Country first? Randy Scheunemann isn't the only foreign agent with McCain's ear.
It was the story that dared Americans not to care--Iraqi soldiers yanking babies out of incubators in Kuwait and leaving them to die. The grisly tale turned out not to be true, but it was the hook that drew the American public into the Persian Gulf War and earned...

Stupid wars; a citizen's guide to botched putsches, failed coups, inane invasions, and ridiculous revolutions.
9780061258473 Stupid wars; a citizen's guide to botched putsches, failed coups, inane invasions, and ridiculous revolutions. Strosser, Edward and Michael Prince. Harper Collins Publishers 2008 320 pages $14.95 Paperback D25 Written...

The Plot against Pepys.
The Plot against Pepys. James Long and Ben Long. Faber and Faber. [pounds sterling]17.99. xiv + 322 pages. ISBN 978-0-571-22713-6. The imprisonment of Pepys on charges of treason levied by his enemies in the Commons in 1679 has long fascinated biographers and historians. The authors, father and son, paint...

The last mercenary?
What does the adventure of Simon Mann and his band of latter-day mercenaries who plotted to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea, teach Africa and the world? Simple. In the words of the British journalist, Alice Thomson: "Interfering Europeans, whether they come clutching guns or a mocrophone, should stay...

Turkey's Strife Deepens.
Ankara's top prosecutor is on the verge of issuing a 2,500-page indictment against the AKP which promises to shine a bright light on the deepening divisions in Turkish society. At issue are two cases which could redefine both Islamic politics and Kemalist secularism in ways unprecedented in modern Turkey....

Democracy and National Identity in Thailand.
DEMOCRACY AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THAILAND. By Michael Kelly Connors. Copenhagen (Denmark): NTAS Press, 2007. xviii, 293 pp. US$27.00, paper. ISBN978-87-7694-002-7. Scholars of Thai studies who lived through the unprecedented extreme and violent ideological polarization in Thai politics in the latter half of the 1970s--when right-wing mobs...

Highlights from Toronto's international hot docs festival.
Letter to Anna: the Story of Journalist Politkovskaya's Death. by Eric Berkraut (84 minutes) The veteran Swiss director knew Politkovskaya personally and shows her in full humanity--complete with lively humour and obsessive personality-in a film that combines footage of the journalist and interviews with family...

Red flag over Nepal boosts Naxals' morale.
Byline: Mohua Chatterjee NEW DELHI: The Maoist victory in Nepal seems to have greatly boosted confidence of the Left extremists in India, which could only imply more trouble for the government in dealing with Naxalite violence. A secret meeting of the central committee (CC) of...

Comoros.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In March, the federal government of the Comoros, assisted by African Union forces--principally from Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania--staged a dramatic amphibious assault of the island of Anjouan. Libya and France also provided some logistical support. Codenamed Operation Democracy in Comoros, the action was intended to...

Speight of Violence: Inside Fiji's 2000 Coup.
SPEIGHT OF VIOLENCE Inside Fiji's 2000 Coup Authors: Michael Field, Tupeni Baba and Unaisi Nabobo-Baba Published by: Reed, Auckland, 2005, 274pp, $34.99. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Fiji's first military coups. In May and September 1987, Sitiveni Rabuka (then a lieutenant-colonel) overthrew the elected government...