Engineering. 2nd Ed.
Michael French
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UY9NMM

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Invention and Evolution: Design in Nature and Engineering. 2nd Ed.
Michael French
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UFWQUC

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Invention and Evolution: Design in Nature and Engineering. 2nd Ed.

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IC6YVE

Book Description

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is a fast growing and rapidly evolving professional field driven by both advances in theory and method and by regulatory requirements in Europe, North America, Australasia, South Africa and increasingly across Asia. However, to date, analysis of existing practice and associated reporting has remained far from systematic and there has been a clear need for a comprehensive textbook to facilitate teaching, learning and practice in this burgeoning field.

This textbook, the first of its kind, provides for a state-of-the-art review of SEA theory and practice and promotes a more systematic approach to SEA. It is written for a wide student, professional and academic audience and aims particularly at supporting the development of SEA modules in undergraduate and postgraduate planning, environmental assessment, engineering and law courses. It provides an overview of the fundamental principles and rules of SEA, reports systematically on international SEA practice and theory and pushes the envelope by developing the theory. Supporting material includes boxed examples and case studies from around the world, extra reading suggestions and a glossary of terms.

This is the essential book for all students, professionals and academics in strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment and follow-up world-wide.

The development and practice of environmental assessment concepts in Canada (Occasional paper - Planning and Finance Service, Environment Canada)

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The development and practice of environmental assessment concepts in Canada (Occasional paper - Planning and Finance Service, Environment Canada)
Patrick James Berry Duffy
Manufacturer: Environment Canada, Planning and Finance Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007AI6C2

Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment: Principles and Procedures, Process, Practice and Prospects (The Natural & Built Environment Series)

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Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment: Principles and Procedures, Process, Practice and Prospects (The Natural & Built Environment Series)
John Glasson , Riki Therivel , and Andrew Chadwick
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Urban Planning & Development | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1857281179

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